One Rotten Apple…
It is over eight years since my beloved husband passed away. He died rather suddenly and caught us unaware, filled with numbing pain and disbelief. It was at that point our recently acquired new neighbors decided to torment us. Instead of words of sympathy or just leaving us to deal with the excruciating pain of our deep loss in private, this heartlessly cruel family chose that moment in time to taunt us and more. It was obvious that they are not of the same caliber as everyone else in the neighborhood. They lack class. They lack compassion. They were and still are extremely repulsive. Their obscene language makes one cringe, even the wife! I had never heard a woman use such vulgar language. Their behavior almost turned me into a racist, but I caught myself in time. Until that time, the people on our block felt like one happy family. Now these disgusting people became the disappointing exception.
One morning when I went downstairs for my cup of tea, I noticed that they were standing on top of ladders over the fence, clipping our bushes. They had left the clippings for us to clean up. They began making false accusations against us. Government employees would knock at my door with all sorts of accusations. I would sigh in resignation and politely offer them a cup of tea or a cold glass of water. They came so many times that they became apologetic. Sometimes we were summoned to court. They claimed our fences were too high, at which point we armed ourselves with photographs and went to court. They complained our dogs barked. Dogs bark when they are taunted. Dogs bark when they sense something is not right, and dogs bark in joyous greeting. Picasso and Ebony are no exception.
Before I began having pain in my knee, I was an avid gardener. Nothing gave me more pleasure than sitting on my foot stool planting flowers in my garden; the more aromatic they were, the more pleasure I received from them. I loved them! People would pass by and sniff the air around my garden with great pleasure. One such person was an old man with his dog. We got into the habit of chatting over the fence. He admired my flowers, and once in a while I would make him a bouquet to take home. I noticed that he had not walked by in a while and hoped that he was well. After a while I saw his wife walking the dog. Quite honestly, I noticed the dog and surmised she was his wife. I introduced myself and asked about him. She told me he was ill. Quickly I rushed into the house and brought out my gardening shears. I made a bouquet for them and wished him good health. So when our awful neighbors complained that our garden smelled foul and disgusting, it did not carry any weight. It was chalked up as harassment.
These nasty people had to try another track. For a long time Kelly was suggesting a camera. I scoffed at the idea and said it was a waste of money. He did not listen to me. It was a good thing that he did not! On weekends Kelly would take the dogs to the park to romp with other dogs. The dog owners would chat companionably while the dogs played. This group had been meeting like this for many years. During Christmas they would hold parties, sometimes in each other’s homes and one big party at a restaurant.
I remember one day vividly. It was a Saturday in August. It was the anniversary of my mother’s death. We were going to the synagogue to observe her yahrzeit in prayer of her blessed memory. I was getting dressed when the doorbell rang. A neighbor who lived at the other end of the block was at the door.
“Kelly seems to be having a problem with your neighbor. An ambulance is here as well as the police,” he said apologetically.
“What now?” I thought in despair. “Can they not give us a break? Not even on my mother’s yahrzeit?” I could feel the blood drain out of my being. My heart threatened to jump out of my body. I rushed out. Kelly was standing by the police car. The neighbor was in the ambulance, moaning softly. His wife was standing by the door of the ambulance acting tragic!
Kelly was shaken and pale. Quietly he told the police. “I have a camera. If you would please come in and observe. I did not run him over. When he saw me parking he ran towards my car and pretended I hit him.”
When the police returned, they angrily ordered the man out of the ambulance. “You have wasted New York City’s time and money. I am seriously considering arresting you!” the Captain said. Before the Captain could make up his mind, that ‘sewage rat’ and his equally obnoxious wife rushed into their house and firmly closed the door behind them. However, that did not stop them from making false allegations against Kelly. They were on a roll. They made so many false accusations that this past spring, the City had given them some sort of a warning against harassment. I am finally hoping that they will stop.
Each time I think of that family, I feel a deep hatred welling up deep inside of me, and that is not good. I am feeling myself becoming a racist, and I abhor racism!
I hear a voice in my head murmur to me, ‘Just one rotten apple…’ Unfortunately, that one rotten apple lives next door to us.