"I Work for the Military"
Friday, January 8, 2010 at 11:00AM 
Scroll down for the update or conclusion or whatever you call it.
At 6:17 AM I woke from a deep sleep. My first groggy thought was that the banging sound I heard was the cats knocking something over, but then the doorbell rang. Who could it be but the cops with bad news for me? I went to the front door without my glasses.
Through the door window, I saw, not the cops, but my youngest son. “He’s locked himself out,” I thought. Without turning the porch light on, I opened the door, and it wasn’t my son, but a young man who—even up close—looked like him.
“I work for the military,” he said.
I was confused. “Huh?”
“I work for the military,” he repeated. “They gave me the wrong drugs and I’m all drugged up. Can you help me?”
What would you have done? Tell me. Later, I’ll tell you what I did.
rebecca
Okay, I’m back, and here’s the end of the story.
You’ll remember, I hope, that I was groggy and disoriented. The whole thing seemed not so much frightening as really, really weird.
“Can you help me?” he’d asked
“I’m sorry,” I said and closed the door, watching as he turned and walked down the steps, down the driveway and then down the street. I told myself that he’d rung the doorbell to see if anyone was home. He’d been looking for a house to rob, I thought, but I’d answered the door so he’d seen that someone was here and that was that.
I went to the bathroom and back to my warm bed, but by this time, I was awake enough to start thinking it through. Who cases houses at 6AM? And what potential thief can’t think of a better cover story than “I work for the military and I’m all drugged up”? Maybe he really needed help. Yep, something had been wrong with him, but I didn’t know what. What if he’d been my son at someone else’s door? What would I want them to do? It’s winter and dark and I live right on the edge of the bush. What if he wandered, confused, away from the safety of the homes?
I decided to call 911, but as I went to the phone, I saw a cop car drive by slowly. I wasn’t, I guessed, the only one he’d approached and someone else had responded better than I did. Let’s hope they found him and sorted everything out.
Later, as I showered, I prayed that he got whatever help he needed. I also asked for forgiveness. I’d been confused in my sleepiness, but that’s not much of an excuse for being so unconcerned for his welfare.
Thinking back on things and discussing it with family and friends, I’ve narrowed the possible story lines to these: he was drugged and delusional; he was mentally ill and delusional; he was sleepwalking. Youngest son suggested this last possibility. His reasoning? It was a school night—and I’d judged the kid to be school-aged—and it was 6AM, so it was not really a party day or time. Plus, “I work for the military” sounds like he had a whole back story going on in his head. The more I go over it, the more likely this scenario seems.
In the do-over in my imagination, I still close the door, but I also call in the pros immediately and watch (and pray) for them to come. I suppose I’ll never get a do-over in real life. And, except that he wasn’t actually working for the military, I’ll probably never know the true story behind my early morning awakening, either.
Reader Comments (15)
I would have called 911 for help. But I don't live in the Yukon.
Whoa! That could be a whole variety of possibilities. The guy could be psychotic. Paranoid. Schizo. Drugged. Combo of any or all of the above. Or he could be legit. My first concern would be "is this guy dangerous to me?"
So I guess I have to agree with Leslie's comment...call 911. Unless the temp is 40 below with a windchill of 60 below, in which case I would call 911 and then go back and let him in while I am on the phone so he could see I am on the phone....
Oh, man, this is a difficult one...hve to be there to "read" the situation.
Was his name Jason Bourne?
Good grief, Rebecca. I'm all ears! Do tell.
Years ago, way before I was a Christian, I had just turned of SNL (yes that is what I wrote) and was heading to bed when someone came to our front door. I looked out the peep hole and there was a guy who worked for my husband standing there...bleeding. Because I recognized him, I opened the door wide to let him in. He was drunk and had probably been in a bar fight. I noticed a police car sitting in front of the house pulled away at that point. I woke up my husband and the guy ended up staying with us for a few days while he recovered. He told us he was driving too fast and he was pulled over. He told the police officer that he was on his way home. He drove to our place (not his home) and since I let him in, apparently the officer thought he was telling the truth. I still don't know how much of what he told us was true.
It wasn't until later on that I realized how impulsive it was to just let the boy in, but there it is. I can't wait to hear your story. You are excellent with cliff hangers.
Was his name Jason Bourne?
Ha! Hilarious.
Can't wait to hear the rest of the story...!
Once upon a time, I would have let him in, no problem. I think I would have told him that I would be just a minute, gone inside to think about what to do. Was he a big guy? Was there anyone else in the house? I may have let him in if I felt ok or I may have said to wait a minute and gone to get a bat or something to have at my feet. I am not sure. We visited Bruce's family back in New Hampshire, and our daughter in law knew a lady and her daughter who were attacked randomly by teens about a month ago. They used a machete on mom, thought they killed the daughter, who called 911 after pretending to be dead. The daughter is now ok, and her mom is dead. They lived in a rural area. We have to use such discernment these days.
Oh, I don't know what I would have done. I would have been terrified.
I don't know but I imagine the scenarios running through my head would be a lot more tame and cautious if I weren't reading this while in the middle of watching 24. Can't wait for the answer.
It wasn't until later on that I realized how impulsive it was to just let the boy in, but there it is.
I've done things like that, too, and I've never been harmed by it. And sometimes I think we've all become too cautious when it comes to helping people.
The daughter is now ok, and her mom is dead.
Yikes.
A couple of bad things have happened here over the years and I think everyone is more cautious.
I think Tim Challies once brought up a situation of a man helping a child in the mall, and if men would consider stepping in to helpt or if they felt cautious due to preconceived ideas of potential men molesters. It was an interesting question with some interesting answers.
I have been known to step in the middle of situations without much thought. I have stepped in the middle of men fighting, and have worked with some strange homeless people in the past. I also worked with raging at-risk teens who wanted to beat me up. :)
When my husband was at a Bible study a couple of months ago and it was fairly late at night, I heard a knock on the door. I wondered who would want to knock at that time of the night. I decided not to answer the door. When my husband came in later that night, he brought in a huge, huge zuchinni that someone had left. I still don't know who left it.
Yes, sleepwalking could be a possibility. Two years ago, my husband and I took some kids from our church to work at a Christian camp. It was a 20 hour car ride, so we stopped in Thunder Bay overnight. One of the young men, who was in a room with three other guys, woke in the middle of the night and ended up going out of the hotel room and into the hallway wearing nothing but his jeans. It was about 2:00 a.m. He could not get the boys in his room to wake up with his knocking and he said he came to my room and knocked on our door, but I would definitely have heard that, so we think he knocked on someone else's door. He had no idea he was out of his room for several minutes. He ended up having to go to the front desk and ask for a key.
I had one kid who used to sleepwalk. He did and said some really strange things, but never left the house. But now with all the locks that let you out but not back in again, I think leaving home is more likely to happen.