Stranger

By JL

My bag weighed heavily down on my shoulders as I trudged home after a tiring day at school. The sunny weather was a direct contrast to my gloomy mood. With my father out-stationed and my mother busy running her errands, I dread the thought of having to prepare my own meal and being home alone.

As I stepped out of the dank elevator, I saw two dubious characters standing in front of my new neighbour’s flat. The younger man with a tanned complexion and a well-toned body was fiddling with my neighbour’s lock. His accomplice, a pot-bellied burly man, was standing behind him with his eyes darting hither and thither as he looked around.

I have not met this new neighbour of mine who had just moved in last week. I understood from mum that the family ran a coffee shop which was at the foot of our block and was hardly home till past midnight.

The first thing that went through my mind was “burglary!” I wanted to dial triple nine with my mobile phone, but being in such close proximity to these “thugs”, I would not be able to use it without alerting them. Just as I was about to reach for my phone, “Ring!” my phone sounded at the most inappropriate time. My heartbeat sent adrenaline pumping through my veins. I quickly muffled it and made a quick dash down the flight of stairs to answer the call. Thanks to my lucky stars, I was not discovered by the “thugs”.

As if the caller was playing a trick on me, my phone stopped ringing when the soles of my shoes touched the concrete floor at the foot of my block. I uttered a curse and proceeded to call for the police. They advised me to stay put, but, nosey as ever, I decided to play sleuth and continue to watch these men. After what seemed like an eternity, the men in blue arrived, and swiftly caught the perpetrators.

The older man bellowed, “What are you doing? I am the owner of this flat!” but there were no documents on him to prove it. Thanking me, the police led the duo to the lift. At the lift landing, the man with a pot belly turned towards me and blurted out a string of obscenities before punctuating his sentence with, “You just wait and see!”

The thought of what might happen to me make my throat go dry.

“Hubby, what are you doing, being handcuffed by the police! Did you do something bad? You even made our son your partner in crime?” a voice broke my train of thoughts. At that very moment, I saw a plump bespectacled lady outside the lift. Bewildered by the strange turn of events, I rushed forward to investigate and was utterly embarrassed to find out that the two “burglars” were actually my new neighbours!! Apparently, their new key to the house was stuck in the key hole and they were attempting to get it out while waiting for the lock-smith.

Upon hearing the truth unfold, the policemen apologized, removed the handcuffs and released the two men. All of them had a hearty laugh, which was at my expense. Feeling mortified, I made a beeline for the sanctuary of my flat, resolving never to jump hastily to conclusions again.