Not In Lockstep With Your Neighbor

I had recently moved into a new neighborhood; I am female and live alone, though I had several friends and movers for a while, helping me get everything inside. I had been in my new home for about a week, and was still sorting through boxes and putting stuff away. On a trip out to my garbage with collapsed boxes, a neighbor leaned on the fence between properties and called out a greeting.

We had a small chat, mostly new neighbor stuff. Then out of the blue, he asks me:

Neighbor: “Hey, I was wondering… why do you lock your door when you’re inside the house?”

Pause.

Me: “How would you know my door is locked?”

Neighbor: *With a completely straight face.* “Oh, I tried to open your door on a couple of nights so that I could greet you.”

Me: “You tried to enter my home without being invited, or even knocking?”

Neighbor: *Blinking like this was a strange question.* “Well, yeah.”

Me: “Well, in case you are still wondering, THAT’S why I lock my door.”

I went back inside, making absolutely sure to lock my door behind me, and tried to wrangle my emotions down to a single emotion at a time. Who would even think that was okay?!

I’m not sure about other countries, but in the USA, just walking into someone’s home without permission is a good way to catch bullets with your face and other vital spots.

I contacted the police to make a report because I wanted a paper trail. Then I decided it was a lovely season for my home to suddenly sprout security cameras. I also got a doorbell camera, since they are very difficult to hide from.