POLICE: Thief Steals More Than Laptop and Banana

Last Wednesday, May 26th, someone burgled my home on Duncan Place. I suppose there is little newsworthy in this. There's a lot of it going around, so to speak. The burglar took my laptop, some inexpensive jewelry, 90 (more or less) first class stamps, some loose change and a banana. Oh, and he drank a bottle of water and left the empty bottle.

The burglary was avoidable. I could have kept my bedroom window, the one in the rear of the house, closed. But I didn't. I haven't worried about that window since I moved into the house in 1985. Whenever it's been warm and I haven't had the AC running, I've left the window open. There is no close tree to climb, no shed roof to get up on. Of course, there are the security bars on the downstairs windows and they proved to do just as well.

But in a real sense, I was lulled by the security of living in this neighborhood, a neighborhood I loved, and still love.

Now, I miss my laptop. And I wonder whether I will be able to recapture six years of (almost) weekly essays about life in the marshes of Dorchester County. I probably can get all but the first year's worth from the folks on the email list to which they were sent.

I miss my laptop, but that is replaceable.

What is not replaceable is my ready answer. I moved to DC in 1981 and for a brief time I stayed with friends in Ballston. "Don't live in DC," they warned. "It's too dangerous."

In 1985 I moved to my home on Duncan Place. "Isn't it dangerous over there?" colleagues asked. "Why don't you buy in the suburbs?"

Over the years, I have had one ready answer: "Nothing has happened to me."

No more. And that is what I will miss most, and what saddens me most. I will replace the laptop. I will get more stamps (yes, I still mail my bills). I have already replaced the banana and the water. And, in truth, I am embarrassed that I ever owned those silver chains. But I was never embarrassed to say "I live in D.C."

I still am not. I still love the neighborhood. I still love D.C. I just wish I had my ready answer to keep me secure.

As a postscript: those of you who know me, know I've been critical of the (lack of) policing in the area. I must say that the two officers who responded Wednesday night were thorough, courteous and helpful. I appreciate their efforts. §