Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Would-be Oprah Episode
So, I did a stupid thing today. I was trying to sell the clock you see here on Craigslist. I was contacted via email by a gentleman who was interested. We made arrangement for him to come to my house this morning at 9AM to make the purchase and pick up the clock.
Around 8:20AM when I was hopping in the shower, a terrifying thought crossed my mind. What if this guy isn't coming here for the clock? What if he's a sexual preditor that hunts unsuspecting women on Craigslist? You may be thinking now that that is a little extreme, but think about it from my perspective. I live on a busy street. My neighbors are all at work. I'm home alone with the exception of Jack. And I have no idea who this guy really is.
In retrospect, yes, I should have made our appointment at a more appropriate time, like when Brett was home. But, I didn't think about it last week when we were making these arrangements. So... now what do I do to prepare myself for the worst?
Glad you asked. An Oprah show I saw popped into my head where they talked about listening to that internal voice that tells you something could be wrong. So, I finished my shower. Gave Jack his bath and got him dressed. Then I took my two cordless phones and cell phone and began to prepare. I dialed 911 on one of the cordless phones. I didn't hit send, so it was just ready to be dialed. I hid it under my pillow in my bedroom. Then, I did the same to the cell phone and placed it in Jack's room since that is the bedroom closest to the front door. I kept the second cordless phone in my hand.
I turned on all of the lights in my entryway and adjacent living room. I placed the clock within arm's distance in the entryway, so I wouldnt have to turn around or walk further into my home to get the clock. I even considered asking him if I could take his picture. I would explain that I take pictures of all of my successful sells for a scrapbook. That way I'd be able to identify him.
When he arrived, I answered the door with Jack in my hip and that cordless phone in my hand, already dialed to 911 if I needed to hit Send in a hurry. I noticed right away that his speech sounded slurred and he wasn't wearing shoes. I considered, if he's here for deviant purposes, why isn't he wearing shoes? What purpose does that hold? After confirming our names- "Emily?"
"Yes, Gerald?"
"Yes."-
I mentioned my observation about his shoes.
"You seem to have forgotten your shoes."
To which he replied, "No, I didn't forget."
Oooooooooooooooook. I guess he left them in the car. Weird! It rained all morning, so he was now standing on wet pavement.
Thinking it odd, I still let him into my home. I immediately reached for the clock and handed it to him, still with my finger on the Send button of my phone.
The asking price in Craiglist was $35. He handed me two $20s asking if I had change "Ah," I thought. "This is his ploy to get further into my home or to get me to turn my back to him."
I answered, "No, I do not. I could write you a check for the difference if you want." He actually replied that it wasn't necessary. He added that he wasn't worried about the $5 difference.
With that, he took the clock and promptly left.
I watched as he got into is car and drove out of my driveway.
CRISIS OVERTED!
Ok, so maybe he was an innocent man who simply wanted to buy my clock. How was I to know? Mental note to self: never do that again!
Around 8:20AM when I was hopping in the shower, a terrifying thought crossed my mind. What if this guy isn't coming here for the clock? What if he's a sexual preditor that hunts unsuspecting women on Craigslist? You may be thinking now that that is a little extreme, but think about it from my perspective. I live on a busy street. My neighbors are all at work. I'm home alone with the exception of Jack. And I have no idea who this guy really is.
In retrospect, yes, I should have made our appointment at a more appropriate time, like when Brett was home. But, I didn't think about it last week when we were making these arrangements. So... now what do I do to prepare myself for the worst?
Glad you asked. An Oprah show I saw popped into my head where they talked about listening to that internal voice that tells you something could be wrong. So, I finished my shower. Gave Jack his bath and got him dressed. Then I took my two cordless phones and cell phone and began to prepare. I dialed 911 on one of the cordless phones. I didn't hit send, so it was just ready to be dialed. I hid it under my pillow in my bedroom. Then, I did the same to the cell phone and placed it in Jack's room since that is the bedroom closest to the front door. I kept the second cordless phone in my hand.
I turned on all of the lights in my entryway and adjacent living room. I placed the clock within arm's distance in the entryway, so I wouldnt have to turn around or walk further into my home to get the clock. I even considered asking him if I could take his picture. I would explain that I take pictures of all of my successful sells for a scrapbook. That way I'd be able to identify him.
When he arrived, I answered the door with Jack in my hip and that cordless phone in my hand, already dialed to 911 if I needed to hit Send in a hurry. I noticed right away that his speech sounded slurred and he wasn't wearing shoes. I considered, if he's here for deviant purposes, why isn't he wearing shoes? What purpose does that hold? After confirming our names- "Emily?"
"Yes, Gerald?"
"Yes."-
I mentioned my observation about his shoes.
"You seem to have forgotten your shoes."
To which he replied, "No, I didn't forget."
Oooooooooooooooook. I guess he left them in the car. Weird! It rained all morning, so he was now standing on wet pavement.
Thinking it odd, I still let him into my home. I immediately reached for the clock and handed it to him, still with my finger on the Send button of my phone.
The asking price in Craiglist was $35. He handed me two $20s asking if I had change "Ah," I thought. "This is his ploy to get further into my home or to get me to turn my back to him."
I answered, "No, I do not. I could write you a check for the difference if you want." He actually replied that it wasn't necessary. He added that he wasn't worried about the $5 difference.
With that, he took the clock and promptly left.
I watched as he got into is car and drove out of my driveway.
CRISIS OVERTED!
Ok, so maybe he was an innocent man who simply wanted to buy my clock. How was I to know? Mental note to self: never do that again!
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