Nightmare on Barstow Street

For those interested, here’s how last night went….

1:00 am, roughly---my insomnia finally succumbs and I fall asleep

4:00 am-------Nate wakes up to get ready for work….after “snoozing” since 3:30am

5:00 am-------Nate wakes me up to pray and then leaves for work.

5:30am--------I am still fighting the insomnia monster when I hear a soft ‘ding’

5:45am---------Another ding…..

6:00am--------Ding ding

6:10am----------buzz….ding….buzz

6:25am----Ding…….By now I am coherent enough to realize the ding is the doorbell.

6:30am------Ding Ding Ding……By now I am coherent enough to get scared because the ding is the doorbell. I lay very still.

6:40am--------Ding…..what does one do in this situation?

6:51am------ding (thank my cell phone for the exact timing) I call Nate and tell him the doorbell has been ringing all morning. He suggests maybe it is the computer, so I turn down the volume and go to back to bed.

7:00am--------Ding ding buuuuzzzzzz. It’s not the computer. I call Nate again.

Me: I am going to check the front door but I wanted you to be on the phone in case I get murdered.

Nate: Maybe you should have 9-1-1 on the phone. (He is dead serious).

Me: Thanks, hon, that makes me feel better. (Sarcasm noted).

Nate: I don’t remember what he said, but it must’ve been better than his first comment, cause I proceeded to open the front door.

7:01 am-------Nobody is at the door. I ring the doorbell myself a couple times. The dinging is definitely the doorbell. Nate thinks it’s just jammed so I pull the button out as far as it will go.

7:02am---------As I am hanging up the phone with Nate, I hear ding ding buzzzzzz ding buzz ding ding ding buzzzzzz. I worry I will never sleep again. Now, maybe because it was early, but I really thought there was no solution to this problem. I just kept thinking about living here for the next year, considering how I could handle the constant ringing. I am the stereotype: useless girl, stumped by a doorbell.

7:03am-------I call Nate again. Please tell me how to make it stop so I can sleep. He walks me through finding the box on the wall and tells me to disconnect the wires

Me: What if I get shocked?

Nate: You won’t. Well, it’s low voltage, so it won’t hurt. If it hurts, I’m sorry.

Me: (Nervous laughter ) Thanks a lot. (Sarcasm again)

7:05------With the wires disconnected, I am thrilled to lay in bed.

7:10-----I hear beep beep beep beep beep…..coming from OUTSIDE.

This time, it was the neighborhood garbage truck.

It was at this point that I gave up on sleep entirely.