Our neighbors are moving! Whew! Can't say how glad we are that they're moving! It's not like they're loud or rude or don't keep their yard clean or trash the place. Rather, they seem to feel they are above everyone in the cul de sac, all except for the guy who lives across the street. The one whose girlfriend recently moved out.
We've been living in the same subdivision for 11 years; the first eight of which were spent at the front of the subdivision. When Gabriel came along, we needed more space. But we still wanted to live in the same area - it's convenient to everything and in the part of the city we like. So, we bought a house in the back of the subdivision.
Our previous house was also on a cul de sac - 8 houses. And everyone knew everyone else. Three of the houses had children under 10, one had senior citizens, two had young career couples, and the last two had children in high school and college. We were a close-knit block; even when houses were bought and sold. It wasn't unusual for one house to start the evening cooking out and for the evening to end with an impromptu potluck with everyone running around the block. If one family was having a crisis, everyone pitched in to help. When Marilyn's house was hit by lightning and burst into flames, Rufus and Mike ran into the house to put it out. Then Marilyn and her husband stayed at one house while their children stayed at another. When Kim and Mike separated, Paige & Alan, Rufus & I, Rod, and Wes made sure the yard was cared for, the house was watched, etc. And when our son, Rufus, died, everyone checked in on us daily and took Cassie and Chris (this was before Gabriel was born) under their collective wings. Our block was one big family, which was one of the main reasons we wanted to stay in the subdivision. We wanted to be close to our neighbors and friends.
Our new house is located in a cul de sac with 8 houses, again. We've been living in this house for almost 2 1/2 years, and we have yet to know any of our neighbors by name. It's not like we haven't tried. When one of the families was sodding their yard, Rufus went over to help. But the guy rebuffed his offer - nicely, but still. When the neighbor to the right was deployed to Iraq, he left his wife and three children in the states. Rufus would go and mow their lawn when it got too high; not that they asked, but he knew it was difficult being a single parent. So, he did it just because, and usually when they were out. And when our soon to be ex-neighbors had their first child, I made them a lasagna dinner with salad, garlic bread, chocolate cake and sweet tea and took that and a baby gift over to them. Cassie and I spent 10 minutes chatting and then left. No acknowledgement was made then or ever.
So, it's not like we're going to miss the neighbors - the ones who had the baby. It's as though they go out of their way to keep us at a distance. The few times we've initiated conversation with either of them, they make it a point to use first names of other neighbors as though to say "we know them, but you don't." They called the police when the neighbors to their left had their music on "too loud." We found out from those neighbors that the police didn't do anything. More than anything, though, it's the almost total lack of acknowledgement and the near total avoidance of us.
For a while, I thought I was just being overly sensitive to the vibes I was getting. But, then when Rufus mentioned it, I knew it was real. See, Rufus is so mellow, just about everything goes over his head. He just doesn't let it bother him. But this, it bothered him. And if it bothers Rufus, it's real. So, when we noticed a real estate agent's SUV in the driveway, not just once, but twice, we started hoping. It was there again last Thursday, and when I went to get a coke at the Kangaroo, there it was big and bold. FOR SALE. No lie, we were dancing in the garage.
A couple days later, Rufus was in the garage when the real estate agent came by again. They just happened to have a few words, and when I got home he was grinning from ear to ear. An offer had been made and accepted and all that was left was the appraisal. Woo hoo! We could hardly believe our ears.
So, what now? Hopefully, neighbors we can bond with. We really miss the at-home comaradarie we had in our old home. We're still very close with our old neighbors; it's just that it's a mile from our current home. It's much more convenient when you're only 30 seconds away from your house. Cross your fingers!
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