Is It Smart Having A Heart?

byAngelWing

226 followers

8 years ago

Wow I had an interesting day yesterday, and I thought this would be a great story to share. I would say it was my lucky day but then I'm not sure that "luck" should be defined in such a manner. A better way to describe my day would be more like, a "relief from grief". Yes, that's better than demeaning the word "luck". As I start to write this story of just one day, I feel necessary to give background information that can portray the story with more knowledge of character and how a situation came about. The next thing I know, I'm 30 paragraphs deep and haven't even gotten to the day's happenings. The whole idea of the story got flooded with sub-stories.

This story is about how I got my iPhone 6 stolen from me a couple weeks ago and the adventure I took in tracking it down. I used my find my iPhone App, and although it will not pick up a signal unless the phone is turned on, the App led me to another town and the wrong house. Although the App was off, it was only off by just one house. The day had a surprising turn after encountering the dangers of strangers that were characters most would label creeps, freaks, and tweaks.

So to not yet get to the point let me paint a picture.

Once upon a time...there's this kid named Jeffrey that lived in the building behind mine at the apartments I lived in last year. When I first moved in I spent the first week or two making nightly visits to the apartment's pool area where I could soak in the hot tub to relieve my aches and pains from the move.

Jeffery and his mom and his little sister were the first people that I met. I chatted with them briefly and learned that Jeffrey was 18 and worked as a cook and buss boy at a local bar and grill. After our small talk aquiainted us, I would wave or say hi to them when I saw them in the parking lot.

As time went on, I started seeing more of Jeffrey. The kid that lived in one of the apartments below me was the same age as Jeffery and their frequent gathering and smoking spot was by the air conditioning units. I would often look over my balcony or down my stairs to see one or both of them staring up at me and sometimes trying to bum a cigarette.

Well if you give a moose a muffin… moose will turn into mooch and muffin will turn into nothin! So any time he came to my door to ask me for another smoke, I would hand him my trash to take out to make a fair deal. A few times I would tell him I didn't have any and if he went to the store for me I would give him a few from my pack. He always agreed and would always bring me back my pack and change.

Jeffrey had good taste in music and I would hear his tunes from my balcony and invited him up every once in a while if I was bored and wanted company. He was friends with my directly next door neighbor too, so as time went by we all formed a sort of family community click between us all.

Jeffrey was all excited to show off his new Jeep Cherokee that his grandpa had given to him. He insisted on taking me to the store to show off his new but used whip. I soon learned that he only has a permit as he panics as we pass by a cop. I lectured him and didn't think it was smart to be risking his car for just a joy ride and quickly made him take me back home.

I looked out for him like a little brother, I wanted to be a positive influence and tried to mediate by getting on his case if I noticed he looked like he was asking for trouble. I would see him sometimes and would usually be concerned about what he was up to. He would be with the other young kids by the creek shooting his air soft gun at trees and what not. The kid was a total knuckle head but I always got a good laugh in when I saw him.

He got a job at an ampitheater where his grandpa lived which was almost 3 hours away, so I started seeing less of him. He would only come to town like once a month and was pretty much living with his grandpa. I would ask him to hook it up with some concert tickets and take me to a concert!

One day he asks if I wanted to go to the Van Halen concert he had tickets to. Although I wasn't a fan of them or anything I was excited to go to a concert. He invited my neighbor too and offered to come get us and bring us back home. He would be working but he wanted us to have a good time.

My neighbor already had plans but Jeffrey came and got me and I had a great time getting to know him during the ride. He was going to get his dad since there was an extra ticket. He told me his dad was an alcoholic and not to drink around him. I refused to ruin my time by having rules not to drink my few beers at the concert. His dad couldn't make it anyway and he ended up giving his ticket to a girl he recently met out there.

Kaylauni was her name. She was very sweet and beautiful and we bonded right away. As the three of us pull up to our parking spot at the concert, I look around at the fans that concert attracted. I was a bit surprised everyone was so young. I once went to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert and I was the youngest one there. Where's all the bearded bikers and rock and roll type crowd?

I was dressed the part with my bandana on my head, funky rocker leggings and short boots. Jeffrey runs up to double check that Van Halen was indeed playing that night. He comes back to say he got the dates wrong and not to be mad he can still get us in.

