We live in a condo community of 52 duplex homes. We’ve lived here 28 years and have always had good, quiet neighbors. About 5 years ago, the house that faces ours was sold and a single man was going to move in. All we knew about him at first was that he was a VietNam veteran. He drove up on a big motorcycle to look the place over. I was dreading the sound of his motorcycle revving every day and disturbing what is a very quiet community.
Saul is the age of my husband and myself, in his seventies. The first weekend he lived here he invited us over to sit outside and his patio and enjoy snacks and conversation. He has a conservative Jewish background and for a while would bring me gifts of an Israeli bread that he enjoys. He was telling us that he had lived and worked in Europe for a number of years but that he was married and had two children. I asked innocently if his wife had lived abroad with him and he said no. I believe he’s divorced.
I found out by accident not long afterwards that he is gay. He loaned me a large suitcase to use on a trip I was taking with a friend but he had left a pornographic nude picture of a male with an abnormally long penis. Although he told us he has grown children, I’ve only seen his daughter visit once. She lived 25 miles away or so.
This relationship has never really gotten very close. He orders lots of medications from the VA online and he doesn’t like them left on his doorstep so my husband often takes them in, if he’s not home and brings them over to him when he returns.
He rode the motorcycle a few times when he first came but he later sold it, so my worries of a disruptive neighbor were unfounded.
I do like him and would like to get to know him better, as well as arranging for more deliveries of that wonderful Israeli bread.
— Oxnard15
Saul is the age of my husband and myself, in his seventies. The first weekend he lived here he invited us over to sit outside and his patio and enjoy snacks and conversation. He has a conservative Jewish background and for a while would bring me gifts of an Israeli bread that he enjoys. He was telling us that he had lived and worked in Europe for a number of years but that he was married and had two children. I asked innocently if his wife had lived abroad with him and he said no. I believe he’s divorced.
I found out by accident not long afterwards that he is gay. He loaned me a large suitcase to use on a trip I was taking with a friend but he had left a pornographic nude picture of a male with an abnormally long penis. Although he told us he has grown children, I’ve only seen his daughter visit once. She lived 25 miles away or so.
This relationship has never really gotten very close. He orders lots of medications from the VA online and he doesn’t like them left on his doorstep so my husband often takes them in, if he’s not home and brings them over to him when he returns.
He rode the motorcycle a few times when he first came but he later sold it, so my worries of a disruptive neighbor were unfounded.
I do like him and would like to get to know him better, as well as arranging for more deliveries of that wonderful Israeli bread.
— Oxnard15
Interesting story with a great perspective of what we see, what we expect, and what reality turns out to be.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. He hasn't asked you over again? Maybe you can ask him over your place? Or maybe it's one of those things where the person (or maybe both persons) want to leave simply outlines for one another to contemplate. (Macoff)
ReplyDelete