Feeling violated for the first time in America
I came to America 38 years ago from India, where I was born and raised. In all these years here -- and in dozens of countries I have visited as a journalist -- I've never had anything stolen from me. Call me lucky.
The luck ran out this week. I discovered that an expensive IBM laptop computer was missing from my study. It had been sitting in its case on a sofa for several weeks, since I hadn't an occasion to use it; at home I generally use my desktop computer -- the laptop is mostly for traveling purposes.
I cannot tell you how violated I feel. One's own home is supposedly a secure sanctuary. But thefts like this are not only unsettling, they generate considerable sorrow. Who should I suspect? There couldn't have been that many people with access to my apartment. If I eliminate various possibilities, it would hurt me to suspect the suspects that remain.
So what do I do? Accept the what happened and shrug off the theft of a valuable computer? Or do I file a police report that is certain to result in an investigation that would cause much pain?