Altercation

I went to bed quite early last night. Took ¼ antihistamine to make sure I slept properly. Been ruminating a bit at night lately. Must have been about midnight and I woke up to the Ally dawg racing through the house, almost barking (she rarely barks), and the most incredible altercation coming from the car port of the house next door. Now their carport is right next to my bedroom, so it sounded pretty loud. I couldn’t hear the words. Men’s voices. At least two, maybe more. Didn’t recognise any of them. One of the voices seemed to be in pain.

Now remember, I’m still groggy from an antihistamine. I’m just starting to think about ringing the police, and realise that they have just pulled up into the driveway. At this time of the morning, in my grotty red dressing gown, I’m not going out to see what’s happening. The Ally dawg is still racing around the house like she will defend us if something happens (yeah, right !!).

So I wander around the house. Peer out from behind the blinds. Imagination running wild.

Next thing I know, the cops are racing the wrong way down the street. When I look to see what’s happening, I can see lots of flashing lights down at the corner of my street – same place we had the fire !! But that’s all I can see.

At much the same time, from a different window, I see a man being escorted from the next door neighbour’s car port. Too dark to see much. Who was being escorted. Who was doing the escorting. Was my next door neighbour being arrested? Was it someone else? What’s happening in my nice safe neighbourhood??

I brave the world. Head out of the house and into my carport, still wearing my grotty red dressing gown and ugh boots, bed hair and all. Don’t want to get too close to what ever is happening, partly cause of my state of dress (or undress as the case may be), but also cause I am still incredibly groggy from the antihistamine.

It’s interesting peering out different windows and catching glimpses of a happening. I see totally different perspectives from different windows.

As I head out to the road, I realise that there are a few neighbours chatting away, a fire engine and quite a number of police cars. Do I join them and find out what’s happening? Do I go walkabout in my grotty red dressing gown? Do I get dressed and satisfy my curiosity? Or do I go back to bed? Things seem to have settled down. Everything seems to be quiet and under control.

Decisions, decisions! By this time, it’s after 1 a.m. on top of sleepy making drugs so I decide to go back to bed. Funny how this nice safe house suddenly doesn't feel quite so safe. I don’t normally feel anxious living alone. But last night, yup, there was a bit of “is it safe right now?”. Maybe I should have satisfied my curiosity. I didn’t. I watched a bit of tv and then the drugs did their work and I went back to sleep.

Woke up this morning quite late which was good. Still sort of wondering what all the altercation was about last night and spotted the guy from the house next door. Got dressed – no I wasn’t going out there in my grotty red dressing gown.

Apparently, the police were chasing a couple of kids on a bike (I think that’s what he said), and they crashed into a pole down the end of the street and then headed into the gardens. We think they went through his carport, hopped the fence, and then the girl climbed up on the roof of the house behind and threatened to jump. Apparently, the first thing these people knew, was lights shining up on their roof and police all over the place. I slept through all that. What I heard was another neighbour making a citizen’s arrest and the man in pain was the guy being held.

I should have gone out last night. Would have been really exciting.

And my nice safe house is back to being safe again.

Madeleine

Saturday, 21 June 2008