Elmsdale Estates: Creepy Night Visit after delivery of tiles

Wednesday March 19th, 2008

Tiles showed up today (were due yesterday) but I couldn't get over to check out the boxes until after 9:00pm. Even though it's dark out I do know there is one trouble light at the house.

Now, Andreas is away and there is a spare key hidden at the house that I just use on the rare occasion that I am there without him. This has worked well so far, until this one evening.

I fumbled around in the dim light of the street lamps, trying to find the key. I am getting frustrated and irritated (happens very easily these days!).

Then I hear some thumping and bumping and I suddenly realize that there are people in the house...my immediate reaction is to pound on the door. Seems perhaps not the most wise, considering I am small, single woman standing outside of a construction site in the dark...however when the door is not immediately opened I just keep on banging.

Eventually the door is opened by, of all people, one of the drywall-mudders. He looks at me expectantly and says 'jes?'. I say, indignantly, "My house" and he says "oh, come een". He is another trade of good skill, little english.

I am thinking to myself, hell yes 'come een', this is MY damn house! However, I just step in and ask him why they are there so late and he says that he had no choice, the scaffold for him to work on the skylight was delivered late and also it's better to sand the skylight at night when there is no sun shining through it. At least that is what I think he said.

I proceed to poke around at the boxes of tiles but since the one light in the house is in use by these guys it's a fairly useless exercise. Then I also realize that he has not gone back to work, but rather is just standing at the bottom of the stairs watching me. Creepily. Uh, not my ideal evening so I decide to check back later and I skedaddle out of there.

Turns out even if they hadn't been there, I may not have been able to get in since the key has been moved. For good reason, apparently trades have been known to come back after their work is done and 'help themselves'.