What really pissed me off about getting burglarized …
What really pissed me off about getting burglarized …
… is not what you think it is
Writer’s note: This post was first published on Medium’s “Tickled” on November 18, 2020 and will now be permanently housed on Substack’s new “Tickled” column.
It was only two hours. My parents made it clear that I would only be home for two hours before my older brother would arrive shortly after. I was a new kid in a new school and a new house, and this was my first year as a latchkey kid. When we first moved into the house — right across the alley from our apartment so moving was amazing — I was ecstatic to have my own bedroom. No longer would I be sharing a space with my older brother. To hell with his G.I. Joes and Skeletor. My Barbies, Ferraris, three-story mansions and fold-out suitcase bedrooms needed room to breathe. This was going to be the life.
As I trotted up the street, around the corner from my school, a friend of mine walked nearby, insisting that she get to play with my Barbie dolls. If you’ve ever read “Becoming,” then former First Lady Michelle Obama and I shared similar sentiments about people playing with our dolls. Mess up your own dolls, but leave mine alone. They’re busy!
When I got to my door, she argued with me about how she should be able to come inside. I firmly opened the door, twirled on my heels and told her in no uncertain terms, “No!” I didn’t even want to see the havoc she could wreak on Skipper, never mind Ken and my plastic container full of clothes. But the way her eyes widened scared me at first. I turned around to look behind me to see what it was she saw. That’s when I noticed the couch was flipped over, and the VCR and TV were gone. I gasped and unblocked the door.
Recommended Read: “Weird Barbie won me over in the 'Barbie' movie ~ Childhood memories and mother-daughter arguments came flashing back while watching my childhood hobby”
From the living room, we could see the back doors were wide open, as though someone ran out as I opened the door to argue about my Barbie doll collection. I darted back out the front door, and my friend and I jogged to her home instead. After getting to her house, I knew I had to call my mother to let her know I was home from school.
“Guess what, Mom?” I asked.
“What?” she asked.
“We got robbed!” I responded.
Long pause. “Are you kidding with me right now?”
“Nope,” I said matter-of-factly.