Stranger In The Night
It was 2:30 a.m....
I was nestled all snug in my bed,
As visions of sugarplums(what is that?) danced in my head.
When, what to my slumbering mind should appear,
But the sound of the doorbell ringing in my ear.
That's right- someone was ringing my doorbell at 2:30 in the morning! It took me a moment to clear my head, and then finally I stumbled through the house, to peek out the door. A really, really bad version of Cynthia McKinney was peering back at me. I shook my head, thinking this was a bad dream. But I was awake and she was definitely present.
She wanted me to open the door. Now I might be stupid, but I am not devoid of every ounce of common sense. Around here we have had a rash of what has been dubbed “home invasions”. Someone would be lured to open his door to a “friendly stranger”, only to be rushed by five or six punks, beaten and robbed- and sometimes much worse would occur.
I told her through the bolted door that I was not about to open up. By now she was holding her ear against the door, repeatedly saying, “What?” When she realized I was not going to open, she said she understood. I asked why she was standing on my porch in the middle of the night. Cynthia The Less replied, “I'm pregnant. See.” Then she proceeded to pull up her blouse to show me her protruding stomach, and other features. Obviously she was with child. Her next words: “Look. The cops took my car. I have no ride.” I shook my head trying to awaken from an increasingly surreal event, and in a moment replied, “Go away, and leave me alone.” Last I saw, she was walking across my front yard.
I've given rides to wayfaring strangers, bums, and other such folk. But not at 2:30 in the morning. I think perhaps I saved my life.
But then, again, she may have found lodging at the inn down the street. And she may have given birth in a manger.
08.22.06 (9:47 pm) [
edit]
posted by:
tfruge1 (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:15 pm)
Nice story there Pastor Dave. I know you probably feel a little bit guilty for not helping out this potentially helpless person but like you said, you probably saved your own life. Way to think fast.
One last point though. Who would open the door to Cynthia McKinney anyway?
posted by:
sebastianjoshua (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:19 pm)
hmmm... so strange, i thought that somebody of a higher rank in church might consider chasing a pregnant woman.
she might end up rape/sodomized/assult/harasst or worst KILLED by a stranger.
PLEASE... don't assume/prejudge people by the way they dress, the way the looks.
hmmm... strange
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:22 pm)
Reply to: tfruge1
Actually, I'll admit, Cynthia can be an attractive woman. As I alluded, this was a very poor copy of her.
posted by:
tfruge1 (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:25 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
I think you did the right thing regardless of who it was. It is a shame how in today's society that you can't help people that say they need help due to all the fraud and the potential of them taking advantage of you.
posted by:
babe4jesus55 (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:27 pm)
I've had a drunk man thrown out of his house nearly beat down my door in the middle of the night. Obviously we didn't let that one in. My dad mustered the deepest, most scary voice I've ever heard come from him and scared the fellow off really fast.
Another time we had a couple 20-something girls land on our doorstep, lost from the mall. The mall was like 10 blocks from our house at the time. We never figured why in the world they came to our house when there were plenty of houses between our house in mall. They instructed us to take them to their friends' house, so we did, but being from out of town, they couldn't remember how to get there, so we had to leave them with the mall police instead. Felt bad, but did all we could.
Just do what you can. You did.
posted by:
(
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:28 pm)
It's okay Dave, you can say Black Woman, or African American, or whatever... So had she been better looking, you'd have helped her? The point of this post is lost on me. Someone asked you for help and you declined and the justification is that it was late at night?... Okay. You seem proud of your choice...
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:29 pm)
Reply to: sebastianjoshua
I believe we, of necessity, have to make judgment calls all the time. We do not necessarily judge the value of a person by how he/she looks, but sometimes we must judge the potential safety of that person. I know for a fact that people in my town have been killed by "home invaders". The whole situation did not seem to make sense, so I made a "judgment" call- I kept the door locked.
Let me ask you.... It is very late at night. You pull up at the local convenience store, intending to get out and purchase a soda or something. You pull into a dark corner of the parking lot, and there stand/sit three rough looking young me of an ethnic persuasion. They are glaring at you, and start walking toward your car. What do you do? Would you reason, "Well, I'm not prejudice and judgmental. these guys could very well be nuclear scientists or missionaries for Mother Theresa. I'll step out and give them a big hug." Of course not. You'd throw your car in reverse, quite fast, and get out of there. The potential for danger would be great. That would be a judgment call. It's the kind of call I made last night.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:37 pm)
Reply to:
This is in reply to my nameless commenter:
If...it had been during daylight hours
If...there was the protection of traffic and people on the streets
If...she did not come across with erratic behavior and slurred words
If...my wife and son were not in the house, asleep and defenseless
If...I had a weapon at my disposal
Then I would have been in the position to respond differently.
Please, tell me, how would you have handled the situation?
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:39 pm)
Reply to: babe4jesus55
I do not think Christ requires that we foolishly and unnecessarily endanger ourselves and others by making rash decisions to help others. Help others, well yes, but with wisdom.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:43 pm)
Reply to: sebastianjoshua
You state, "...i thought that somebody of a higher rank in church might consider chasing a pregnant woman..." What do you mean?
posted by:
inkspector (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (7:58 pm)
Gee -- what was she thinking?
OK if it were me. I would tell her to stand on the front lawn but not on the porch or stairs.
