Today I am thankful for “crazy” neighbors.
I’ll never forget the first day The Husband and I met our
next-door neighbor. The Husband was picking me up after a day of unpacking at
our new house so that we could head back to our apartment and collapse before
moving the big things in the next day when an unkempt man in his 50s gingerly
made his way over to us from the house to our left. After politely introducing himself, he
very unpolitely (in my humble opinion) asked us how much we paid for our house.
That was followed up with a healthy dose of, “Where do you work, and how much
do you make?” It turns out that the man had been in a terrible car accident
several years earlier and had suffered major brain damage, brain damage that
apparently prevented him from telling the difference between appropriate
questions and inappropriate questions. After a very brief conversation with him, The Husband and I drove to Lowe’s,
bought temporary blinds, and spent a few more hours at our house installing
window coverings because I didn’t want Mr. Noseypants peering into my house at
the boxes still stacked in it.
Since that day, The Husband and I have dubbed the man
crazy and try to avoid contact with him for fear of what he’ll say or do. The
rest of his family is great; his wife is very nice, and the four kids still
living at home seem to be on their way toward becoming productive members of
society. But the man…we try to steer clear of him. I’m not proud to admit it,
and I feel awful for saying that I treat someone that way, but I’m not gonna
lie about it and I can’t take back my behavior.
Anyways, to my point. Today, I’m thankful for Crazy
Neighbor. Why? Because he gingerly made his way over today and told us that he
saw “suspicious activity” around our house at 4:15 this morning. Apparently he
suffers from insomnia, and during a bout of it today, he looked out the front windows
of his house…to see a car stop in front of our house, shine a light across the
front of it, and drive off. It didn’t do this with any other houses—just ours.
I’m not happy about the implications behind this event,
and I’m willing to bet that I’ll have a difficult time sleeping for the next
few nights (weeks, months…), but I am
happy that Crazy Neighbor cared enough to come over and tell us. The Husband
and I aren’t the most social of people, so we’re not always visible in our
neighborhood, and we haven’t really struck up a rapport with anybody in the
three years we’ve lived here. It’s nice, though, to know that somebody is looking out for us and does care enough about us to tell us
that something like that happened and then offer to keep an eye out for us. I
still think the man is a bit touched in the head, but I now find myself
regarding his craziness with more affection than I do annoyance and nervousness.
While a sense of my security was taken away today, part of it was restored by
this man’s kindness and vigilance. My sleep may be a long time coming tonight,
but I will rest slightly easier knowing that someone is looking out for me…and
I will work hard to return the kindness and generosity this man has shown to
me.
