Over-Protective of My Stuff

I was introduced to the finer things long ago by my parents. They worked hard, and we pretty much got what we wanted. So when I met a man that could give me those things, I thought it was a match made in heaven( I was young, and silly back then). I told the story in a very personal post titled Be Careful What You Wish For. Now, I am in a place where I can afford the things that I want, and I hate for people to come to my place and bother my stuff. Respect My House! All visitors must remember that my thing belong in my house, the people are just passing through.

I have always been generous. I will give you the "shirt off my back" if you need it. But if I don't give it to you, it's not meant to be yours.

I work from home, so I am at home a lot. I only go into the office about once a week to check on things. People stop by my place all day long. I am picky about my things. If I put my money into it, then I believe that it should be taken care of. My house is always clean, and the things in it are expensive. When my daughter got to an age where she didn't bother things around the house anymore, I started to upgrade my place. New, contemporary furniture, media room(a gift from my dad), marble on the kitchen floor and the entire bathroom, and hardwood flooring throughout my house. I replaced all the lighting fixtures, put in French doors. My place has a lot of charm. I increased the value on my house tremendously! It was custom built, on a pier and beam foundation. My brother is a structural engineer, as he likes to be called( he also has a degree in architecture), so the design of my home cost me nothing. He showed me what to look for when building a home a home. My uncle owns his own contracting company( he started out as a construction worker and built his company from the ground up), so I didn't have to pay for labor, I just had to buy the materials, and I got them at wholesale prices through him. So I didn't have to pay much to get it done. That's the benefit of having a big family. And needless to say that most of us have a skill that we use to help our family. People look at our family , and think that we are rich, but we are not rich in the sense in which they give us credit for. We are rich in love and support. We are just hard- working people that KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY! It's hard to do, because everyone does not " play fair', but we do it. And for that, we are all successful..We do have a few black sheep (my cousin w/ the 6 kids, a crack head, a career student, and a shop-a-holic who shops away her bill money), but we take care of their trifling behinds too.

With all that said, I hate for people to try to get over on me. I think fast, so not too much can get past me, I just let people think they know what they are talking about. No one likes a know- it - all...I have noticed 3 things missing in my house. A Chi iron( $147.00), a bottle of perfume, SABI By Henry Dunay( a $225.00 gift from my mother that I have never used), and my Manolo Rhinestone-Trim Sandals ($595.00...I have only worn them once, and they were a gift from my Boo) . That's almost $1000 worth of s*** missing from my house!

My Boo and I are going on a weekend rendezvous, and I have been trying to see what I have at home to wear, so I'll know what I have to shop for. I noticed them missing, so I decided to do an inventory of my things. I couldn't find them anywhere. My Boo starts and one end of the house, and I start at the other. We both came out empty handed. I don't want to suspect my friends or family, but they are the only people who have been in my house in the past couple of weeks.

It's sad but, the first person that I came to mind was my jealous cousin with the six kids. She watches everything that I wear, my hair...I mean everything! She wears the same shoe size, and she commented about the shoes when I wore them. She has been to my house a lot over the past couple of weeks, trying to plan the birthday party. I have known her all my life, so I can look her in the face and tell when she is lying. So I went with my gut feeling, and went over to her house and asked if she saw my shoes. She got offended. She said, Why in the h*** would I know where your shoes are? I'm not your housekeeper?" She must be getting better, because I couldn't read her. I couldn't tell whether she was really offended, or if she was trying to cover a lie. I actually felt bad for a split second. So I left it alone. She got a phone call and walked out of the room to talk. Now you know kids will tell you the truth, and little girls, especially, love to go through their mothers things. So I knew my next target would be her oldest daughter. I know, I know... but I want me s*** back!

I said, "Hey Naiya, come talk to your big cuz for a sec." She came to me smiling. She is too cute. I said, your hair is so pretty. How did your mom get your hair so straight and shiny? She said, "I'll bring it to you." Low and behold, she brought me my d*** Chi iron. I know it was mine because I bought the pink one to support breast cancer research). I took it from her and marched right up to her mother, who was sitting on a barstool, talking on the phone. She said, "Where did you get that? Have you been going through my stuff?" I knew the that she was guilty. I try not to make a scene because her kids are in the house, but I grabbed her before I knew it. My Boo, who had been sitting on the couch watching a movie with the kids, came into the kitchen and grabbed me. How did he get in there so fast? I let her go. She started crying, and without a word, went and got my shoes and my perfume.

I was too mad at her to say anything. I just got my things, hugged and kissed the kids, and left before I did something that I may regret later. My own blood stole from me, and then lied about it. I had just helped her with the party, then cleaned up afterwards...And she still didn't feel the need to give me my s*** back. If she would have just brought it back, I would have been mad, but I would have given her credit for returning my things! At least I would have known that she had a conscience. Now it makes me question how she had gotten ahead this long. Maybe she has been stealing all along...She has the money to buy what she needs. Maybe she has a REAL problem. Being that she is my family, I know this is not the end of this, so I made a mental note to discuss this with her later. Maybe my cousin really needs help...Here I go again, making the culprit into the victim...

On the ride home, my daughter said, "Why was cousin TT crying. Did she get some bad news on the phone?" I just said that people are sad when they do things that they are not supposed to do...and as you other parents know, the Q&A session was under way. I was so glad to make it home. I was really not in the mood to answer questions, but I knew she hadn't done anything to upset me...and it would be unfair for me to take my frustration out on her...so I just answered all her questions.

When we got in the house, my Boo says, "You are such a good person with a big heart. I don't know why people feel the need to take from you, when you give them so much." I replied, " It seems like even my best is not good enough for some people. But I am blessed, so I will continue to give to people who really need it." The he kisses me on the cheek and said, "That's one of the many reasons why I love you." Then he looked at me and said with a chuckle, "Have you ever considered taking an anger management class? I'm starting to feel like a boxing trainer." I looked at him smiling and said, "I've considered it, but people would have to stop messing with me for it to be effective." He agreed, and we left it at that.

I wish for one day people would just let me be the lady that I am...

Has someone close to you stolen from you?