Great! He tells us that J. Cole is playing tonight and he was going to have to sneak us in somehow. Wow, so not only am I dressed as a rocker at a rap concert, but I'm three hours from home and you aren't sure if you will be able to get us in or not!!??

This was what I meant by Jeffrey being a total knuckle head. It turned out fine, he got us in past security and I would have rather seen J. Cole than Van Halen. But my attire's theme was all wrong.

I barely made it home in one peace and decided to never ride with Jeffrey again. After the concert, and before, he drove like a complete a-hole. Beside the inconsistant speeds, and changing of lanes that drove me crazy and turned me into a nagging mom about his inexperienced driving, he drives away from the crowded concert traffic nearly killing us all five different times from five different near accidents! I demanded that he pulled over and let me drive at the next safe turn off. As he refuses to let me drive or pull over to let me out, I started to get very upset.

I was livid as I had to raise my voice and demand my freedom from his Jeep. He was driving so recklessly that if he didn't want to let me drive then I was satisfied to be left to fend for myself in finding a way home in a town where I knew no one and was hours from home. Finally after a few threats he let me drive and I was not happy with him the rest of the way home.

Although Jeffrey was cool for inviting me, I wasn't down to have friends like that. He was really immature and the disrespect took him far from the friend list. I made it home, tired as hell, and asked him to bring up my bag of belongings that I wouldn't carry in one trip. He was going to bring them up to me but asked if he could bring it up after he relaxed for a few at home. I asked him to lock his doors and not to go anywhere until I had all my things.

Next thing I know I'm getting calls from the local police asking if I knew a Jeffrey. He was getting his Jeep impounded for driving without a license and they wanted to know if the tablet and girls bag was really mine or if it was stolen property. Luckily, after Jeffrey threw my name out, one of the cops was a friend from school and made sure I got the chance to come and get my belongings.

So much for a peaceful nap and trusting Jeffrey to bring up my things before he went anywhere like he had promised me. I quickly found a ride to the scene of the traffic stop where Jeffrey and the downstairs neighbor were both sitting on the curb. As I grabbed my stuff and jetted out of there, I flipped off Jeffrey for once again being disrespectful. I thought of how him loosing his car was probably the best thing to happen to everyone. Now the roads are more safe without Jeffrey behind the wheel and maybe it served him right and now he can learn something.

I never really hung out with Jeffrey after that, I just saw him around and said hi. When I moved he knew which town I had moved to and we still had one another's numbers.

One day Jeffrey was in my town. He was staying at his friends house and wanted to come by and say hi. I had missed him for the good that there was. I never had visitors so I agreed for him to come by.

He had a friend with him. Come to find out, his friend was one of the infamous twins that were known for tagging up the town and stealing beer from the town's tiny store. When I brought up the rumors of their behavior the kid assured me that they weren't like that anymore and that was when they were young and stupid and they didn't do those kinds of things anymore. He seemed remorseful and was happy to say he was even allowed back in the store after the time had healed his previous acts of crime..

Just as I was forced to move, so was everyone else and Jeffrey and his mom and sister were stuck bouncing around with no place yet to go. I felt bad that he was homeless and was worried of his influence from his twin friends he was staying with. I told Jeffrey not to bring either one over anymore because of the risk probability.

Jeffrey tells me that he messed up and how he and his other friend from work were fired after stealing from the cash register. He told me gave the money back but I was not please to have him around with his i don't give a crap attitude.

I knew that Jeffrey was easily influenced but maybe if he had the right influence he could be steered straight. I talked my baby daddy into letting him work dragging brush on one of his jobs.

After hooking him up with work, and even feeding him one night, my iPhone 6 came up missing. He said that he would work one day and even after warning Jeffrey not to flake off my baby daddy and blow it, he no showed. I knew he had taken my phone but I hoped I would find it stuck in a couch.

Jeffrey stopped by one last time and I asked him if he took my phone and how I was sure that he did. He kept telling me no that he didn't take it and even offered to help me look for it. He had me grab a flashlight as he went though all my couches picking them up and shaking them.

Bottom line, if my phone wasn't home somewhere, then he was the only one in or around my house for it had been a good month that went by after I asked him not to bring by his twin friends. Fingers pointed to Jeffrey.

I have the Find My iPhone App and had been checking and hoping that it was going to get turned on for the GPS navigation to work. Yes! I no longer had to wonder what happened to my iPhone after the location was tracked to the next over town, coincidentally the same town that Jeffrey said he would be before he flaked off work and then skipped town back to his grandpa's to go live.

