Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow
member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2007
- Messages
- 13,146
So I picked up my girlfriend from a bar, where she'd been drinking with her friends (I'd been working), about 10pm, and took her to her home. We went in the back door, which is the door everyone normally goes in and out of.
Within 10 seconds, as we made our way through the house, she notices that the front door is OPEN (about 1/2 way), but with the glass storm door closed. She's *pretty* sure, but not 100%, that she didn't leave it open. So I immediately begin backing up to back out, in order to go get a pistol out of the pickup (like an idiot, I didn't have my CCW on me). Girlfriend does not instinctively back up like I do, but rather continues further in.
Get handgun. Come back in. Then she proceeds to tell me that she is 100% positive that when her friend picked her up to go to the bar a couple hours before, she left two different lamps on in the living room - she remembers distinctly leaving them on - and now the living room is pitch black - no lights on. Holy hinkey neck hairs, Batman!
Before this point, I had gun in pocket, not wanting to blow things out of proportions, but when she told me about the lamps, I pulled out the gun and told her I had it, and I was going to go room to room, clearing every room and closet, which I did. There was no one there and no further incident, but I made a pretty serious error in this way, I think:
While I was clearing the house, downstairs & basement first, then upstairs, she went upstairs to go through a door which connects her living area with the living area of her tenant, who lives on the 3rd floor of the old house, in order to ask the tenant if the tenant had heard anything or knew anything. My mistake was in NOT making her back out of the house and go for a drive or something - she told me she was going upstairs to go through to the tenant's apt, and I actually said ok - I was so focused on looking over the surroundings that I was all but blocking her out of my mind.
I should have insisted that she first and foremost, not go upstairs, and either followed me during the clearing, or leave the house. But not having gone out with her but around 2 months, I didn't feel I knew her that well, to be going into full "man-takeover tactical mode" with her. But I should have overridden my worries of blowing things out of proportion and insisted she leave, and escorted her out, before doing the clearing.
Also, very importantly, it should be noted that the reason she was not worried and used poor judgment in going upstairs - taking this situation too lightly - was the fact that she was drunk. So, we have to remember, that if others are drunk, we have to take over and insist that they make a good decision, not let them make a bad drunken decision. Two of the three people who have keys to her house were at the bar with her, and the third is her sister, who had no reason to come over, is another thing that made this worrisome. And being drunk and under stress this time of year (accountant), she may have been mistaken about the lights. I dunno. Nothing was missing, and all is well. Hopefully, some lessons learned.
Within 10 seconds, as we made our way through the house, she notices that the front door is OPEN (about 1/2 way), but with the glass storm door closed. She's *pretty* sure, but not 100%, that she didn't leave it open. So I immediately begin backing up to back out, in order to go get a pistol out of the pickup (like an idiot, I didn't have my CCW on me). Girlfriend does not instinctively back up like I do, but rather continues further in.
Get handgun. Come back in. Then she proceeds to tell me that she is 100% positive that when her friend picked her up to go to the bar a couple hours before, she left two different lamps on in the living room - she remembers distinctly leaving them on - and now the living room is pitch black - no lights on. Holy hinkey neck hairs, Batman!
Before this point, I had gun in pocket, not wanting to blow things out of proportions, but when she told me about the lamps, I pulled out the gun and told her I had it, and I was going to go room to room, clearing every room and closet, which I did. There was no one there and no further incident, but I made a pretty serious error in this way, I think:
While I was clearing the house, downstairs & basement first, then upstairs, she went upstairs to go through a door which connects her living area with the living area of her tenant, who lives on the 3rd floor of the old house, in order to ask the tenant if the tenant had heard anything or knew anything. My mistake was in NOT making her back out of the house and go for a drive or something - she told me she was going upstairs to go through to the tenant's apt, and I actually said ok - I was so focused on looking over the surroundings that I was all but blocking her out of my mind.
I should have insisted that she first and foremost, not go upstairs, and either followed me during the clearing, or leave the house. But not having gone out with her but around 2 months, I didn't feel I knew her that well, to be going into full "man-takeover tactical mode" with her. But I should have overridden my worries of blowing things out of proportion and insisted she leave, and escorted her out, before doing the clearing.
Also, very importantly, it should be noted that the reason she was not worried and used poor judgment in going upstairs - taking this situation too lightly - was the fact that she was drunk. So, we have to remember, that if others are drunk, we have to take over and insist that they make a good decision, not let them make a bad drunken decision. Two of the three people who have keys to her house were at the bar with her, and the third is her sister, who had no reason to come over, is another thing that made this worrisome. And being drunk and under stress this time of year (accountant), she may have been mistaken about the lights. I dunno. Nothing was missing, and all is well. Hopefully, some lessons learned.
