I know, I know, I'm sorry!
At least it's been less than a month since I posted my "I will update next week" post... sorry.
Anyway, I've told this story to too many people so I thought I'd write it on here so I can just link anyone who asks about it.
I'll set the scene:
It's Tuesday, around 2pm, I was supposed to go to town and pick up a TV for Rachel's parents, but I decided to have some lunch before I set off. Super Noodles it is. Tele on, another Top Gear repeat I've seen a thousand times but I watch anyway. Laptop on, as always, chatting to Jack on FaceBook's messenger. As I'm coming to the end of my nutritious lunch time meal I hear a bang. And another. By the next bang I've overcome the confusion and realised that it's my front door that's being assaulted, what the HELL?! I put my noodles down and run to the door, which had been locked all day since Rachel went to work in the morning, I hastily unlock it, and yell "OI, stop!" when it bangs again in my hand. I swing the door open to find my, usually quiet, neighbour, topless and angry.
"WOAH, WOAH! What the FUCK do you think you're doing?!" (sorry mum) I blurted out.
"C'mon then!" Replies the door assailant.
"What are you on about?" I'm genuinely confused at this point.
"I saw him run in here!" He's getting manic.
"Who? I'm on my own here!"
"The guy who tried to kick my door down and rob me, he robbed my parent's and now he's targeting me!"
"Eh?!"
The conversation continues, he goes from claiming I'm hiding someone to accusing me of trying to kick his door down back to the hiding thing. I'm just trying to calm him down, explaining the door has been locked all day and I was alone. I offer to show him my flat to prove there's no one in here, he refuses, saying if he comes in the guy in his flat will run away. He then asks to look in my locked cupboard with my electricity meter in it. I say fine, if it'll calm him down. So I go to get the key, but try to hold my door open with one of Rachel's many boots that are lying in the hallway with no success, so I ask him to hold the door open. He then says "Who's behind the door then?" He says he's seen a boot behind the door (the one I was trying to lodge the door open with) I show him it, then says "What about the hand!?" ........ What hand?! He walks away, out of the corridor, I close my door and lock it. He comes back and knocks quietly (like I asked him too when I first answered it). I think he's calmed down, so I open the door. He then accuses me of snapping his key in his front door, the same key he had been holding in his hand from the beginning of this fun filled fifteen minutes. I can't believe it. He obviously did it. Is he drunk? Is he high?! What's going on?!
All this time he's standing, swaying, leaning towards me quite aggressively, not making much sense and rambling, not answering my questions. So I say I'll call the police, let them sort it out. I though it'd be best for me to call them before he does, considering what he's accusing me of. All of a sudden, something goes ZAP in his left hand, behind his back. "What the hell was that?!" I asked, not at all calmly. "Exactly!" He grins back. This scared me, I thought it was his phone but it sounded to me like a taser or something, this prompted me to close the door, lock all it's locks and inform my neighbour that I was calling the police.
And, for the first time in my 20 year, 5 month and 5 day life, I dialled 999 on my mobile, and pressed the green button.
By this time I'm pretty shaken up, he looked like he was about to beat the crap out of me, I think this may have come across in my phone call. I told the nice woman on the end of the phone what was happening, she took some details, asked me not to open the door and gave me a reference number to use if I had to ring back, if he got aggressive again, she told me that officers would be there as soon as possible. I thank the lady and hang up. I then tell the man who dislikes doors that the police were on their way. He doesn't respond.
I'm lost, I don't know what to do with myself. The Mum and Girlfriend in me tells me to tidy up a bit if the police are going to come round. WHY?! This confused me even as I tidied, it wasn't even that messy. I mute the tele and listen to the guy's nonsensical ramblings. He's talking to the man in his flat (there's no one in his flat by the way) telling him to come out now and he won't react badly. He also looks though my letter box, telling me to give up the robber, "please!". I remain silent and out of sight.
I hear him announce that he's going to call the police, and he does. I can hear the conversation, both sides, loud phone. He tell's the police woman that he's being robbed and it's part of an elaborate internet game. She asks for an address, he gives her it. She recognised the name of the building as the one I had given just 10 minutes before, it sounded like the same woman. She pauses and asks for confirmation of the address, he repeats. She sounds serious. "Officers are on their way sir".
He then rings his mate, tells him to come round as he needs "backup" as he's locked out of his flat. His mate comes round straight away, and buzzes from the front door up to his mate's flat.... which he is locked out of.... right. This prompts my neighbour to ask whoever he thinks is in his flat to "press the key button please!". Now I know he's not well.
Eventually his friend gets in. minutes later the police ring my buzzer, I let them in and they come up the stairs. My neighbour had at this point wandered off down the stairs to another corridor, so the police talk to his friend then knock on my door to confirm what's going on, I open up and talk to them, whilst explaining what was happening my neighbour comes back up the stairs and the police tell me to close my door while they talk to him and sort it out. So I do. They leave the hallway and I don't hear any further. This is the end of my ordeal with my neighbour.
After I had called the police I rang Rachel and left a message about the whole thing, she was at work. Once I put the phone down I realise how distressed I sounded, so I have a drink of water, take a deep breath and calm down a bit. I leave her a second message, apologising for scaring her and explaining I was fine and the police were on their way so not to worry. She rings me a while later, after the police had arrived, asking if I was ok and if she should come home, I tell her not to come and that I'm fine, but she rings quarter of an hour later telling me she's moved her appointments and she's on her way home as she can't concentrate because she is very worried about me. When she comes home I tell her everything and she listens to my second, calmer, message as she had missed it the first time. I'm happy she's home :-)
I hear nothing from the police for a while but they call me late in the afternoon and explain that they have taken my neighbour and he's ok, he's being checked by some doctors and he won't be home for at least 5 days.
Later on, while at work, Rachel calls me to tell me my my neighbour's brother had been around to speak to us, he was very apologetic and explains that since his wife left him his brother had been an alcoholic, after trying to give up on the weekend it all became too much and he had had a breakdown, which is why he was acting so crazy. But he's being looked after in hospital and he would be going to live with him for a while. I'm glad he's ok, he seemed like such a nice guy the couple of times I had met him!
I'm glad it happened this way. What if it had been Rach on her own in the flat?! What would she have done? It does worry me, and her. Also, if I hadn't chosen to have lunch before going to town would he have stopped trying to kick our door down? What if he had successfully gained access? Would he have ripped the place apart? Scary thoughts!
Anyway, very sorry for the lengthyness of this story but it was exciting and I though I might as well do it in detail for you (3 people) to read at your leisure.
More updates to come, now I'm in the swing of things, maybe even some lyrics that I've written, Arrow Hole style.
Thanks for reading all, Have a nice week :-)
