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Dec. 3rd, 2006
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Dec. 3rd, 2006 01:02 pmOooooh dear me.
I don't think I've mentioned my across-the-hall neighbours much, but I've been following the saga of the woman next door with some interest, and now with alarm. At first I thought she had to be looking after her infant sibling for a working parent, but as no parents have shown in evidence I guess she either looks really young or is emancipated and living with her child. She pays the rent on the flat, I've heard her say so, but for some reason her boyfriend has the keys. Occasionally he says he'll meet her at home and then doesn't, leaving her locked out; the first few times this happened she got upset, phoned him to shout at him, and then sat on the inside steps waiting for him to come let her in.
Lately, when this has happened, she's phoned him, shouted at him, and then promptly phoned another young man, who came over and made out with her on the steps. I thought the boyfriend had caught her at it, and I think I'm now right, but for reasons I'm not really happy about.
Half an hour ago two young women showed up, somehow got inside the outer door, and proceeded to shout epithets at her through her door. One of the girls wants her "shit back"; she had a large stick that the super had left on the steps after using it to scrape them clean of ice, and she beat drum rhythms with it on the doorframe. She talked to her friend about how she felt sorry for the boyfriend, because he hadn't known she was running around on him, then screamed when the woman inside said she'd pass her stuff out the window, threatening to burn the building down.
At this point I was ready to step out and run them off and call the police, but fortunately it wasn't necessary; they stepped back outside and the outer door locked after them. They shouted for a bit longer and wandered off. If I'd called the police, even at the start (and it took me a few minutes to notice) they'd have arrived too late anyway.
I gave my neighbour my phone number and said if they came back she could call me and I'd call the police; she didn't seem terribly enamoured of the idea of anyone calling the police, but if they do come back I'm calling regardless. They probably can't do much, but I'm not about to let someone be assaulted eight feet from my front door or be sued for taking someone down myself. A baby shouldn't be on either side of a door someone's trying to break down.
She's not very old, emancipated or not, and I feel for her. She's in over her head, anyone can see that, but there's not much I can do. Like most of the people in the building, she doesn't trust me. I'm the only anglo in this side of the building; the postman knows me -- and said this -- because my name is unmistakeably anglo and I'm the only white man he's seen going in or out. Most of the families are either Puerto Rican or Mexican descent, to judge from the flags in various windows, and I can't say I blame them for mistrusting me. They don't know who I am or what I do, and I'm clearly out of place. The kids bunch up and go silent when I pass by, and the parents always look startled and wary when I say hello. I'm not the most extroverted human being ever to walk the earth, which I'm sure doesn't help.
It's a pretty ghastly situation, all told. I think what's most disturbing to me is the way the girl made her threats. They were clearly very serious and she had a weapon, but when she started banging it on the wall her friend laughed, and when she started making threats, she laughed too.
I don't think I've mentioned my across-the-hall neighbours much, but I've been following the saga of the woman next door with some interest, and now with alarm. At first I thought she had to be looking after her infant sibling for a working parent, but as no parents have shown in evidence I guess she either looks really young or is emancipated and living with her child. She pays the rent on the flat, I've heard her say so, but for some reason her boyfriend has the keys. Occasionally he says he'll meet her at home and then doesn't, leaving her locked out; the first few times this happened she got upset, phoned him to shout at him, and then sat on the inside steps waiting for him to come let her in.
Lately, when this has happened, she's phoned him, shouted at him, and then promptly phoned another young man, who came over and made out with her on the steps. I thought the boyfriend had caught her at it, and I think I'm now right, but for reasons I'm not really happy about.
Half an hour ago two young women showed up, somehow got inside the outer door, and proceeded to shout epithets at her through her door. One of the girls wants her "shit back"; she had a large stick that the super had left on the steps after using it to scrape them clean of ice, and she beat drum rhythms with it on the doorframe. She talked to her friend about how she felt sorry for the boyfriend, because he hadn't known she was running around on him, then screamed when the woman inside said she'd pass her stuff out the window, threatening to burn the building down.
At this point I was ready to step out and run them off and call the police, but fortunately it wasn't necessary; they stepped back outside and the outer door locked after them. They shouted for a bit longer and wandered off. If I'd called the police, even at the start (and it took me a few minutes to notice) they'd have arrived too late anyway.
I gave my neighbour my phone number and said if they came back she could call me and I'd call the police; she didn't seem terribly enamoured of the idea of anyone calling the police, but if they do come back I'm calling regardless. They probably can't do much, but I'm not about to let someone be assaulted eight feet from my front door or be sued for taking someone down myself. A baby shouldn't be on either side of a door someone's trying to break down.
She's not very old, emancipated or not, and I feel for her. She's in over her head, anyone can see that, but there's not much I can do. Like most of the people in the building, she doesn't trust me. I'm the only anglo in this side of the building; the postman knows me -- and said this -- because my name is unmistakeably anglo and I'm the only white man he's seen going in or out. Most of the families are either Puerto Rican or Mexican descent, to judge from the flags in various windows, and I can't say I blame them for mistrusting me. They don't know who I am or what I do, and I'm clearly out of place. The kids bunch up and go silent when I pass by, and the parents always look startled and wary when I say hello. I'm not the most extroverted human being ever to walk the earth, which I'm sure doesn't help.
It's a pretty ghastly situation, all told. I think what's most disturbing to me is the way the girl made her threats. They were clearly very serious and she had a weapon, but when she started banging it on the wall her friend laughed, and when she started making threats, she laughed too.