Karma Does It Again

We live on a hill. Our place is situated right below a school playground. When I say below, I mean the school is on top of the hill and our street runs parallel with the school yard. The height difference between the school yard and our street is about 30 or 35 feet. so basically the school is "above" us.

Each day an estimate of about 15 playground balls come over the fence and drop down onto our street and roll into our yards. It's like it rains balls. Since the beginning of our tenancy, Johnny has been "collecting" these balls. He has gathered one of each kind ie soccer, football, basketball etc.

On our recent trip home, Johnny emptied out all of the balls from his car and left them on his mom's porch. He said he would leave them there for the kids to play with. Hmph.

Today Johnny and I decided to get our Christmas tree. I had not been outside since yesterday when I parked my car. When we walked out I stopped dead in my tracks. The back window of my pretty new car was shattered. SHATTERED I say. There was an impact spot and the rest was shattered into a billion pieces but still in form of what used to be my back windshield. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

We both knew it was from one of the stupid playground balls which we firmly believe are thrown purposely over the 10 foot fence. This disturbs me for a few reasons. WHY can't the teachers get control of ELEMENTARY kids to keep the balls from being thrown over? And, WHY after all these balls are thrown over aren't they doing anything about it knowing that our cars and homes are directly below the stupid playground?

After calling the police and finding out that I can't file a real police report because there wasn't any criminal activity, I marched over to the school to give them a piece of my mind. I explained that I want full reimbursment of the relacement cost (which by the way is NOT cheap). While I was at the school, Johnny began cleaning out the back of my car and removing all of the glass which had shattered into the car by this point because I accidentally closed the door without consideration and the pieces fell apart. While he was cleaning he watched two other balls come over the fence. When he told me this I became even more livid. I walked up and down the street with a huge bag and collected at least 15 balls from our yard and our neighbor's and then walked them over to the school. The principal said that she had placed a call to the district office to see whether there was an existing policy that would reimburse me but she had not recieved reply yet. I'm wondering if I will have to sue. I just can't imagine that I am the first person whose window has been shattered. And I certainly can't believe that all of these balls come over and there isn't a policy in place for insurance purposes. Maybe she's testing me to see how far I push this. Testing to see if I really will throw a big fit. Well, I have news for her.. she obviously doesn't know how I throw fits, but she will if she can't figure out how to pay me back!

But really, the bottom line is that karma has done it again. Johnny should have never taken the balls to begin with. He should have never started a stupid selfish collection which was essenaillystealing from the elementary kids (even though they are bratty enough to throw them over the fence). He should have never removed them. Now when I head to the valley on Monday, I will have to take them from his mom's house and return them to the school. It's the only way that I can rightfully be reimbursed. Unfortunatley Johnny's need for a ball collection affected me too now.. it's all in part of being a team.

Karma.... it gets us every time.


P.S. My window is being replaced tomorrow morning. thankfully.