Long time away

My kitchen window was smashed at the end of July by a crazed druggie. When I ventured out to see what was going on, he attacked me with a knife.

The police were terrific. Squad cars, dogs, the helicopter. They got their man. The insurance company swung into action that very night - someone came and put a board in place over the window. First they put some blocks of wood in place, so the board is actually not right against the window. It is outside the frame, so there are gaps on both sides. During the summer I occasionally got some splashes through the cracks - from the outdoor faucet, which is right above the window. I stuffed that side with plastic film. When autumn got chilly, I taped plastic film over the window. This wasn't easy, because there were still remnants of the screen and warped frame there, and the cord of the venetian blinds was outside when they put the board up - so I finally had to cut it off or I would not be able to seal the window.

It is now December, and as I write this the temperature has plummeted to -30. I have been down in my kitchen plugging the window again, because the tape does not hold in low temperatures. Yes, it has been more than 4 months and there is still no window. The insurance company and the glass company are not exactly rushing to answer our calls.

As for me, I cannot go down there without thinking back to the attack. Yes, I see the face of the crazy man, and the blood from his wounds (he cut himself on the window). Apart from the kitchen being too cold (I have a space heater going, and the combination of towels/blankets/pillows/suitcases blocking the hole seems to work passably well - but even sealed glass is challenged at these low temperatures), I would really like to be able to go into my kitchen without being back in that moment.

The incident has not made me fearful. It was a random attack, and I figure my chances of a similar attack are no greater now than they were before. Yes, I am concerned that that floor of the house is not secure - and I have not slept down there since the attack. But that is more because I worry the noise of the board being pried off might not set off the glass break detector of our alarm system. And a thief would be disappointed: my laundry, a dirty kitchen with an uninstalled dishwasher and stovetop, and a bedroom which has become nothing more than a closet. And the frangipani plants, their leaves mottled by the fungicide I use to keep woolly mildew at bay.

I wonder how the insurance agent or the glass people would feel if they were facing the same situation: a senseless random act of violence leading to more than 4 months of high fuel bills, insecurity, too much cold and too little light, and recurring daily mental images of a bloody man coming at them with a knife and yelling "Do you want me to knife you?".

They might not be able to replace the window now until spring - maybe that is why they aren't returning calls. I am trying to imagine how they would do it in these frigid temperatures without freezing the pipes, the plants, and us. Maybe they have a way. Maybe they put up a heated lean-to tent while they install the new window.

Spending all this time and energy on a broken window - it's intensely boring. That guy with the knife owes me big time, and I am not the least bit sorry the police dogs found him.