- Joined
- Dec 4, 2005
- Messages
- 955
You mean that guy at our front door at almost 9 PM on a Friday night WASN'T a Kirby salesman, as he claimed?! How disillusioning.
I was about to get in the shower when my wife said someone was trying our front door. I grabbed my Streamlight and a knife (closest weapon), doused the inside lights, then carefully opened the door. No one there, but a guy was across the street knocking on someone's door. After they turned him away, he headed back to our side. Staying behind the door since I was nekkid, I hit him with the light and asked loudly what he was doing. He gave me the story about selling vacuum cleaners, which was pretty stupid. I asked him what he was doing out late at night, and he said he could be out until 9 selling stuff. Ok. So I called the police, who responded within a few minutes. Funny thing -- there was no sign of the guy anywhere in our enclosed neighborhood, no car waiting for him, and they had no record of anyone with a permit to solicit sales for Kirby vacuums in our town.
So yeah -- be very careful, be polite and courteous, but trust no one, watch your perimeter at all times, and trust no one.
My wife wasn't raised around guns or a self-defense mindset, but since we've been married, she's definitely come around. Seeing me carrying at all times is normal for her, and I know she feels a lot safer for herself, our kids, and all of us.
It's hard for women especially to feel safe in this world (witness the sad outcome of the case under discussion here), so taking sensible precautions is very important. I think some women (and men) are overly concerned about being polite, but it seems like a LOT of people are just unaware. I guess I've been involved in enough small incidents that I make sure to prepare for the big ones.
Very sad conclusion to this story. If I ever see someone who blips my radar talking to someone alone, or what looks like a predator/prey situation, I will definitely make sure to introduce myself.