aaagh, I wish I were more bold. :(

[derien]

The friggin idiots at UPS somehow deliverd a package to our old address. Eor found out about it, phoned me at work and asked me to go over. I put in a leave request and bugged out as quickly as I could, broke the speed limit all the way over, and arrived just in time to see the guy who stole it, I'm pretty sure. As I got out of the car I heard him curse under his breath, and he went to the far side of the porch and tried to pretend he was just leaning on the rail having a smoke or on his cell or something - keeping his face turned away from the light. I asked him if he'd seen a package and he just shook his head violently, wouldn't look at me. I was baffled as to what to do, half convinced he had it and not wanting to bother him if he was actually in the middle of crying or something. After ringing a few bells and peering in the door window to see if it was inside I finally gave up, but as I drove I kept thinking about it and getting more and more convinced he must have had it. If I was smart I'd have said something like "It was just a small thing, some stuff his Mom sent him of his Dad's. His Dad's passed away. I was hoping someone might have picked it up intending to figure out who's it was." But of course I don't think of things like that AT THE TIME because I'm a CHICKENSHIT. And not a conversationalist. AAAARGH! So now he has himself a nice $600 recorder and Eor's got a stressful fight with UPS ahead of him, trying to get that insurance money. :(

Comments

[sospan-fach.livejournal.com]

Bloody hellfire! (Sorry.)

Is there any chance the guy on the porch was actually the resident at your old address? Write. Write NOW. Don't accuse, but explain that UPS misdelivered a parcel, that you went over but there was no sign of it - and say what it was, and that it was eor's late dad's.

If it WAS the guy, then this (on the assumption that he actually has a conscience that might be pricked) gives him a loophole to weasel out and save face with an "Oh, THAT parcel? Sure."

It's a last-ditch attempt, but I'd do it. There's also a (very) slim chance that he may have picked up the parcel and then set it down once you'd gone, or that that was just a random bloke loitering with intent and the parcel had already been taken inside by whoever lives there.

That's rotten. Hugs to, and outraged fury on behalf of, both of you!

[derien.livejournal.com]

Oh, OH! I'm so sorry that I didn't make myself clear! I meant that if I was smart I'd have made up some lie like that it was something unimportant of Eor's Dad's - in FACT it was a $600 recorder Eor had won off E-Bay!

[sospan-fach.livejournal.com]

Argh, I has a reading comprehension FAIL! XD [oops, :headdesk:]

Ah, righty, then. BUT. Maybe writing would help anyhow? In case of the slim chances mentioned, or in case Conscience Is Brought Into Play...?

[Still furious with the thief for you! ;)]

[derien.livejournal.com]

We might try posting something at the old place, tomorrow. We're definitely going down there anyway to ring every doorbell, starting with Sue Downstairs (if she still lives there), to ask if anyone might have taken it in for us. If by chance he has a belated conscience he might give it to us, then.

There is always the chance that he might have been a completely random kid smoking on the porch and scared of getting caught, because the management company has signs up that no-one is allowed to smoke within like 125 feet of the building. Eor's trying to make me feel better by telling me that, so that I won't keep beating myself up.

*HUGS!* Thank you for listening! What are you doing still up??

[sospan-fach.livejournal.com]

I'll keep my fingers crossed. And don't beat yourself up - it's bloody UPS that need a shaking! And coming up with pertinent/clever responses on the fly at the time almost never happens, plus most of us are conditioned to be polite, which our brains often translate as "meek" and "obliging" and "dont want to cause any trouble", so we feel guilty about doing stuff like voicing suspicions directly face-to-face. It's a bugger. :S

Me? It's 3.45am and it's Saturday morning, and NO WORK TILL MONDAY, so I can be nocturnal as preferred. XD And I'm pegging away at a challenge fic for the watsons_woes comm., a thoroughly ridiculous one (which will nevertheless bring my grand total of POSTED fics up to A MASSIVE THREE [slow worker? Moi?] ;)) and incidentally what I fervently hope will be the first and last time I ever include the apparently mutually exclusive terms "Second Afghan War" and "fluff" in the same summary. [The historical notes are practically longer than the damn fic, ha. :D ]

How's you? :)

[derien.livejournal.com]

Frigging UPS, this is the most ridiculous thing they've ever done. A few weeks ago they demanded a signature for a package that was probably worth $2 at THIS address, a much more peaceful and law-abiding town than Portland, and when we were at that old address in Portland they NEVER left anything for us without a signature, necessitating many trips to their warehouse in South Portland (which, btw, is NEVER open when I'm not at work). And now, suddenly, a driver decides to leave something with no signature? What? Eor has written to the guy who sold him the thing (and he has already admitted he didn't double check the address, he took the one E-Bay gave him, which was the old one) and that guy says HE'S never had UPS leave any packages without demanding a signature. It makes me wonder if the driver actually aranged for this theft.

I'm excited and glad for you that you've got yourself writing! Want to slide some of that ambition over here? I can't get myself to do a damned thing with the writing, lately. Looking forward to seeing Second Afghan War fluff! :D

[derien.livejournal.com]

And aside from this mess we're doing pretty well, I guess. We worked our frustrations out by cooking, and whipped up grilled chicken, rice and apple crisp. Eating makes us both feel better, if you can't tell by our waistlines. ;) Also, having the oven on helps heat up the house, which is down in the 60s at the moment. But we've put our lovely big new down comforter on the bed so we should sleep well. ;)

And it's now waaaaay past our bedtime. Would love to be nocturnal, too, but have to keep something like a normal bedtime or we'll be completely toast all week. :P Have fun storming the castle writing. :)

[mizzmarvel.livejournal.com]

Not awesome at all. :(

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

Bah - I hope it works out. Stupid delivery people. Stupid thieves.

[cyberquail.livejournal.com]

Make a police report, right away, this morning. Get a statement from the whomever it was that that told eor the package was there (if in fact it was one of the residents). With any luck the person on ebay who sold it just might have the serial number or some other identifying mark from the recorder. Good cops will check the pawn shops for you, and good pawn shops will release the item without making you pay, and good police departments will substitute photos of the evidence (if anyone is caught), so you can have your item back.

Good luck!