New Neighbors

I live in a town home, or, if you are from the Northeast portion of the US, a row home. I've neighbors on either side of me. I've lived here for nine years, and I love my home. It is warm and welcoming and while it is old and not everything is perfect, it is my home.

Over the past nine years, I've seen neighbors moving in and out. The neighbors that were here when I got here were unbelievably great - they were more than patient with my son (who was one year old and felt he had an open invitation to everyone's home) who was active and adventurous. (Read that to mean mimicking gymnasts and circus performers.)

The elderly neighbor on my right eventually moved in with her son and daughter in law, and the other outgrew their home and moved into something bigger. Since then, it's been a series of mishaps and misadventures. Some neighbors were worse than others, but the last to leave were, by far, the worst I ever encountered, anywhere. I called them my "ghetto neighbors." A term not meant to belittle one's socio-economic background, but simply used because I couldn't think of a bad enough name that I could call them around my child.

The mother frequently (read all the time) called her two daughters, then ages three and one, "little bitches." As they got a little older, she moved on to "you little motherfuckers." She would leave them unattended upstairs while she did god-knows-what, then scream at them when they got into her make-up, which they did frequently.  She screamed and cursed and threatened to leave them and the guy she lived with. We're talking a true basket case. The guy was only slightly better, but then he went to jail for a year.

I've new neighbors now. They seem normal. They are quiet, their children are behaved and they dress appropriately. The neighbor on the left is a single mom of two kids, a daughter eleven and a little boy, one. He's a doll!

New neighbor on the right has a daughter who's three. One thing to note about right-hand neighbor; she, too, has MS. A much worse case than mine since her speech has been effected and she must walk with a cane. She can't drive. She knows I have MS and how she found out that tidbit of information, I'm not sure; it's not something I talk about.

When my son asked me about her physical condition, I explained to him that she has MS. He became frightened, which is understandable. I wanted to reassure him that I wasn't going to develop other symptoms and wind up with her disabilities, but I couldn't. And that broke my heart. But at the same time, I did tell him that I am healthy and I take care of myself and whatever happens, our lives will still  be good. He's been extra clingy, but I expect it to pass soon.

All I can say is, I think this summer is going to be interesting. I'm just hoping it's in a good way.