Neighbors

     The people across the street are gone.  Simple as that.  What does that mean?  The sign from the realtor is gone.  All it said was in contract.  Don't they usually leave it up?

     They were a young couple.  Moved in, he was a teacher.  Not sure what she did, but became a homemaker when she had her first kid.  I know the house well enough.

     In my some odd years of 40+ years I've known the owners.  The ones I grew up with were a widow and her son.  Never did ask or inquire about the father.  The son was older than me and we never hung out.  The house was pretty impeccable.  They lived quietly.

     She was a school teacher in fact.  A very simple woman.  She'd once told my mom that her students frightened her.  She taught grammar school.

     An odd duck.  She was also our answer to the neighborhood watch.  She seemed to see everything in the area.  And of course was friends of the family.  We'd invite her for holidays and such.  I wouldn't know until much later in life that she wore a wig.  I say that because one night I was called over and saw her without.  My mom was there.  I started to laugh.  Covering myself beautify I began to tell the joke I was laughing at.  Sadly I wasn't laughing at the joke, but it passed.

     I remember in the early 80's we had a hurricane.  Mom had sent me over with a radio for her and such.  In the middle of the storm we got a call from her and she asked what was going on.  To which my mom replied about the hurricane, tidings she hear it on the radio?  No she said she didn't want to waste the batteries.  We lost power for 2 weeks.

     Reminds me of another neighbor.  Down on the corner, considered my dad his best friend.  One day during the power outage he came over.  He said he just ruined some guys day.  To answer my dad's question how, "...After he told me about the great deal he got on this chainsaw.  I pointed out that it was electric and not gas.  He just walked away."  

     Anyway.  The mother and son would move later in life.  Because of good circumstances.  But it was done rather underhanded like.  Didn't tell anyone really.  And gave a very poor excuse to the for sale sign on the lawn.  They were just testing the market.  Well the house was sold.  It was like new.  They'd never had company to speak of.  My mom was hurt.  More so for the underhanded way than loss of the person.  She was a very needy woman across the street.  Very Odd.

     The next couple.  Can't remember their names.  Odd people.  Just a husband and wife.  Plus 2 cockatoos?  If those are the big birds then yes that is what I mean.  They'd bring them out front and such. Apparently made trouble with the neighbor next to them.

     An older gentleman had lived there.  Oh I could and my do a post on him alone.  After his death the family sold the house.  Another couple, don't remember if they had kids.  They messed the house up a bit and sold it.  A single mom and her 2 kids moved in.  Those were the ones these 2 were making trouble with.

     Well the cockatoo people left.  Sold it to the young teacher and wife.  Young looking people.  Full of life.  I must say not the most neighborly with us.  But full of life.  Like I said when she got pregnant with their first child, she became a stay at home mom.  They would stay long enough to have a second and expect a third.  

     He was very meticulous about his property care.  Must of hated us.  Didn't water my lawn at all this summer.  Property looked a bit disheveled.

     He'd be out every day with the leaf blower and mowing.  Really a good homeowner.

     They threw a lot of get together parties. No we weren't invited, actually none of the neighbors were I think.  But they were good parties.  To the extent that they were never overly loud.  No trouble ever came of them.  And I just always liked the fact that there was life on the block because of them.

     Well the for sale sign had been up for awhile saying in contract.  They had their New Years Eve party.  I say Friday, when my sister went to the hospital, the white truck was noticed.  Earlier in the week they had one of those POD containers out front.  It was gone, now a white moving truck.  

     Without a word, they're gone.  The house across the street is gone and empty.  No idea if there will be new people or they just abandoned it.  My point?  I feel the loss and it strikes me odd.

     Like I said we were not bosom buddies.  More of the nodding to each other types, but I'm sad to see them gone.  The house is now vacant and dark.  It always had lights on in it before.  Maybe it was to small for 3 children?  Maybe it was us?  I don't know.

     I'll miss the life they seemed to bring with all the visitors and such.  I'll miss their existence, if that makes sense.  And I'll await what comes after.  

-later