Neighbour

I just sat down and watch him walking by. No particular reason for that. I just watched him earlier. And I?m watching him right now too.

I've done it every day during the last month. I just sit in front of my grandparent?s house and watch him as he goes by.

I like doing it, thought it actually never crossed my mind to do it for so long. I just sat there on the pence, reading some local newspaper and listening music threw my headphones. I did it last year too, you know. But then I found out you moved in the house next door.

Actually, I didn?t found out. It just happened, like everything else. One morning he walked by me and I rose my eyes to stare his strange figure 10 feet from me.

I think he was going to work or something. At least it seemed so with his light raincoat hiding tall slim body from my view. As he moved, I could see the dark suit slightly showing itself under the coat and light ivory tie.

I think it was quite odd, me staring him, because he stopped and looked at me over the low hedge- my long dark trousers, my bright colored red t-shirt and my tousled hair, which were colored quite dark at that time. My hair color has changed at least 3 times by then. Well, at that time, it was dark, but had some highlights in it and few red stripes. I must?ve been quite a sight considering I am not part of the tender sex. Especially to some office worker. He might have even had the second thoughts about moving here. Imagine- a party-guy living near by.

I was even thinking of opening my mouth and calming his thoughts down. Well, first of all, I?m not a party animal. Not at grandparent?s home anyway. It?s hard for my father to understand it, but I actually enjoyed coming here. It was kind of a free time for me. I got to relax and sleep my whole quantity of missed sleep during the school.

I wasn't polite. I didn?t even say 'hello' or anything. Neither did he. I drank on my tea from the huge mug next to me and he went to work or where ever he had to go at that day.

That was the first time.

Now it's becoming a tradition of some kind already. I even woke up for it at first. It was fun to me. To see you off in the morning.

You aren't married. I know it now. Mostly, because until now I have never seen any women come out of your house. Ou, and I can not leave it unmentioned, that I also have grandparents. Old, curious, gossiping grandparents. It only takes about a week to get to know all that has been going on during the rest of the year I'm with my father.

You don't even notice me sitting here anymore. You walk by as I was another statue on the street. But to you I actually am. A strange young man sitting in front of your neighbor?s house reading newspaper, listening music and having his first cup of tea of this day. Of course, you didn?t know it was tea, so you might as well think it was coffee. No hard feelings. It was a liquid nevertheless.

He has disappeared behind the corner house and I turn back to my paper. I have no idea why I?m reading all of it anyway. I don?t give a damn about the prices of the oil nor gold. Neither am I interested to read about repairing the streets. But I read the whole newspaper. Always. Call me sick.

The radio just vanished from my ears. I think the batteries are empty. And I have non left in the house. How I know it so well? Because my grandparents are old fashioned people and don?t use so modern stuff. So, if I want to hear my radio, I must go and get the batteries from the local grocery store myself. Yeah, from the grocery store. The other store is too far from this suburban place. The only reason not to like this place. But last year they got batteries in the small shop and now I find I have everything I need right here.

I pack the newspaper together and put it on the pence. I didn?t read the part about how to keep away from wrong people. Hey, I am the wrong person- I should know how to keep myself away! And to do that I need batteries.

Great, it?s raining! How didn?t I notice it earlier? Doesn?t matter anymore. Thank God, its summer and having a coat on isn?t a thing your grandparent?s can crucify you for.

My green curl got in my eye. I changed the color last night again. I didn?t like what the last hairdresser did to me. Now I have a proud hairstyle- fair, with some light and dark green highlights in it. Not many, but enough.

I go threw my pockets to find some money to go and finally get those darn batteries for my headphones.

As I entered the store, my eyes firstly visited the customers. The bell on the door rang hopefully and everybody?s eyes turned on me- why not to study them as return.

There were three men and a woman, all in mid forties. Except one- my neighbor, who I think is in his late 20s.

He looked at me as everybody else.

We studied each other for few seconds longer than would?ve been proper. That?s what I think anyway. At least the looks of others suddenly changed in strange staring. As if you were having a secret that everybody are aware of, except you.

It was the first time I saw him so close. He was indeed taller than me. Well, the first thing I saw, was his Adam?s apple, so do the counting. He had dark brown hair and as much as I reckoned from the first time, symmetrical nose and eyes.