11. If The Creek Don't Rise
937 words. Approximately 4 minutes, 41 seconds. Audio version here.
I really enjoy my neighborhood. My house is nestled in a quiet little area, close to all of the action downtown, but far enough away that we seem somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. Every yard is filled with trees and greenery. Spanish moss hangs from every large branch that extends over the road, creating a sort of scenic tunnel that I get to enjoy every day when I leave for work and again when I come home. It’s really a beautiful area, and words can’t fully do it justice. I could resort, I suppose, to purple prose; long-winded and over-detailed explanations of exactly how beautiful my neighborhood is, but that’s not really me, and it’s not really the point of this story, anyway.
My favorite part of my neighborhood has to be my neighbors. I’m surrounded on all sides by quite a cast of characters, and it really brings no end of joy to my life to see them. I enjoy people-watching, and my neighbors are always prime entertainment in my otherwise dull life.
There’s Lucy and Craig, the young couple that lives across the street from us. They just had a new baby and are having lots of difficulties dealing with that on top of the new puppy. I’m pretty sure the puppy was Craig’s idea; Lucy has enough to deal with with the baby. But that’s Lucy. She can never say no to Craig when she knows something will make him happy. It is fun to watch through my living room window and see the whole family out in their front yard, the baby in Lucy’s arms while Craig and the puppy roll around in the grass. Their grass is nicer than ours, but I do see Craig out there all the time working on the lawn, so it must be a point of pride for him.
Next door is old Reggie. He likes to work in his yard, too, although his is not nearly as nice as Craig’s. But he’s an old man, so it’s not like he can be expected to keep up with the young ones. And his lawn is nice enough. What I really enjoy about watching Reggie is seeing the lady in the truck marked “Doc Appliance.” The first few times she showed up and parked outside of Reggie’s house, I was sure that she was just a repair person, coming to take a look at one of his appliances. These old houses, you know, appliances go out all the time. Nothing unusual. But she’s been showing up more and more often, and it’s got me wondering what she and Reggie are actually up to in that old house next door. It’s hard to tell what’s going on over there; the window in my den that points in his direction is a little small and not really good for people-watching, but I do my best. If I hear anything new about Doc Appliance, I’ll be sure to let you know.
My other next door neighbor, George, is a real card! He doesn’t stay at his house full-time (it’s a piece of crap that he’s working on renovating), but I did discover that the window from my bedroom has a view directly into his dining room! I moved the furniture around a bit in the bedroom after figuring that out. It’s easier to check out George’s comings and goings when I can just relax in bed at the same time. He’s like a gourmet chef over there; even though he lives alone, he’s always got some sort of delicious-looking thing for dinner. It makes me feel a little bad when I see him, considering that I’m usually just sitting there eating another bowl of cold cereal. Maybe one of these days I should ask him if he can show me some of his recipes.
The neighbors behind me, Alicia and Stan, they’re the ones that I can’t really figure out. I can look into their backyard from my kitchen window while I’m washing dishes, but they’re never out there, and the glare on my window will sometimes make it difficult to see even if they are out there. I like to sometimes get a better view by going out onto my porch, because from there I can actually see inside the house. Not much, but I can make out a bit of the kitchen and part of the dining room. Every now and then, Alicia’s or Stan’s shadow will go by the back door and I’ll get a little bit of insight into their lives. My understanding is that Alicia frequently cooks dinner for the two of them, and Stan sets the table. It seems like a pretty good relationship. I wonder sometimes if they can see me, too, standing out on my back porch in my underwear, peering through the screen of their porch to try and see if I can see anything I can of them. But I try not to worry too much about that.
None of the names that I’ve given are their actual names, of course, seeing as how I have never talked to any of my neighbors in person in the two and a half years that I’ve been in this neighborhood. No, it’s better for me to just peek through my blinds every now and then and find out about them that way. I enjoy people-watching, you see. And who knows, one of these days, the good Lord willing and if the creek don’t rise, I might actually meet one or two of them and finally have some of my questions answered. But for now, I’m good right here, just watching.