Talking About Trust

I don’t think of Dedham as a crime-ridden town, nor would many. Growing up I have felt safe in my environment; at home, at school, and in my town. With this feeling grows a trust. I learned to trust my teachers, my neighbors, and my friends. When I was little, entrusting meant you shared your thoughts and feelings, you could reach out to them if you were hurt or in trouble. Now that I’m grown up trusting has become completely different as I learned this past week.

My car was broken into last Monday. No, they didn’t break a window or pry the door open; my car was unlocked. I had never thought to lock my car in my driveway. I live in a safe neighborhood and my car is worth just over a thousand dollars. Usually there is nothing in my car to take. But as you know; when it rains, it pours. I had left my bag in the car. So there went my bankcard, my license, $30 in cash, my $100 bag, and my Monday morning. 

Safe to say I learned my lesson the hard way, as most teenagers do. No harm, no foul all things are can be replaced. I cancelled and ordered a new bankcard and license, I was given some money to put gas in my tank in the meantime, and well, I lost the bag. 

But all of that aside, I felt violated. I probably know the person who broke into my car; they probably live on my street. The thought of someone roaming the neighborhood in the middle of the night going through my belongings made me uncomfortable. I felt unsafe. 

That was my car, my space. In there was my trash, my school papers, and my receipts from purchases and doctors appointments. Essentially this person could learn everything about my life through my car, and I wouldn’t have even known if something wasn’t taken. My mind began to spin and create scenarios out of Law and Order.

Now of course I realistically know that whoever did this checked every car on the street and mine was just the one that was unlocked. They weren’t looking for my personal information; they were looking for quick cash- which they got. 

The rest of the week every time I got out of my car I angrily stuck the key in the door and turned it twice until I heard the click. And I’m lucky I did. Someone tried to break into my car again. My sister had left her phone in the back seat when we ran into A.C. Moore and when I came back out my car wouldn’t start. Now being seventeen, I didn’t put two and two together. My car didn’t start because of the kill switch. Unlocking the car with my key, I was able to get into the car even though it was armed. So after unarming my car, the engine started and I drove away annoyed.

I’m lucky I learned my lesson the first time and locked my car. I figure that this is a part of growing up, the part where you learn that the world you’re about to enter when you graduate, isn’t like the world you grew up in. In the world I’m about to enter there is no relying on your parents to take care of you 24/7, I have to learn that with growing up comes responsibility. I am responsible for what I have been given and what I have earned, and I have to protect those belongings. Though I was taught to trust those in my community, as I grow I have to adjust. That means not always trusting your neighbor. As I progress through my senior year, I’m sure there will be more lessons learned about growing up- all of which I will learn the hard way.