MetaChat - My neighbor's door is ajar

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16 January 2007

My neighbor's door is ajar and it's after midnight ...

→[More:]Should I do something? She's like 87 years old and lives alone. Maybe she left the door open on purpose. She used to have cats, and they'd wander through the halls, but I think she's outlived them. I don't see any cats.

Maybe she's asleep. Maybe if I knock on the door, I'll wake her. Maybe if I close the door I'll wake her. If I wake her, I'll freak her out.

But if I do nothing, maybe some scary burglar grisly bear will come and murder her.

... Or maybe he already did.

What shall I do? Something? Nothing? I've known this lady for 11 years, but only in that vague giant apartment complex way.

post by: brina at: 00:19 | 19 comments

I'd check on her. Head in the door, tentative "Hello?" It doesn't seem right.

posted by stilicho 16 January | 00:22

Definitely do something! Knock on the door. Even if you do wake her, there's no harm in it, and I'm sure she'll feel greatful that her neighbor cares and is concerned about her.

posted by pieisexactlythree 16 January | 00:22

Call the cops; if bad folks are in the house, the last thing you want to be is the nice neighbor poking your nose in.

posted by paulsc 16 January | 00:42

Knock. She'll be grateful that you cared enough to check.

posted by mudpuppie 16 January | 00:43

Update: I knocked, I called her name, I rang the bell repeatedly, I called the cops. They're on the way. Thanks for pushing me to do the right thing.

posted by brina 16 January | 00:45

yikes. make sure to keep us posted.

posted by court siem 16 January | 00:49

Brave bunny award for brina!

posted by bigblueroom 16 January | 00:50

Kathleen (the neighbor) is fine. Just a hard sleeper who accidentally left the door ajar. She's pissed at the police, though, or so it seems. She was arguing with them a minute ago because they wanted to talk to her.

I guess I'll be giving her a nice card tomorrow.

posted by brina 16 January | 00:54

yay brina. that was very nice of you.

posted by carmina 16 January | 00:57

Well, that's a relief! You did the right thing.

posted by pieisexactlythree 16 January | 01:12

Three cheers for Brina!!!

The same thing happened to an aunt of mine (she’s a little old too), and she’d forgotten to lock her door, so when a neighbour saw her door ajar (she’d forgotten to close it properly that night), at 2 o’clock in the morning, he knew something was wrong. Turns out, she was fast asleep and had no idea.
She was extremely grateful though, and shuddered to think what could’ve happened if someone else, who wasn’t as kind, might’ve seen the door open. As were all of us. So once again—Three cheers for Brina!!

posted by hadjiboy 16 January | 01:26

Reminds me of a Bill Hicks joke about him and some friends sitting in a car, high on mushrooms, listening to the car repeatedly telling them that "the door is ajar" and them trying to work out what it all meant.

Also: yay for being a good neighbour. I've lived in my place for nearly a year now and don't know anyone in the same building.

posted by TheDonF 16 January | 01:44

Q: When is a door not a door?

A: When it's ajar.

I kill me.

posted by iconomy 16 January | 08:50

I used to tell that as a small child, but I didn't really understand the joke. So I ended up using the punchline,

"When it's a jam jar."

Which of course doesn't make a lot of sense, but I think I must have just thought it was surrealist or something.

posted by chrismear 16 January | 08:57

Aw, that's cute. I bet you got a lot of laughs.

posted by iconomy 16 January | 09:39

Yay for good neighbours!

posted by deborah 16 January | 14:38

I think it's nice that you cared enough to check on her. Glad for happy endings.

posted by redvixen 16 January | 16:20

Good on ya for checking up on your neighbour and calling the police, Brina.

Abso-fucking-lutely.

A shame she's pissed at the police, probably hates to realize that... you know, she's near elder ]can't call 'em senior citizens anymore[.

Don't know Bill Hicks, but I liked Dan Hicks ]and his hot licks[.

posted by alicesshoe 16 January | 19:14

State Farm is there!

posted by Lipstick Thespian 16 January | 22:53

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