Our neighbor had … issues. That’s really the only way to put it.
It was our first home, back in Mountlake Terrace in the early 1980’s. We’d occasionally hear her holding what I can only describe as on-person religious revivals in her back yard. She accused us of somehow influencing our cats, as well as all the other cats in the neighborhood to come poop in her gardens.
You can imagine that living next door to someone like that was a bit of a challenge at times.
One day it all came to a head.
Kathy had taken me to work that day, because it was the night of the Microsoft company Christmas party – Friday December 13th, in fact. On her way back home, as she turned to one of the side streets that led to our home, our neighbor pulled up along side, threw her own car into reverse, and purposely backed into Kathy’s, pinning it against a hillside. She then proceeded to get out of the car and start beating on it with come kind of object, yelling “quit following me!” (note this was after she had come from behind). All this while her own young child watched from the back window of the weaponized automobile.
You can see photos of the damage to Kathy’s car in a prior post: The Accident.
We sold our home (at a loss), and moved within three months. We no longer felt safe.
Fast forward to this year, where we hit the 20 year mark living in our current home. During yesterday’s Corgi picnic festivities, three of our adjacent neighbors stopped by to say hello and partake in some of the fun. It was good to see them all.
I’m grateful for good neighbors. Not just that they tolerate our day of Corgi craziness, but that they’re people we appreciate and know we can count on in good times and bad.