Deer Hunter

"No, Mommy, no. Too cold outside." The kids whined protests at me as I shooed them all out the door. It was cold outside but not too bad and they all had coats on.

I needed them to go outside. The morning was full of them yelling and screaming and running around the house. They were acting insane. My head was pounding and I just wanted to fold some laundry in peace and quiet.

"Come on guys, out!" I said again as I pushed them out on the porch.

Once they were all outside and playing happily, Quinn and Claire were on the swings, Jake was pushing a truck through the grass and Hayden was throwing dirt at the house. He was the one that was least pleased with my idea for play outside.

I did one last check to make sure that they were all where they were suppose to be and I went into the house to fold the laundry. I was such a joy to walk into that quiet. I could almost hear the house sighing with me as I let the silence wrap around me.

As I began folding, I heard the kids playing outside. I had left the front door open just for that purpose. Since I was in the dinning room which is in the front of the house, I can not only see the kids playing but I can also hear them. Its beautiful.

After a few minutes of playing, one of the kids called for me. I walk outside and as I did I see something really, really strange. I noticed a pickup truck slowly, I mean very, very slowly, driving up our street.

We live on a private drive where during the day it is pretty much deserted. So seeing a truck on the road was usual but the speed of the truck was really, really weird. In fact, it sent chills up my neck and totally put me on red alert.

I watched the truck as it appeared to watch my kids. I wondered what I should do? I actually had my phone in my hand. The speed of the truck was just so odd. It screamed to me that something about this was wrong. Then the truck actually pulled into my driveway and stopped.

I had decided that this truck had a pervert in it and he was after my kids. As the truck door open, I readied my finger to dial 911. It was my plan to call the cops and then run after him with the toy shovel which was on the ground next to me and beat him until the cops came.

That was my plan until the man got out of the truck and said, "Hey, Jen."

What? I was so shocked that this man knew my name, I was frozen. And I am pretty sure that I stood there with my mouth hanging wide open.

"Hey, Jen," he said again, "It's Chad, you know from the bus stop."

Slowly the fact that I really did know this man sunk in but I was still suspicious. I wanted to know what in the world he was doing driving so slowly up the street seemly staring at my kids.

"Did you happen to see a deer come this way? He asked as he walked up the yard.

By now the kids were curious and had come up to the front of the house. To me this was good and bad, since the kids were closer to me I could easily get them into the house but I also didn't like this also meant they were closer to him.

Then he asked again, "Did you see a deer come up this way?"

I shook my head no. What in the world was going on here? This was such a strange question to me. I was really was beginning to wonder what was up with this guy. This whole situation was making me very uncomfortable. Every hair on my body was standing on end.

"See, I was out hunting this morning," he continued, "And I shot a beautiful buck but I only wounded him. I tried to get up to him to go in for the kill but he ran off. I thought that he may have run over here."

I just looked at him, dumbfounded. When I finally able to form a sentence, I said "No. I didn't seen any deer and I didn't hear anything either."

"Well, you wouldn't have heard a gun shot because I was working with my bow and arrows," he educated me.

"Oh," was all I was able to grunt out.

He smile at me and said, "I am going to look around here a little more and then get my mother in law. She loves to track. We'll find that deer. But if you see it, will you let me know?"

"Um, sure" I said but what I wanted to say was, "Um, yeah, I won't need to tell you that I have seen a wounded, bleeding deer in my yard because you will have heard my screams and those of my kids all through the neighborhood. Now get your freaky ass out of my yard!"