Neighbors

The neighbors on either side of me have been on vacation for the last few days. Either that or they've been holding a competition to see who can pile their newspapers the highest. They are all very nice people. Whenever I see them, they always say hello in the friendliest way.

The neighbors on my right are a young family. The mom and dad are in their mid-thirties and they have a dog and three kids, none older than ten. Every now and then, when I'm leaving for work, I'll see the mom take the dog across to the park. When I'm home on the occasional Saturday, I'll sometimes see them pile into their monster SUV for a day trip. The people I just described make up 75% of the neighborhood.

On the other side is a retired couple. They have a dog and three grown children in their mid-thirties. They own a truck and RV that take turns providing shade for the asphalt between our driveways. Whenever my parents visit, the husband usually appears and strikes up a conversation with them. Other than that, I never see them. Retired folks represent 20% of the residential development.

I fit somewhere in the remaining five percent. If you think about it, I'm not that far from becoming part of the majority. I only need a spouse, child, dog and SUV, all of which should've come standard considering housing prices in the area.

When I get home tonight, I'll do something about the newspapers... like read them! No, I wouldn't do that, but it would be good to give strangers the impression that someone is home. Plus, the homeowners association frowns upon everything such things.