Kiddie Pool

It cost five dollars. It was five feet across and a foot deep. It was plastic and blue. I bought it last year for our four little granddaughters to play in at our house at the Jersey shore. Last Fourth of July our two sons, their wives and their daughters were all here together for the holiday. The kids played in the pool. We took pictures. This past weekend my older son and his wife were here, and their girls played in the pool. We’re looking forward to my younger son and his family coming next week. But his girls won’t be able to play in the pool. Someone stole it.

I usually kept it under the staircase that leads up to our second floor condo unit. It is a gated area hidden from the street. But after the girls used it this past weekend, I put it behind a gate in the back alley to dry. But there is no fence attached to the gate. So if someone saw it while walking by, they could walk around the gate and take it. When I returned from lunch with a friend on Tuesday, I went to check to see if the pool was full of water from last night’s rain. It was gone. I was shocked. I was angry. I felt guilty. I even felt violated.

I know I left it exposed and unprotected. But I guess I never thought someone would stoop to stealing a kiddie pool. I would understand if they stole my trash or recycle cans from the curb after the trash collectors left them thrown across the sidewalk. At least they can use them for their trash and their cans, and bottles, and newspapers. They could fill them with ice and put their beer in there for their family barbecue. They could use them to store tools or kids’ toys. They would have to alter the house address I put on them with my sharpie.

It’s hard to think of too many other uses for a kiddie pool. So I’m wondering if the person who stole it is bringing it home for their own kids or grandkids. Are they going to admit they stole it? Or are they going to lie, and say they bought it? Maybe they couldn’t afford to buy a five dollar kiddie pool, and were desperate to get something for their kid’s birthday. I’m finding it difficult to imagine that level of desperation.

Maybe I should call the police and report it. I’m sure they are not too busy to get every available officer on the case of the missing kiddie pool. They can get some yellow crime scene tape around the area, and start dusting for fingerprints and possible DNA left on the gate. Set up check points and road blocks to check vehicles going on and off the island for a tub of blue plastic shoved under a blanket in their trunk. They can check their files for other kiddie pool thefts in the area. Maybe there’s some nut with a garage full of kiddie pools that he’s selling on the internet.

I know we have a lot more important things to worry about. Brexit, Trump, will the Phillies ever win again? I’m sure it sounds silly to be going on and on about a kiddie pool. But the person stole something four precious little girls splashed and laughed in and made great memories for their grandparents. I will buy another kiddie pool, and have more memories. But I will always wonder why.