After he had gone she played “their song” over and over again.
“Nobody gonna love me better, I must stick witu forever…”
She had already forgiven him for those hurtful words he had shouted at her before he walked out, slamming the door behind him. She regretted every hurtful word she shouted back at him. She just wanted him back, and wanted everything to be right again.
“A lover’s quarrel” I thought to myself. “He’ll be back when he’s cooled down”
These neighbours seemed different to the last ones. The neighbours we had previously were not much more than kids, and behaved as such. Loud friends, louder rave music, and shabby curtains that were never opened. They didn’t really have arguments as such; that would involve too much dialogue. But they had had fights.
When the new neighbours took the time to decorate the whole house before moving in, I took that as a good sign.
“It looks like they’ve finally moved in” I said to Mr Man one night. As I parked the car on our drive I had noticed people sitting in the living room by lamp light. There was a pram in the corner of the room, and a pretty lampshade hanging around the main light. They had obviously made a lot of effort to create a home for themselves, just in time for Christmas.
“They seem like a nice little family” I continued, and thought how reassuring it is to have a respectable family settled next door.
I was surprised to be woken up by their shouting on Boxing Day. But at least that’s all it was – shouting – not the smashing, banging, and cries of struggle we had become accustomed to with our previous neighbours. This argument was two sided too – she shouted as much as he did. I chose not to worry about her, although after he had left the sound of her heart breaking was audible to all as she played the same song over and over again.
“Nobody ever made me feel this way, I must stick witu”
But he returned, just as I predicted, and today was different.
Oh, the shouting continued, but this time it was interspersed with her sobs. There was more banging than yesterday, and eventually her sobs turned to howls of grief. Not the return I was hoping for - for her or for us.
And now, all is quiet.
I hate not knowing when to get involved, and when not to. The title question is really aimed at me. This year is the first time I have ever had this experience with neighbours.
No one really knows what goes on in the lives of their neighbours do they?
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6 comments:
Behind closed doors and all.
Indeed.
I hear crying again today.
To get involved, or not to get involved, that is the question.....
You don't want to go round, telling her that all men are swine, and that she's better off without him, and you don't want to be seen as a nosy neighbour......but perhaps she needs a friend to help her cope.
Perhaps a cheery 'Good Morning' and the offer of a cuppa when she's ready, leaving it up to her if she wants to talk, might put your mind at rest.
Hmm... good advice (as always) but as I'm not usually up before midday "Good morning" might sound a little odd! Also, this dreary weather doesn't incline us to make our way into our gardens so I'm not sure when I'll finally meet her.
Funnily enough, only a couple of days before hand I said to Mr Man that maybe I should go round and introduce myself and give them a house warming cake (unfortunately not baked with my own fair hands- we still have oven problems). But I never did, and now...
The getting involved that I had in mind was calling the police - which isn't so much getting involved as getting someone else to get involved. Maybe I'm just one of those overly helpful citizens who over reacts to everything... It's hard to know what's really going on when you can only hear and not see.
I recently read a book, based on the blog written by a WPC. Having read that unless I believed someone was about to be murdered by their partner I don't believe I would call the police for a domestic row. Though if I thought she was actually being assaulted as opposed to just arguments then I'd have to do something whether that was the police or knock on the door myself.
This WPC didn't like being called out to domestics, and for good reason; there is little they can do as the women rarely wish to press charges and in that situation unless the police witness an assault there seems to be little they can do, and even then the woman would come get her husband from the station and refuse to press charges.
From what you described she doesn't sound like the sort of person willing to bring charges against her partner, more the kind who despite everything he says and does wants him back because that's all she knows of love. And yes, I know I'm being very judgmental.
I liked Trekkie's advice of just being a friend. If you've not really said hello before maybe go and knock on her door one day, preferable when he's out and just introduce yourself and invite her to pop in for a cup of tea (or take cake over!)
On the other hand you shouldn't feel responsible and given how much you have on your plate already consider whether it's something you do want to get involved with before you do anything.
Is that WPC Bloggs? Man, I still haven't even bought Tom Reynolds book yet (Blood Sweat and Tea); I'm so out of date. I wanted to get that Shaggy Blog Stories too, and Philippa King has an ebook out... I never get round to these things.
*Note to self - order all these books as soon as you have finished typing this*
So anyway, yeah, I considered it and no, it's not something I want to get involved in. ( I feel very selfish saying that) Everything has been quiet since this post though, so it must have been just one big bust up and then they parted?
You're brave though! Going round if you thought she was being assaulted? I don't think so! I don't want to get assaulted as well! That's the problem though - being able to tell when it is just a row and when it is something more. As I said, I was reassured by her shouting back!
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