I would ask her where she wanted to go.
Then tell her to wait a minute. Shut and lock the door.
Call a cab to come and get her and ask how much the fare would be and pay it for her.
Unfortunately, in our area, we have no cabs, but if we did, then I would do that.
I think I would have done just what you did otherwise.
posted by:
sebastianjoshua (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (8:23 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
sorry... maybe my english is not that good, that's why you interprate it wrongly.
by the way... actually what u say... errr "They are glaring at you, and start walking toward your car. What do you do?" always happen to me as i normally came back home late (say 3-4am)stop at 7-11 and buy a pack of cigarette.
What do i do? hmmm.. look at his/her eyes, try to understand him/her, most of the time they just want your money... i just gave him/her money AND most of the time they took money and buy FOOD. Eat like they haven't ate for days.
it's not that i'm lucky that they did not rob me but I TRUST GOD, will protect me, and we are all human.
hmmmm
posted by:
seochris (
reply)
post date:
08.22.06 (9:10 pm)
Thats fine. Since days are perilous where letting in strangers can bring the doom on you.
posted by:
TheRockSays (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (7:00 am)
Funny thing, this morning I wake up to the news of another home invasion. For some reason they've become pretty fashionable in my area as well. The first thing the report mentioned was they used a woman as "bait". When the poor guy opened the door, the two hidden men who were w/her helped themselves to what was on the other side of it.
I doubt you saved your life, Dave (at least, I don't think any of the home invasions around here ended with loss of life) but when I think of the implausiblity of a civilian needing to fix a mess that the police left a pregnant woman in, you probably did preserve the saftey of you, your family, and everything else in your house.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (9:20 am)
Reply to: inkspector
My mind was not clear...it was 2:30 in the morning, and a scantily clad, pregnant woman was communicating with me through a locked door. The cab idea makes sense, now.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (9:25 am)
Reply to: breakouttheglass
Stereotypes are unfair. I've known plenty of very kind people whose appearance, for some, would communicate otherwise.
But, there are times and place and situations in which you have no other information with which to make a decision. If I were to meet this woman in a more acceptable time and environment, I might find that she has five doctorates, is a millionaire, and is just testing to see if my church is worthy of a huge donation. Now, wouldn't that be a kicker if that was what she was up to?
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (9:31 am)
Reply to: sebastianjoshua
You sound like a kind person.
You say that you trust God. I seek to do that also. But, as I understand the matter, to place myself in a foolish situation of unnecessary personal harm is not to trust God but to test God. And my faith teaches not to do so. God has given me a sense of danger, which I should analyze and determine if it is properly grounded, and then act accordingly. I prefer to avoid a situation of personal harm, if possible and wise.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (9:32 am)
Reply to: seochris
Thank you. I'm wondering, why am I not able to link back to your blog when you leave comments? I know you have an active blog, and welcome comments. Perhaps you are not logged-in when you leave your comments?
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (9:34 am)
Reply to: TheRockSays
I, too, wonder why the police would take her vehicle and then not give her a ride home, or to jail? That's another element to the situation that did not seem to make sense, and caused me to be wary.
So, I guess home invasions are not just an Atlanta phenomenon.
posted by:
bawdy (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (10:55 am)
So the cops are removing pregnant women from cars now, driving off with them, and leaving the women stranded now? Yeah, I believe that one. Where the heck was she coming from? A place with no phone? Sounds fishy to me.
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (7:10 pm)
Dave... sorry I was the nameless commenter... I was at the library and must have commented before I signed on. As for how you might have responded differently? Only you know. Slurred words proved she was dagerous? Drunk maybe. You could have told her to wait on the porch and called the police for one thing... No debate she sounds like she was off her rocker in some way. As for the conditions you set out for when you might have considered helping her? Um, had any of them existed, she probably wouldn't have knocked on your door. What if she wasn't drunk, but disturbed? You WERE in a position to do something, you chose not to. No biggie. I'm not judging, but people usually ask for help when they at least think they need it, not when things are hunky-dory.
I would not have let her in my house either, but I also don't think I'd have just sent her away.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (7:27 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
I guess that's why they call you Jesus.
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
08.23.06 (7:40 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave yeah, yeah, yeah... goofy.
posted by:
graceshaker (
reply)
post date:
08.24.06 (6:06 pm)
i was a stranger and you did not invite me in...
matthew 25:43
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.24.06 (8:43 pm)
Reply to: graceshaker
The thief cometh but to steal, kill, & destroy...
John 10:10
posted by:
graceshaker (
reply)
post date:
08.24.06 (11:11 pm)
you cant be serious.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
08.25.06 (9:00 am)
Reply to: graceshaker
Why not? What's not to be serious about the very real possibility of harm to myself and my family?
posted by:
TheRockSays (
reply)
post date:
08.25.06 (9:56 am)
You know, the more I think about this, and talk about it, the more likely Dave's take is on the whole thing. That call I got from a security company the other day? They said they were going to send someone round yesterday. Only when the night was over did I realize that they might not have been a security company and were casing the area! Now they know I work days, I don't have a security system, no one else is involved in the decision-making, and anything else I naively told them but forgot about. I'm hoping I did mention that I have little to steal.
What is it about the 21c that we see a rise in home invations in two very different North American cities, at least? I wonder if my cat would like a doberman for a friend.
