If These Walls Could Talk,

I'm not sure I'd want to hear what they had to say.

We've been discovering and uncovering things about this house and its previous occupants for a few months now - random paint colors, wonky wiring, weird stuff spilled in nooks and crannies, reports from neighbors that maybe as many as 12 people lived here at once (yep, in our four bedroom home) - but the incident from this morning got my heart pounding a little faster.

I heard a light knock on the door and looked out to see my local sheriff's deputy standing on the porch with his cruiser parked halfway across the driveway. My first thought was, "man! that was quick!" because I'd just taken the phone away from Wyatt and thought maybe he'd somehow dialed 911. But no, the nice man was serving some sort of court order for a previous occupant. I'm assuming it wasn't anything too drastic since he'd already stuck the paperwork in the door, but as soon as I told him she didn't live here anymore he grabbed it and didn't let me see what it said. He did take my name and told me that if I receive any other paperwork for her to please call the sheriff's office. And then he sat out there in his car for another 20 minutes or so. I imagined him calling in to make sure I wasn't some great liar and that he wasn't letting the bad lady go. Maybe I've watched a few too many Law & Orders?

And why is it that even though the man wasn't after me and I haven't (knowingly) broken any laws lately, it got my adrenaline running? And even though it wasn't for us, I still wonder what the neighbors were thinking. But maybe the previous tenants numbed them to the presence of the officials with guns. I guess we'll never know!