THIEF - WHAT A SHOCK!!!

Yesterday morning whilst I was busy working in my office in Road Town, Tortola I saw an online message that popped up on my computer saying "Persaud a thief just tried to break in the house ". It was from Arifa my younger brother's wife. She was home watching television when she heard strange noises outside by the door and went to investigate. She had asked: "Who is there?" and heard footsteps running down the stairs. Immediately she became terrified and her heart took a huge sommersault causing her breath to shut off. She had then ran to the phone in the living room on rubbery legs and called her husband fumbling the words out with choking gasps. Tears peeled down her cheeks as she tried explaining to him her experience. Then she had sent an online message immediately afterwards to me at the office.

I could not believe what I was hearing. Yet I knew it was true. In December I had bought 3 desktop computers with flat panels from Dell Computer, Inc for our Law Firm. On opening one of the boxes that was well sealed I discovered a large rock inside. Eyes popped out from their sockets as other staff memebers stared in disbelief. Not Tortola! It had to be Puerto Rico. But really, a thief in Pasea Estate in Road Town in high daylight was hard to swallow.How strange. I have been here nearly five years and never had any problems with thieves. In fact as I recalled I would normally leave my car unlocked with the keys in the ignition and go about a few errands and return to find my car the way I left it. On a few occassions I even left my house door unlocked and never lost anything. Now I realized I had to be more careful.

Whilst I was pondering on these thoughts the telephone rang. It was my brother. His invoice carried an urgency, "Persaud a thief tried to break in here just now. Come home now!'
"Arifa told me." I responded.
"We got to do something about this!"
What can we do I wondered quickly in my mind. Then without realizing I said aloud , "Come home for what though?" I realized that was rude and amended quickly, "Call the Police."
"Arifa called the police already. They are on there way."
"Alright I am coming home in a while."

So I went home. Arifa my brother's wife was trembling and crying in the embrace of my brother. Both trying to blurt out what happened. They were standing outside the house in the corridor leading to the front door of the house. This was her first experience with a thief. She was deadly afraid. It was kind of amusing to me.

As we talked Robin my brother claimed he passed the thief on his way home through Pasea Estate opposite the Totola Sports Club and that the thief raised his hand in acknowledgement as a friend would normally do. And he raised back his hands in acknowledgement having a close look at the person not realizing it was the thief.

"What did the man looked like?' I asked.
"A rasta man with dreadlocks. He had on a red T shirt and blue jeans. " Robin answered.
"What did you do when you saw him?"
"I was driving fast and at the same time trying to observe the faces of those going out the street."
"I saw him from the window by the fridge." Arifa cut in. " He was trying too climb up the rock at the back of the house. He had on a red shirt."

After a few minutes a police officer finally arrive with a tiny notebook and pen as if ready to write even before asking a single question. I found it amusing when he asked "did you see the criminal teeth?' I wonder if he thought "the criminal would be smiling whilst going down the street". The cop conclusion, "we can't do anything. We did not find him on your promise. What we can do however is to warn him when we see him." Again I guess he knew the criminal. He did however caution us to secure our premise more than we had it before.

After a while I just went back to work.