Neighbors

It’s late afternoon in a quiet suburban neighborhood. It’s early summer, and it’s a beautiful day — warm, but with a nip in the wind. The wind is there just to remind everyone that the cold weather isn’t long gone. Two nearly identical homes stand next to each, a tall chain fence cuts through their equally thick, green grass lawns. Bob and Walter are each in their respective yards, enjoying the weather.

“So, how are things?” Bob asks, the top of his head poking up over the fence that separates his perfect lawn from Walter’s.

Walter shrugs, not even bothering to look up. He’s busy tilling the dirt near the garden patch in his yard.

“Haven’t seen you much lately, buddy. Everything good?”

“I’ve been pretty busy there, Bob,” he replies. He looks up from his work in the garden and saunters slowly over toward the fence where Bob is standing. “Had a lot to take care of around the house lately, but I’m finally back out to do some yard work.”

“Yeah,” Bob responds, “It’s good to get out in the fresh air. Stretch the old legs a bit.”

“How have you been?”

“Oh, well, you know,” Bob says. He leans hard against the fence in a lazy sort of way. “Taking things slow. You knew I had to get surgery, right?”

“Really? No, I don’t think I knew that,” Walter walks closer to the fence and stands up taller on the tips of his toes to get a good look of his neighbor. “What happened?”

“Oh, just normal stuff. Slipped disc in my back,” Bob replies, “all very routine, you know.”

“Still, even routine surgeries are no laughing matter. You look good, though,” Walter says. “Back to running yet?”

Bob chuckles. “No, haven’t really been up to it. Tried to go to jogging the other day - ended up just walking. Slowly.”

Walter laughs, “Yeah, I know what you mean.” He starts pacing, back and forth along the fence. “Hey,” he says, “you want to come over later? It’s game night.”

“Sounds great,” Bob replies, “but I’d better check with my old lady first. You never know what they’ve got planned.”

“That’s for sure.” Walter looks around his yard. The old oak trees tower overhead and he can hear the chirping of the birds and the chittering of a few squirrels. The garden is growing in nicely, and — thanks to his tilling work — is ready for a much needed expansion. He had been working hard most of the afternoon. It’s nearly supper time, and he really wants to leave.

“Well,” Walter begins after a long pause, “I’d better get going. Lots to do this evening. But it was good catching up.”

“Yeah, it was good to see you,” Bob says. “I’d better get back to some housework here myself.”

“We should do this again sometime, soon.”

“I’d like that,” Bob replies, “I’ll let you know about tonight, ok?”

Walter nods. “Sure thing. I’m looking forward to it,” he says. He begins to walk along the fence line back to his house.

The neighbors give each other curt nods as they disappear into their respective homes. The lush green yards are quiet and empty in their absence. The birds sang louder to fill the void as the sun slowly began to set over the quiet suburban neighborhood.

Bob does not make it over to Walter’s house for games. Walter barely notices that Bob doesn’t show up. He didn’t expect to see Bob there, and Bob didn’t expect to go. It’s enough just to invite and to be invited.

It’s early evening in the dog days of summer. The sun is setting but the heat still hangs heavy in the air. Walter is out watering the garden as Bob comes walking up to the fence.

“Hey, Wally,” he says. “How’ve you been?”

“Not too bad, Bob, not too bad,” Walter replies. He finishes watering the garden as he speaks and looks over to find his neighbor standing there, smiling over at him.

“Haven’t seen you around much lately.”

“Guess we just keep missing each other,” he says. “I was starting to wonder what had happened to you.”

“Same old same old,” Bob says, and it’s true. Life is nothing if not consistent for the neighbors. Retirement does that to people.

“Nothing wrong with a little routine,” Walter points out. He walks over to the fence in a neighborly show of interest in the conversation. But he’s already thinking about what he’ll say to end their talk in a few minutes. “How’s your old lady?”

“Oh she’s good. She’s got us jogging lately. On a bit of a health kick I suppose, but there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Not at all.”

“I was starting to get a little chubby there, anyway.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Walter says with a chuckle to suggest that he’s joking, though truthfully he does think Bob is overweight.

“How’s yours?”

“Not on a health kick, that’s for sure. She’s been busy with work lately. Long days - sometimes she doesn’t get home until after six thirty.”

“Oof, hate that. It’s a shame,” Bob says. He’s also planning his exit from the conversation, but he remembers he has some news. “Hey, did you hear about Fred?”

“Fred? No, haven’t seen him lately.”

“You wouldn’t have,” Bob says. His jovial grin falls away into a grim scowl. “He passed away a few weeks ago.”

“No,” Walter says. “He was younger than us — what happened?”

“Car accident.”

“That’s a shame. A real shame.”

“Yeah,” Bob says, “Not a way I’d like to go, that’s for sure.” He kicks awkwardly at the ground. There’s not much to say.

“I always liked Fred. He was a good guy,” Walter doesn’t know what else to say, so he just keeps talking. “Wish I had spent more time with him, you know?”

“That’s why I always like to catch up with everyone. Even if just for a few minutes,” Bob says. “You can’t take anyone for granted, you know?”

“I feel that,” Walter replies, feeling bad for having wanted the conversation to end so soon. “You know, we should catch up more often.”

The sun is almost gone beyond the houses. The birds have all stopped singing, their songs replaced with the chirping of crickets hiding in the grass. Little specks of light flicker in the air from the fireflies that are just waking up. Off in the distance, a dog barks.

Bob and Walter turn together towards the sound of the barking dog. They tilt their heads back and start barking along. Their heavy woofs echo around the identical yards.

“Walter! Knock it off,” a woman calls from the house. She’s still in her work clothes from a long day at the office.

“Come here, Bob,” another woman calls from next door. “Get in here!”

The dogs trot off to their humans and head inside, giving each other one last silent look, as if it say, “see you next time, neighbor.”

Bob’s owner glances over the fence at Walter’s owner. “Oh hey, Cheryl,” she says, “these silly dogs were at it again, huh?”

“Aren’t they always?”

“Well, it was good to see you!”

“Yeah, we should get together sometime and catch up,” Cheryl replies, “When life isn’t so hectic, of course.”

“Of course.”