Beware The Cigarette Thief on the Loose in Meridian

It is not uncommon to drive around any given neighborhood and find garage doors open with no person in sight. Just all of the junk and goodies you keep in your garage on full display for any and everyone. And that's usually no problem. I do it too, despite having some decently valuable belongings in full view. In fact, I never think twice about leaving it open if I'm going on a short excursion to the store. Something colleagues and friends have admitted to as well. But this week proved it may be time to keep that door closed.

If you're not a smoker, however, you might be ok. My husband is a smoker, and the edge of the garage is home to a side table with an ash tray where he takes his smoke breaks. That's also where he leaves his packs of cigarettes. And apparently somebody with a habit has noticed.

Now, maybe it's my husband's fault for not learning after the first time, but in the last 2 weeks, 7 packs of cigarettes have gone missing from that side table. Again, why did he keep leaving them there when he keeps having to replace them? Perhaps a naivety that we live in an honest and good Meridian neighborhood. And I think we do, but clearly someone is fiending for these cigarettes.

I want to think that it's some guy who promised his wife he would quit smoking and can't risk buying any of his own, so he sneaks and steals my husband's on his daily walk and chain smokes the crap out of them. In any case, the cigarettes aren't going to sit the garage anymore. Sorry, thief!