I just shocked my neighbor, profoundly. No, I did not run around the neighborhood in my birthday suit, set anyone on fire or robbed a local grocery store. I had done something much, much stranger. I decided to be nice.
About two years ago the house next door to ours was sold and new neighbors moved in. According to my husband there are at least three families living there. Whatever, they don't disturb us and we don't disturb them. As a matter of fact, they seem to be of the rare species in our neighborhood - the ones that actually use their garage and driveway and don't take up precious parking space on the street. And that seems to be about all we know about them. They could be some cult leaders, practicing polygamists, a band of psychopaths or the latest most popular reality family on TV - and we would be the last to know. Well, turns out that they know about us even less than we know about them.
I was taking out garbage tonight when I saw neighbor's daughter pulling into the driveway. As good manners dictate, I made my way to open the gate and save the girl trouble of getting in and out of her car. All of a sudden I heard honking, then again. I stopped opening the gate and heard the girl telling me, "Hey, I live here!" I asked her if she wanted me to open her gate. She repeated about what she and I and now you already know - that she lived here. Finally I said, "I KNOW. I am your neighbor! I just wanted to help."
It finally dawned on the girl that she was not heroically stopping the robbery of her house. She started thanking me, still rather surprised that anyone would actually do something nice for people she doesn't know well. Then she said something that shocked me even more than my good will gesture shocked her. She said that she had never seen me around, but she probably had seen my daughter. She went on and on and turned out she wasn't referring to either DD or the baby, but my college age daughter. In a nutshell, she was mistaking me for my landlady, who is 1)the mother of TWO college age and still living at home daughters, 2)is 5 inches shorter and 3) is at least 20 years older than me.
Once again, SubHub found the whole age thing quite amusing, but left me wondering whether marriage had aged me THAT much.
HaHaHa
ReplyDeleteThat should teach you to be nice to your neighbors. This is not Maine or some other state where people are nice to each other (not sure which states would qualify)!
Next time just spill some garbage on her driveway.
Point taken. Funny enough, I have an overflowing recycling bag. Guess whose driveway will be cluttered with its contents? And they wouldn't even know who to blame - at best they will turn to my landlady, hehe.
ReplyDeleteShould've told her it's actually your grand-daughter. ;-)
ReplyDeleteShe might have believed me :( I say garbage on the driveway is the answer. They'll never find me or pick out of a lineup.
ReplyDelete