Dear Neighbor Lady,
We did not start off on the right foot. And then I didn’t actually meet you for weeks after I moved in. When I did, it consisted of you hollering “Hello, I’m your neighbor!” from your car.
That was fine. I had resigned myself to not really having a relationship with you. Plus, Kate on the other side has been PLENTY of neighbor for me.
But then I happened to come in the front door with some groceries, as opposed to the back. And you appeared on your front porch at the same time. You wanted to warn me about porch pirates, and let me know you put a package of mine in the side yard.
Me: Thank you for that. This move has been hard enough without people stealing packages too.
We looked at each other for a few beats. Blinked.
You: For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about that.
And that’s all it took. All I needed for everything to be OK.
As it turns out, we had both asked our real-estate agents if we could have a conversation just ourselves. We were denied. By your agent.
You: I really think we could have worked it out if we could have just talked to each other.
We ended up spending about 30 minutes on our porches chatting. And then set up brunch, where we talked for nearly two hours.
You are a badass bitch, and I’m a fan.
All the trouble is water under the bridge.
Looking forward to getting to know you better!
Your Friend at 1415,
Beth
*I miss Fred Rogers.
Observe and report 