Knowing my instincts were dead on, I was beside myself to learn that someone I helped out and somewhat trusted, would do me so dirty. I confront Jeffrey on a private message and exposed my darker side calling him a punk and a liar, thief, backstabber, good-for-nothing loser. I only received name calls back, denial, and the annoying game where he plays dumb and acts like I'm nuts and on drugs for accusing him when I lost my own phone. Yep. There was no confession to say the least.

I told him to warn whoever he sold my phone to because I was coming. I had the address and I had my son's grandpa take me to the scene of the crime. As I approach the house, I already assumed it was the house next door to it, but I decided to knock on the door that the GPS gave to me from the Find my phone App.

One little old Asian man, and then soon his wife, came to greet me at the door. I explained to them how someone stole my iPhone and how the navigation on my GPS had given their address. They frowned and shook their heads no and I quickly asked which house was the tweaker or drug house, the one to the right or the one to the left of them. The woman quickly pointed her thumb in the direction on the house to the right.

I thanked them and headed next door to give the same initial speech, but this time adding that if it wasn't handed over I would have to call the police to make a report.

First, a woman comes to the door, looked to be in her 50's. Very skinny and frail,. As soon as I informed her of the situation she quickly knocks on a door in the back of the house. She tells them everything i said and I heard a man with a deep voice reply, "Who? I don't have an iPhone!"

I hear footsteps walking toward my direction of the front door. To my complete surprise the man, tall and skinnier than Skeletor, is dressed in nylons, a mini skirt, and a woman's blouse. His hair was past his shoulders and curly and colored red.

Wow. What a character, I am not sure what is transgender and what is just cross dressing.. but it could of gone both ways. I tell him what was going to happen if i didn't get my phone and I didn't want to have to call any cops. I was trying to show them how cool I was and how the phone was no good to anyone but me.

He turns away from the door as he assured me that he didn't have it. He tells me he would ask because he wasn't the only person that lived there for her had roommates. I hear him knocking and spreading the word of my iPhone I have came to collect.

Next to come to the door was a thicker man, maybe part Mexican, with tattoos and sleepy eyes appearing to have just woken up. He came outside to sit on the bench next to the front door. He seemed to have no part in the whereabouts and didn't speak much.

The man in the skin tight skirt turned again to knock on yet another door in the house, I heard another man yelling "What, I don't even have that iPhone, it's not here anymore!"

Embracing myself for the next character to come to the front door, I encounter a man that is tall and skinny with sucked in cheeks and looks as if he can be the twin to the cross dresser. He had short hair with male clothing but looked similar to the other man.

He tells he that he knows who has it and he would track it down for me and see what he could do about getting it back to me. He tells me that he can meet me next to that old abandoned bar, assuming I lived next door to it.

What? Jeffrey even told these people where I live? I was livid. I denied living next to any bar and acted dumb to this location. The man tells me to come back in an hour or two because he needed to go up the street.

I left, went home and got some lunch. I didn't like that I would have to make another trip out of town, but I gave the guy some time and hoped for the best when I finally returned.

I approach the house for the second time as I see the man in the skirt outside of the house. He heads inside to get his twin looking male version man. The man with the tattoos and half asleep state was still on the bench.

The third man was coming to the door, with my naked iPhone in his hand. I had to take a closer look since I was used to a pink case wrapped around it.

YES!!! It was my phone!! He handed it to me and I opened both arms. The guy kind of rolled his eyes as he dipped down into my offering for a hug. I thanked him and turned to give the cross dresser, and the shirtless tattooed guy all hugs.

As scary as these characters were, I loved them at that moment for all taking their part in returning my phone, "without one scratch on it" as the man said while giving it back to me.

I know none of them stole my phone, and it wasn't their fault really. I thought of how good people can be in even the scariest forms.

At dinner time, we ate tacos that me and my son's grandpa made together. My son was so sweet as we each prayed around the dinner table. Pierce was sure to thank God for helping his mom find her phone.

I had a heart for Jeffrey and I don't normally let people like him in my life. For some reason I am ashamed of having a big heart, because it doesn't always deem justice. I need to stop feeling like i can better others lives because it only worsens my own. I am no longer taking in strays, new friends, or charity cases. It's just the way it has to be for it only burns me in the long run.