A few Sunday evenings ago, there was a knock on the door. I should say a knock on the door to my apartment building. I live on the first floor and I can always hear when someone wants that door unlocked to get in.
I pretended not to hear it. In my time living in the building located in Covington, there have been a lot of knocks on that door. I’m not the damn doorman and if they don’t have a key to get in, they probably shouldn’t be there anyway.
But the knocking wasn’t going away. Feeling annoyed, I unlocked my apartment door and went and opened the door to the apartment building.
Standing there was a young woman, probably in her 20’s. She was slim, had pulled back blonde hair and was wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, “but my phone is dead and I need to plug it in and make a call.”
“You want to charge it?” I asked.
“I just need to plug it in to make a call,” she repeated.
I looked at her for a few seconds not knowing what to do.
“I’m your neighbor,” she said. “I just live down the street.”
“OK,” I said. “Come on in.”
She entered my apartment and went looking for an electrical outlet. I told her there was one close to the kitchen table.
“You live alone?” she asked as she plugged her phone in. I said yes, then immediately thought I shouldn’t have said that. What if her real intent was to rob me?
“I’m texting my boyfriend,” she said.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just call him?” I asked.’
“Yeah, probably,” she said.
She kept playing with her phone. What she was doing with it I’m not sure, but I started to feel even more uncomfortable.
Across from the kitchen table is my writing desk. I was sitting there and the woman noticed my cane leaning up against the desk.
“You feeling OK, sugar?” she asked. Now she was sizing me up to see if I was defenseless.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Where’s your boyfriend at?”
“At the bar.”
“Which bar?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “He’s probably drunk, that’s why he’s not answering the phone.”
She punched in some more numbers on her phone and finally left a message for her boyfriend to call her which he couldn’t really do because her phone wasn’t charged. She didn’t seem to figure this out and I wasn’t about to help her.
“I hope he calls you soon,” I said, getting up from my chair and leading her to the door.
“Thanks for your help, sugar,” she said. As she left, I went back inside my apartment, locked the door and put the chain on. Maybe this exchange with the woman took a total of 10 minutes, but it felt more like an hour.
The reality is I don’t think this woman meant me any harm and the thought of robbing me never crossed her mind. She just needed a little help but why couldn’t she use the electrical outlet in her own home? That’s a question I should have asked.
They say your original thought is always the best. I think the next time I hear a knock on that apartment building door; I’m going to pretend like I’m not home. I’m not proud to say that, but that’s the kind of person I’m turning into.
(Photo from photobucket.com)
There’s a reason why the front door to your bilding is locked. It’s called security.
Some years ago, I lived in a basement apartment that had a buzzer system to let people in. A lot of vistors to the building, if the person they were looking for wasn’t home, would knock on my window. It’s a bad position to be in. Most of the time I would let them in because I didn’t want my window broken.
Pretty dumb on your part. She was scoping you out.
Like Sean I also lived in a basement apartment once and experienced the same thing. In this age of cell phones, I have no idea why people can’t just call their friends to let them in. You can try to ignore them, but ultimately the best advise is to just move somewhere else if it keeps up.
More than likely a good old Kentucky gril with little brains.
You should have asked her why she wasn’t using her own electrical outlet to charge her phone. Her excuse for knocking on your door sounds fisy.
Just to clear things up with RN, there are plenty of people both men and women who have no brains who live in other states besides KY.
With me being a woman, if a man was knocking on that door there is no way I would let him in. Is a woman less threatening? That’s not always the case. Bottom line is that door is locked for a reason and you probably shouldn’t have answered it. In this case, live and learn.
An interesting post today. She ways she was a neighbor but could she have been homeless? I know of a ew homeless people who have cellphones. That would explain needing an outlet. Still in this day and age of high unemployment it is hard to trust even those who seem innocent. Let’s say you got lucky this time but I would not open my door again.
As others have said there is a lock on that door for a reason. Don’t open it for neighbors or anybody slse. Maybe Covington is safer than OTR but siill. . .
It’s better to be safe than sorry and you could have been very sorry here. Stay safe.
Your words reminded me of the LOL column. Any news about it going to that other paper?
While your writing is always interesting and personal, I read this piece in horror.
Don’t let strangers into your apartment. You know better. This stuff about plugging in a cell phone sounds totally made up, an excuse to check your place out. I know you’re trusting but this is too strange.
Wise up! Don’t make me come over there.
Oh yeah, love the post today and the comments. You know, she could have used your cane against you and hit you over the head with it. Don’t be too trusting of Covington. People are friendly there but will turn on you if they think you have something they want.
You were kind of an idiot but I know you didn’t mean to me.; Keep your door shut. Don’t talk to strangers. Myn mother taught me that.
opening the door to anyone at night is a risk. I’ve read you in the past and at your age you should know this.