BLOG 1 - Stolen Car

FACT: My 1993 Honda Civic was recently stolen.
LIE: No neighbors peered at me.

FICTION:
It was gone, the voice inside my head said.

I stood in my driveway and stared where my car was supposed to be. I stared longer and a bit harder, if that’s even possible, but the result was the same, it was still gone.

All sorts of crazy ideas enter your head when you’re standing in your driveway staring at where your car is supposed to be. Did I park it somewhere else? Did I forget to bring it home? Did I give it away and forget? Was I drunk last night? The answers to all of these questions were all the same - no. I knew for a fact that I hadn’t been drunk enough to misplace a car for years. I probably scratched my head, or did something else equally useful, and then glanced up and down the street; just in case I decided last night not to park my car in the driveway like I’ve done every single time I’ve ever successfully returned home. My car was, of course, not on the street either.

In my driveway sits three other cars belonging to the other tenants from my building. My car is easily the crappiest one, yet was the only one missing. Why? My car is or was a red 93’ Honda Civic. So the obvious question was; what would anybody want with it? I mean, The AC doesn’t even work and it was full of old stale French fries that had fallen in-between the seats, which I hadn’t got around to removing yet. I couldn’t help to feel some relief for not having to clean up those fries but it was a small conciliation for missing an entire car.

So I went inside, sat on the couch and stared at my dog for a few minutes but that didn’t seem to help. Then I started to blame my dog for my stolen car but that didn’t help either. I explained to her in great detail how it was her responsibility to protect us form thieves. I told her that she was not earning her keep and if this kept up something would have to be done. She of course just listened intently and wagged her tail because deep down she knew I didn’t mean any of it. I think when I was done I actually gave her a treat.

So after consulting with my dog I did the next logical step, I called the police. Then I sat in a chair and stared some more and slipped into deep uncomfortable thoughts. My mind raced and I realized all sorts of unpleasant stuff, I wouldn’t be able to get to school anymore, I couldn’t afford to buy a another car, I’d have to walk to the grocery store. I would have to walk! My entire life had been brought to a standstill and I was helpless to do anything about it.

The police man was a big burly man that made no effort to even pretend to be interested in my predicament. He took a statement. Where was the yellow tape to block off the crime scene? Where was the detective dusting for fingerprints? What about crime photos! I got nothing; he didn’t even peer over at the driveway where my car was supposed to be. Of course, what was he going to do other then scratch his head and stare at the vacant spot and then maybe peer up and down the street to see if I accidently parked it somewhere else, as if I missed the driveway when coming home last night. I of course had already taken care of all of that this morning when I discovered my car was missing.

We stood in the street outside my apartment, both of us standing near his police car. We did this because after my talk with my dog she decided to become super vigilant and protect me from the police officer by barking at him and not letting him enter the apartment. I couldn’t help but think, better late than never. While we were out there I noticed the occasional neighbors inside their houses peering from a drawn curtain watching us. I couldn’t help but imagine that what they suspected was going on was far from interesting then what actually was.

The police officer finished taking my information and we figured out all sorts of helpful stuff; for example my car was stolen sometime between 10PM last night and 8AM this morning, It was probably taken for parts and if found will most likely be stripped and unfixable. He then wrote down the police report number on the back of a dirty Dunkin’ Donuts napkin which was conveniently located on the passenger seat of his car.

So, that was it. My car was gone and there was nothing I could do about it. So, I did the only thing that seemed right; I went back into my house, used a magnet and stuck the dirty Dunkin’ Donuts napkin to the fridge, gave my dog another treat for succesfully protecting me from the police officer, and then went back to bed.

The rest of my day had been cancelled.

Check out this site to see the top 10 cars stolen in your state. In Rhode Island 93 Honda Civic is number three - who knew? http://www.campbellsolberg.com/resources/top10stolencars.htm