Last November, right before Thanksgiving, I stood on our top deck while pregnant and watched a town home in our community burn to the ground. It had to be one of the most devastating things I have ever seen. I woke up that morning and heard pounding accompanied by yelling, "FIRE! FIRE! GET OUT!". It sounded like it was right next door. I looked out the front, nothing. Then ran to the back, still nothing. But, I could hear it. So, I stepped out on our top deck and heard the smoke detectors going off like they were right in front of me and realized the banging and yelling was coming from down the hill. I could see the man running and banging on all the doors. There was a feeling that came over me like I had never felt, but being very pregnant there was not much I could do. About 10 minutes after the banging, yelling and smoke detectors still going off, I start to hear sirens. Faint at first, then louder and louder. The smell finally hit, it smelled strange, but no smoke. The fire engines pulled up and went to work....breaking windows and chainsawing the roof. Then the smoke bellowed up the hill. I cried....for the family that lost their belongings, for the deceased dog I heard them talk about, for the fact it was almost Thanksgiving and this family lost everything. I called the community office and asked if there was anything I could do, clothes, a turkey, anything. The office did not want to release any information to me. But, later called and said not to worry, their insurance company was already on it.
Two weeks ago, I heard sirens. Anthony and Josh had left for a baseball game, so this made my heart jump in my throat. I went out on the deck while holding Madeline and looked down, there were fire engines at the golf course office. Then the smoke cloud came up the hill, with the same smell as before and I ran in with Madeline. I heard the chainsaws and window breaking as I watched from closed doors. This time it was an apartment.
Before I explain the next part I need to give a back story on our neighbors to the left of our town home. It is a family of four, Husband/Wife/Toddler/Baby, with 3 Labradors ( I adore Labradors) and their cars have California plates....that's all we know to this day. When they first moved in, I knocked on the door with a plate of muffins. The man looked out the window at me and didn't answer the door. STRANGE. A few months later, the woman was out with one of the kids, I said "Hi! How are you?". She just looked at me. EVEN MORE STRANGE. Well, after I told Anthony this he has completely ignored them and that was that. All I can think is that maybe they are having a house built and will be moving soon, so choose not to waste time with us?? Who knows.
This morning I'm feeding Madeline and I hear smoke detectors going off. Maybe someone is cooking and that's what it was? Well, it goes on for about 10 minutes....more than one going off. Then I start to panic. I run out on the deck and it sounds like the neighbors. So, I grab Madeline and run out front. I run to the left and it sounds like their house, but to make sure I keep running past them to the end house. Nope, it's definitely the one right next to us. Both of their cars are there, so I am panic stricken that they are in the house, passed out or dead, who knows. I RUN up to the door and POUND on it like I'm the police. The man answers the door in nothing but some briefs and I yell "Are you guys OK??!". He looks at me and says, "Yeah, we can't get them to stop." I hear his wife's loud, annoyed sigh in the background and then the door slams in my face. Nice. So, that's 3 times these damn people have made me feel like the village idiot. Not cool.
So, for the next 2 or 3 hours the detectors would go off for 20 minutes at a time and I couldn't help but snicker at their frustration. That's what you get for being so damn RUDE!
I guess I would much rather that be the 3rd time they were rude to me rather than the 3rd fire I witnessed though.
I really don't think I ever have a normal day.
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