I'm not mad at you. I admit I was at first. That feeling of shock that came over me as I opened the door and first laid eyes on the results of your evening of "fun." The fact that I was suppose to head out of town for one lousy day of relaxation for the first time this year, but was delayed by the two hours I spent with the Ozark Police Department. The fact that I have spent many hours of my time trying to market the property so that I might make a living for myself and my own son, only to be delayed for who knows how long while the home is being repaired. Yeah....I was angry at first.
But as I thought about it....my feelings changed. I tried to put myself in your shoes and understand what you were thinking while you were having your fun. In my mind, I recreated the moment you were standing by the back window just before you broke it and reached your hand inside to unlock the back door. Did you have a buddy with you? Were you looking at each other and laughing at the idea of breaking glass? Did you high-five each other?
When you opened the pantry and found the buckets of paint and decided to throw it all over the walls and carpet, did you congratulate yourself for having such a brilliant idea? Were you patting yourself on the back? Did you stand back and admire your artwork for awhile?
When you used the vent register to slice up the drywall, did it make you feel really cool? Were you amazed at your own talent of being able to throw a vent register and have it stick in the wall? I know you missed at least once and accidentally hit the fireplace. I'll bet you were glad your efforts weren't wasted because you DID manage to at least break the tile.
And was that your brilliant idea to sweep up the broken glass and shove it into the ductwork? Because, you know, that will take someone a lot of time and work to go under the home and disconnect it to make sure they got it all. That's pretty funny, huh. (Insert Beavis & Butthead laugh here).
I'm sure you're feeling like a stud right now. You probably think you've gotten away with something. After all, you broke out the windows on the neighbor's car last week and nobody caught you doing THAT. They probably won't catch you doing THIS either. See....you're smarter than everyone else. There's no way they could possibly know it was you. Well....for your own sake, I hope you're wrong.
HERE'S THE TRUTH:
You're the guy who walks down the street checking out his own reflection in the windows thinking to himself "Man, I'm lookin' goooood", but you don't even realize that your fly is open!
If you weren't alone, then you had a "friend" there, didn't you? I'd bet my life savings that person is NOT your friend. You just think he is. A REAL friend would have stopped you. A REAL friend would have valued you enough to not want you to make a mistake that could potentially harm you your entire life.
Even if you're a juvenile, you could face up to 5 years in jail, 2 years probation, and community service. Most people believe that vandalism is the result of someone being bored. Were you bored that night? Imagine how boring it would be to spend 23 hours a day in a jail cell looking at the same guy hour after hour. Of course, when your new cellmate, Bubba, decides he can't take the boredom anymore and decides to use YOU for his own entertainment, well...that won't be so fun, will it? BUT HEY....it was worth it, wasn't it?
The Courts will probably make you go to counseling. That's always fun. If you're a juvenile, they'll make your parents come with you. I hope your Mama cries. Not because I wish bad things for your Mama, but because that means she loves you enough to care about what happens to you. You see, when you make bad choices, you don't just hurt yourself.....you hurt everyone who loves you. I hope I can be there by her side when she sits in Court and cries and blames herself for your ignorance, so I can tell her that it wasn't HER fault....it was YOURS. Think that will make her feel any better?
Then you've got to think about what you're going to do when you get OUT of jail. You're probably going to need a job at some point. Good luck with that. Who wants to hire a person who has been PROVEN to be unfit for society? Almost any job requires a certain amount of responsibility and trustworthiness. How are you going to convince someone that you're the right guy for the job?
You see, what you've done is you have taken the first step into a life of misery. The bank that owns the home has something called "insurance." The insurance company will pay to have the home repaired, and I'll be able to sell it. Nobody will even be able to tell you were there. But the proof that you were there will follow you around for the rest of your life. Well....that's only if you get caught. Otherwise, you will continue on down this path that you've chosen and discover that the thrill you got out of vandalizing this home isn't big enough for you anymore. You'll have to keep finding "bigger" crimes to commit in order to feed your "really cool" demons. Let's hope they find you now....before the charges grow into something so large you may never find your way back out.
So, no....I'm not mad at you. I feel very sorry for you. My hope is that there is SOMEONE around you who loves you enough to stop you. Otherwise....well.....good luck with the rest of your life....you're gonna need it.
|
Lina Robertson Jones
Owner/Agent
RE/MAX Solutions
1715 James River Road
Ozark, MO, 65721 |
Mobile: (417) 844-7265
linarobertson@remax.net
|
 |
|
RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!
    |
||
About the author: I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®. I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home. Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings. Want to know what our market is like? My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.
