Stop, Feeth!

There’ve been a rash of “theft from car”s in my neighborhood lately, particularly ones in which the windows were not broken but the door simply opened.
NextDoor is abuzz with incredulity.
Imagine.Thefts!From cars!
“They got my laptop, my wallet, and my good umbrella!”
“Someone took the jar of change I keep in the backseat.”
And here it is where we stop – hammer time – and reflect on all the things I will not say in response.
Things like: Was the car locked? And of course They took your UMBRELLA?!That’s IT!I’m getting my conceal and carry!
I’m not an idiot, according to my mother, and I don’t say these things, because what do I know?People work late, they forget, and there’s always someone waiting to take advantage of someone else’s lapse in judgment. Me, I drive my car maybe twice a month and therefore keep very little in it.On the other hand, as a bus-dweller, I am known to carry both a backpack and a bag I could smuggle small dogs in, so again, what do I know?
Grandma went into town with a lipstick and car keys and did just fine. We know carry things with us that cost hundreds of dollars.
"I didn't know it was that kind of neighborhood," writes one young, newly disillusioned neighbor.  "Guess I'll have to start locking my doors."
And I feel for her; not because she sees her neighborhood differently, but because she once believed she could leave a laptop in an unlocked car.