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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

It's all in the Genes



There have been many moments in my life where a complete stranger will come up to me and say, "Are you a Thatcher?" I always reply, "sure am, which one do you know?" They continue to tell me some story about one of my siblings and something crazy you did. The thing is I can't figure out how they know that I'm a Thatcher, I mean is it how I walk. I sure hope people don't relate my walk to Paul's or Mark's, they're both equally funny, but I don't want it. Or could it be our looks? Nope, not that either because none of us look alike. So there has got to be a sign above my head that screams, "I'm persuasive, loud, won't take NO for an answer, basically DON"T MESS WITH ME, among many other great qualities we posses! I guess there is something very distinct about this clan of ours, and I've got just the story to prove one of the qualities that I know we all posses and that is "Gumption"!

The other night I was at my apartment when Lindsey, one of my roommates, stepped out onto our balcony for some fresh air and was startled by seeing a hand. She proceeded to scream, "OH MY GOSH, I JUST SAW A HAND!" I started laughing and teased her that she was loosing her marbles. My teasing was contagious of course and my favorite comment was made by Natalie, who said sheepishly and with quite a bit of sarcasm, "was it a hand... or was it, ya know, a HAND?" Well in order to calm this disturbed young women we went to check it out.

Two of them set out around the back where the balcony is located. Much to their surprise they did see a man, and once he knew he was spotted he took off. Ann and I wanted in (at this point I still think that this "man" is a figment of their imaginations, but I'm in for an adventure) so Ann and I go the opposite direction to entrap this "man." We are walking around the corner of our neighbor's house and I excitedly tell Ann, "this situation calls for a weapon of some sort I wish I had a gun or even a sling shot." A light-bulb-clicking moment happens for Ann as she excitedly bends down and says, "I know, we've always got rocks." I feel comforted with a half giggle in my gut that escapes a wee bit! Right at that distinct moment a creepy figure darts out from the shadows. Not knowing that there were TWO sets of us in pursuit of him he stopped, we stopped and we just stood there looking at each other. Right then my gumption kicked in FULL bore. I very accusingly say, "excuse me but WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He replied in white- trash language (lots of swear words), "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm hav'n a smoke." I think, "really then where's your cigarette?" I then say, "Where do you live?" He points to our neighbor's house and says "upstairs." At this point I am flabbergasted and say, "Oh really! YOU live upstairs?" He replied indignantly, "no I live in freaking outer space!" I say, "well that would make a whole lot more sense considering that we know everyone that lives upstairs, and you're definitely not one of them." He then has the guts to say, "well if you know them what are their names?" Ann started to spout off their names. I interrupt her and say, "NO, you don't ask the questions buddie we know YOU'RE LYING!" Ann cuts to the chase by asking, "were YOU on our balcony?" He doesn't answer the question at hand. Ann courageously yells, "I have a rock." In my mind I think, yeah she has a rock and then I proceeded to say, "I don't know who you are but if I EVER see you again not only will I call the cops but you'll come close to death!" I threatened him within an inch of his life and continue, "I don't EVER want to see your face around these parts again!" His quick- witted response was "well...you don't ever......." his sentence mumbled into silence and we're staring at each other again. As I literally scream, "LEAVE!!!" He then says, like it was his idea, "I'm just gonna leave." "Yeah ya think?" He sheepishly walks away. Ann being the more logical one at this point says,"Ang what are we doing, we can't just let him get away?" So she begins to dial 9-1-1 (remember it is Logan and a peeping-tom is BIG news).

The cops come while we are in pursuit of him again. One of the cops was Chris Klevin our cousin. We talk with them for a bit and tell him that there are some men behind one of the houses that might have seen him. He tells us that by law he can't go back there. We all look at each other with the same thought, "well the law ain't stoppin' us," so we head behind the house, as the cop yells, "holler if ya need me!" (I think he was pretty amazed at our gumption). The boys didn't know anything (probably because they were drunk themselves). As we walked back to our apartment the adrenalin pumped through my veins about causing them to burst because of the sheer excitement that something so thrilling had just happened. I wanted to relive the whole experience except next time I would have much better threats, the man took me by surprise and didn't let me prepare any real good ones.

The next day at church one of the boys who heard the whole thing through his bedroom window came up to me and said, "Angie, what happened the other night? I heard you hollering' up a storm at someone." I told him the story and he said, "well I would have come out, but it sounded like you pretty much had things under control." To which I replied, "yes Billy nothing to lose sleep over, the situation was HANDLED!"

Well I have become the apartment watch dog. Since THE INCIDENT I have permanently moved my memory-foam mattress out on the balcony which had become my new bedroom. I don't know it it's the hope that he'll come back or if it's the closest thing to living like the Swiss Family Robinson's that is so exciting. Regardless what should be a scary story has become a fun- thrilled memory. As all the girls sit around retelling the story they are always full of praise for the courage and protection that I provided them and I humbly tell them, "Girls, it's all in the Genes."