Gerry the Protector

As Gerry hid in the kitchen, the man at the door knocked and mumbled.
I had been awaken minutes before to Millie's alarming bark and felt my way dwnstairs in the dark to hear someone knocking on the door. I heard a man talking to himself in drunken slang; talking about needing a drive and wanting to use the phone. I had silenced Millie and I listened, hoping he would go away. I was scared. He continued to knock so I crept silently upstairs to get Gerry. I said, "Someone is at the door and he's drunk." Gerry srpang from the bed, pulled on his jeans and was downstairs in a flash, with me behind him. He hid in the kitchen and listened to the knocking.
"I want to use the phone!" the voice said.
All of a sudden the tone changed and he said " this. I am going in!" For some unknown reason, we did not lock the door that night and he opened it and started to enter our home. Gerry, in the dark, was on him with panther like speed. He grabbed him my the collar and literally threw him on the deck. The intruder tumbled off the desk and rolled onto the lawn. I forget what Gerry was saying, but it was not, "Welcome to the Bernard home". The man got up, brushed himself off and started for the road. I could see him gersturing obscenly to Gerry and yelling uncomplimentary comments back at him but he did not offer to return!

Gerry is a fierce defender of his property and his family. I was reminded of this story last night as I spied the baseball bat under our bed.



It is now three days after chemo and Gerry is starting to feel a bit better. He has chemo a week from Monday if his bloodwork is OK.