Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack Page A

he wasn’t available until today. He also called the doorman at our building to let him know what happened and when we’d be back to get the rest of our things. Daddy looked pale and was breathing hard like he’d been running. I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack but after he sat down he looked a lot better.
    Once we got everything inside we looked to see what got smashed. Besides the run-over lamp there were broken dishes and glasses and our turkey platter. Mama’s favorite flower vases were just little bits and a small chest of Daddy’s he kept on his desk was splintered. Nothing expensive got broken which is a miracle. Daddy held onto his computer so it didn’t get thrown out and I grabbed the TV before VanMan got his paws on it. I asked Daddy if he was going to report him and he said he didn’t think it would do any good.
    After we got everything sorted this morning we found outthat not all of our neighbors were neighborly. Some of them must have stolen things from us while we were fighting with VanMan. Nothing was left in his van when he peeled and there’s nowhere else the stuff could have gone. Mama can’t find the kitchen knives or the coffeemaker. Daddy says some of his shirts were lifted and a box of his books though he’s not sure which ones yet. Boob didn’t lose anything she doesn’t think. A box of my books got stolen. It had my Pooh books and Oz and Life Among the Savages which was Mama’s copy. She says it’s been out of print for years and she doesn’t know if we’ll be able to find another right away if at all. I feel so awful Anne that was one of my favorite books and now it’s gone. It makes me so mad some fool just came up and stole it. I bet they just threw it in the trash once they saw it wasn’t money. Thank God nobody stole my purse which is where I had you for safekeeping and at least VanMan didn’t kill us which is what I was sure he was going to do, he went post office so fast.
    When Daddy tried to plug in his computer and printer today we blew a fuse. It was a couple of hours before the super brought up a new one and put it in. Daddy watched him to see how it was done and he says he’ll change it the next time. Daddy’s all thumbs when it comes to handyman work though so I guess the super better get used to it. Daddy says we’ll have to turn something off whenever he’s using his computer but we haven’t figured out what yet.
    Today Boob and I helped Mama put up the curtains and shades and then we swept out the kitchen. There’re icky cockroaches in the bottom cabinets so we put down roach motels and boric acid. There’s nothing I hate as much as bugs and roaches. Boob of course loves them or at least claims she does. I don’t see her picking them up and playing with them though. She doesn’t like mice for sure because she thinks they’re baby rats in disguise. Last night she said she heard noises in the wall that sounded like scratching. Since our beds weren’t here we slept on the floor last night on blankets. Boob kept kicking me and saying ‘It’s rats Boozdo something.’ ‘It’s not Boob go to sleep’ I said. I think I heard something too. Maybe it’s just the way these old buildings groan. We haven’t seen any mice yet.
    Today also Daddy went back to our apartment and met Man With Van. They brought over the rest of the furniture this afternoon. Man With Van was younger than VanMan and not as seedy. Nothing happened except Daddy had to spend twice as much money as he’d expected to, but Man With Van didn’t pull an insaner or anything. I didn’t go along this time because I’d had enough driving for a while but I sat outside to keep an eye out for thieves while they brought it upstairs. I looked at the people walking by and standing around. Some of them were there yesterday and now I wondered if any of them had