AMANTE: Simple safety precautions worth the effort
I did something stupid.
We’re not talking anything too life-altering — just something people eschew or forget on a daily basis: I didn’t lock my front door over Easter Weekend.
It’s something I’ve probably forgotten to do hundreds of times. Growing up in suburbia is no excuse, but I know that the habit was acquired after several years of living in a safe and secure cul-de-sac’ed road.
Anyway, after years of leaving doors unlocked without any consequence, I got a serious wake-up call one Friday morning.
At around 6:20 a.m., I woke to find a strange man in my living room.
Shirtless, moaning and very, very drunk, he was laying on the couch with my front door wide open.
I demanded he leave my apartment, which he ignored. I was alone that morning, and so I locked myself in my bedroom and attempted to maintain some form of composure as I promptly called 9-1-1.
Thankfully, the Mount Pleasant Police Department arrived soon after my call, within five minutes and arrested the man. Much gratitude and many kudos to the MPPD, by the way.
Nothing was stolen, and thankfully the only thing violated that morning was my pride, but obviously, it could have been so much worse.
I feel incredibly fortunate that this situation was as mild as it was. A strange, shirtless man in my living room was obviously shocking and terrifying, but compared to what could have happened, this was clearly a preferable situation.
The trajectory of my Friday morning could have been entirely different had I remembered something entirely simple: a simple turn of a deadbolt.
The incident has proven to be a valuable wake-up call. I got lucky: I’m sure a thousand stories started like mine and didn’t end so neatly.
My message, although obvious, is simple: lock your damn doors. It’s a simple, preventative measure that helps ensure your safety.
It’s a cliché, but I can honestly say I learned this lesson the hard way.
