House Disturbance

The Time: 8 Years ago, in August
Location: My old house

I was coming back home at around 11pm. As I maneuvered my car to park in front of my pavement, I notice that the top floor lights are on. I knew my house was empty except for the maid. Something did not look right. The maid would usually be asleep and not have the lights on. I pulled out the crowbar that I keep under the front seat of my car for protection. I walked through the front gate of the house and pushed open the main entrance and got inside. I Looked up the flight of stairs as I was about to go up, I heard banging noises, the repeating noises sound like a heavy object hitting a door. Two men are talking softly in Arabic. I realized that someone is trying to break into a room upstairs. I quietly walked out and locked the front door behind me, crowbar still in hand. I went to the back of the house to check that the backdoor is locked also. The idea is to lock the burglars in, and call the police giving them time to catch the burglars red handed. I called the police on my mobile softly whispering my address and what is happening to the dispatcher. The 7osh (courtyard) is dark; I never bothered to put in new bulbs after they burnt out. The only light is from the street lamp outside. As I was about to go to the front of the house, I saw a dark figure climbing down the ground floor window. I ran to him, waving the crowbar above my head, I wanted to split his criminal head. "Stop", the figure commanded, as I ran towards him. I see his arm outstretched ending with a menacing gun aimed directly at me. I quickly thought, crowbar versus gun, not a very fair fight. I froze, "Drop what you have", he barks. I did as he said. "Lie down on the floor". I curl in a fetal position, my arms wrapped around my head. My thoughts where, if he is going to shoot my head, I might have the remote chance that my arms would slow down any bullet flying towards my precious brain. A bullet anywhere else in my body would not be lethal, I figured, or at least buy me time for medical help. He picks the crow bar from the ground, swung at my bent leg; I heard a dull thump, after what seems to be a little time, I felt a hot growing pain mixed with numbness growing from the point the heavy metal struck me till the throbbing pain spread across my lower left leg, no bones cracked. I lied still. "If you move, I will shoot you", I did not move for a few minutes as he makes his get away.

I get up. My leg hurts but it is not broken, I got out and stould on the street waiting for the police to arrive. I made a few more calls to high relatives with high ranks in the police force. The police arrive fifteen minutes later. They surrounded the house and closed off the area I lived in. They hesitantly entered the house guns drawn and go upstairs. I follow after them. We find the maid tied up with duct tape, frightened but otherwise unharmed. One locked door has the handle badly damaged. It seemed I surprised the burglars and they could no break the door. No one is hurt and nothing is missing from the house.

The Time: Today
Location: My new house

I am outside having a coffee. I get a call on my mobile from my maid. She hysterically shouts on the phone saying she heard a big noise downstairs. I think fast. It could it be another burglary in the making. I am far away and it would take me 30 minutes to reach the house in this Ramadan traffic. I tell her calmly that I am outside and far away. I assure her it is probably nothing  and ask her to quietly go down and see what the commotion is. I tell her I will call her back after five minutes. I did a quick mental scenario calculation. If it was another burglary, the most that could happen to her is that she gets mummified with duct tape. If I was to rush to the house, I would be too late, and secondly, I might get another gun pointed in my face. I call after five minutes, if she does not answer; it could mean trouble and I will call the police. She answers, laughing, saying she discovered a cat jumping around in the 7osh. All is well; history did not repeat itself today.