This is a true story.

 When I told my daughter she said, “Mom did that really happen?”  

At around 7:30 am Saturday, Oct 11 I and opened my drapes. A woman maybe in her 40s, 5ft tall wearing black slippers was wandering in my front yard and appeared to be in terrible distress. She knocked on my door and asked to use my phone to call 911.

“My brother been shot in the head and they are after me too, can I come in?”

 I let her in and handed her the phone. She was so nervous and couldn’t dial the number. “You call.”

I dialed 911 and handed the phone back to her. 

“There are men with guns shooting. My brother has been shot in the head, hurry he needs an ambulance.”

The 911 operator asked her some questions.

“Yes around 15 shooters on the roof and under the house,” and gave the operator her name and said, “hurry, hurry.”

She looked at me and said, “What’s your address?”

At that point, my mind went blank and I couldn’t remember my address listening to all that stuff that sounded farfetched she was telling the 911 operator. That didn’t add up, and I gave her an envelope with my address and turned on my surveillance camera. She hung up and said, “Is that your car looking at the monitor.”

“Yes,” I said.

She was a nervous wreck and looked at the monitor pointing.

 “Is that your car she said again?”

 I said, “Yes.”

Then she looked at the kitchen door. “Latch your door they are in the backyard, get down they have guns.”

 I went and latched the kitchen door and asked. “Who is after you?”

“It’s a family dispute,” she said and walked into the den crunched down.  “Get down stay away from the window they are in the backyard.”

“My gate is locked and I don’t hear anything,” I said, standing in the hallway.

“Get down, get down I can hear them talking and she crawled into the bedroom.” She appeared to be concerned for my welfare and didn’t feel that she would turn on me and followed her. She took the chair slammed the chair sideways and hid behind the chair. “Get down, get down, they have guns.”

I flattened my back on the wall and said, “I don’t hear anything.” and thought where the police are? I was in the company of a delusional person.

I heard sirens. Soon there was an urgent knock at the door. I rushed into the living room and looked out the window and counted five police cars on the street and a lady police officer standing by my door. Feeling a great relief I hurried and open the door,

The police officer said to my guest. “Do you have a gun in your possession, Patty?”

She said, “No.”

The officer said, “please come with me.” and thanked me.

They went to the house where the alleged shooting was. There were 6 police cars on our block.

Ten minutes later I walked outside toward the police car and the lady officer got out of the car and I said, “Is everything alright, she has a mental problem, doesn’t she?”  

She smiled and said this wasn’t the first time they encountered her and she was known by the police for mental issues. She thanked me again and said, “Never let anyone in your house just tell them you will call 911 and we will come.”

Thirty minutes later there was a knock on the door, a neighbor I have known for 30 years. He apologized for the stress his sister caused me; she was at his house for a short visit.

I found out later that Patty started to have mental problems right after her mother died 15 years ago.

            My dilemma.

What if she was telling me the truth and I didn’t let her in, but called 911 and let her wait outside. Suppose the gunman saw her and killed her in front of my door. Would I be riddled with guilt for the rest of my life?