I survived a parent’s worst nightmare. The middle of the night phone call. I missed the first ring but the second that came almost immediately had me out of the bed and on high alert.
Our brains with more than 100 billion nerve cells, is the most sophisticated communication network we own, and when it speaks, we better listen. My daughter who lives nearly 500 miles away was on the other end of that line, and she was terrified – someone was in the hall of her apartment trying to get in somewhere. Even I, through the phone lines, could hear the God- awful ruckus the intruder was making. He sounded like he was on the other side of her door.
“Call 911.”
“Oh my God! He’s right outside.” Her crying intensified. “What do I do? What do I do?” Fear had paralyzed her.
“Stay on the line with me honey. I’m calling 911 from my end. “Don’t hang up.”
A mother’s instinct to protect her children, no matter their age and it’s as strong as any of our survival instincts. My job as a mother was to stay calm and help her as best I could.I can tell you if I could have flown through those phone lines – I would have.
“Is the chain on your door?”
“I don’t have a chain.”
“Move the foyer dresser in front of the door.”
“He’ll hear me!”
“Get a knife, right now. If he comes through that door, use it.”
“Okay, okay.”
“Get your pepper spray.”
While I tried to keep her calm here’s where my mind was taking me. I didn’t want her to hang up to call herself, although she did and those few minutes we were not connected were the longest of my life. I was terrified if she hung up even for a moment, the worst might happen. In my mind as long as I could hear talk to her, she was safe.
And here:
Her crying intensified. “He’s trying to break down a door.”
I heard the destruction 500 miles away, and I prayed. “The police are on their way sweetheart, stay with me. You’re okay.”
“The police are here. They just pulled up out front.”
“Honey, before you open the door, make sure it’s the police and don’t open the door with the knife in your hand, please.”
As it turns out, a drunken boyfriend kicked in the door to his girlfriend’s apartment. The police found him passed out inside and the girlfriend three sheets to the winds, as well. My daughter and other young ladies on the hall, although terrorized, were safe.
Yep, this mom survived a late-night phone call. Thank God so did my daughter. But, let me assure anyone who messes with my daughters will face this mother’s wrath.
I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram.
How awful. I am glad everything worked out well. What a relief. I think I would drive that 500 miles just to give that drunken boyfriend from next door a piece of my mind for scaring the crap out of my daughter and me. Did the police do anything to him – charge him with anything?
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He was charged with property damage, removed from the premises, and barred from the building.
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Oh good!!!!
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Dramatic and powerful — you control the tone and convey the anxiety perfectly. Stylistic concerns may have been furthest from your mind when you wrote this piece, but I wanted to acknowledge your accomplishment nonetheless.
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Thank you Keigh for your kind comments. I’m glad you stopped by, took the time to read and leave such a thoughtful comment.
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Oh my heart! Right there with you. Don’t mess with my kids or grandkids. I’ll find you!
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Exactly! Mess with my kids and I will hunt you down ! Thanks for reading.
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What a scary, nerve-racking night! I am so glad to hear your daughter is okay! Gave me chills just reading this post. That is a parents worst nightmare, to feel helpless to do anything for our kids when they need us. I’m glad he was banned from the building!
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Me too on all counts. He better be glad I wasn’t there! LOL. She is my youngest daughter and my world traveler. I’ve had to come to terms with the dangers of her traveling abroad and living in big cities, but this was something entirely different. The only way I could help was to keep her on the line with me. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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You handled the situation beautifully. I have no idea how I would have handled that situation. I’m so glad everything turned out okay. 🙂
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Thank you. Sometimes we don’t have a choice. We just do what needs to be done.
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I live just over two and a half hours away from my children (son and daughter) who live together. I can’t imagine…ok, seriously, I totally can, have and continue to (and the hell of it all is I’m a writer, so guess how imaginative it is)… having to deal with those “worst case scenarios” but I love the advice…”Get a knife…don’t answer the door for the cops with the knife in your hand.” That last part had me laughing, mostly because through the whole situation, you remembered she grabbed a knife. That right there, that’s good parenting. 😀
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😀 What can I say? Besides being a writer, I’m a discovery ID and news junkie! Mom knows best.
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Yes they do. Makes it easier on us guys like that.
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We got the dreaded call from daughter #2, who lives 2000 or so miles away, a couple of weeks ago. As fate would have it, i’d ignored her call to me which forced her to call her dad, the next best option. He was able to handle much more efficiently the first automobile accident suffered by either of our 20 something girls, who’d ended up facing the wrong way on an L.A. freeway in morning rush hour traffic, not fully comprehending how. Fortunately, there were no injuries and we have all moved on to the next adult children living far away from us crises – finding good housing and/or roommate at new remote job location and evaluating which medical schools to apply to.
May all our parenting crises be vicariously experienced, as in the movies you’ve cited, and easy to resolve from a distance.
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Oh lord! I’m so glad your daughter is safe and inured. I thought when they got out on their own, parenting would be easier – not!
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shelia, I was hoping this was a fictional account. Your description perfectly captured your anxiety, fear, frustration, and anger over the entire situation. One, I am glad your daughter is ok. Two, I would make Liam Neeson look like a fluffy kitten posing for a Youtube video should anyone ever threaten any of my kids. I applaud you for maintaining your composure enough to tell her how to protect herself (as any good parent should) and two for having the common sense to not driving 500 miles and beating the living shit out of that drunk asshole…. cause I just might have.
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Don’t think that wasn’t running through my head! All I could think of was to stay on the phone with her. If he came through that door – she would not be alone. Then God himself could not have kept me from tracking that SOB down. God was on our side and she’s safe. Thanks for your concern and comments.
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Bravo! I’m glad, first of all that the incident ended as it did and secondly that you remained calm. Hysteria can begat hysteria which solves nothing. Hearing the panic in a loved ones voice sure can crank up the receptors in a parents mama or papa bears’ protective instinct. Which is why the keep calm and think rationally mantra is necessary. Bravo!
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Thank you. Afterwards I was shaking but at the time,I knew I had do what I had to do for her. Thanks for stopping by.
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Thanks for reading and the ping back.
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Thanks for stopping by and the ping back. Always happy to see you in the Cow Pasture.
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That was thoroughly terrifying! Thank God she is okay. That is a mother’s nightmare! Bless you both! 😘
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It truly was but thank God it turned out okay. Thanks for stopping by, reading, and commenting.
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