One day during the first week we moved to the farm, Joyce was not feeling well, so she left work and headed home. She saw the flag was up on our mailbox so she stopped the car at the edge of the driveway to pick up the mail. That decision saved her from harm. There was a crew of burglars working the outlying farms in our area. There must have been a lookout that saw her car stop at the edge of the driveway. He or she called to the buglers and they beat it out the back door, which was still flapping in the breeze when she parked beside the house. Joyce walked up to the door and stepped inside. She looked into the bedroom and it was turned upside down. Everything had been pulled out of the dresser drawers while the buglers looked for hidden treasure. They hit the jackpot finding all of Joyce’s jewelry. There was $2,000 dollars worth that they took. All of her diamond rings and diamond earrings that I had bought her back in California during our high earning days. They also took a cameo Joyce’s grandma had given her. That cameo was more important to Joyce than the diamonds because that was irreplaceable. Apparently the freaks were even trying on her panties as they searched. They took my collection of music boxes. They also pulled everything out of our closets and took my shotgun. From that day on, Joyce never wanted any fine jewelry, she only picked up costume jewelry that was inexpensive.
The burglars never had time to go through the rest of the house. All of my computer equipment upstairs was untouched. Of course I would have rather lost that and instead saved Joyce’s jewelry.
All 10 years in California our house and later townhouse were empty all day long. Joyce and I were working and Annie was off to school or High School. All those years I worried about a breakin and a burglary. It never happened. We moved back to rural Missouri, where I expected a more safe existence. I was apparently wrong on that front. We never had any problems for 27 years after that first week. I will tell you this, once you suffer a burglary, you never forget it and you always think about it every time you leave your home or apartment.
That feels like you were violated I am sure. It must have been horrible.
ReplyDeleteI remember growing up never locking our doors. I came home from college and Dad gave me key to the door. Apparently, there had been several break ins around the area. In fact, everyone knew who was doing it but they were never caught. I think the reason we were not affected is because Mom did not work. We too lived far out in the country.
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