Neighbors, Greetings, And Nothing More

Growing up, my parents didn’t really allow my siblings and I to interact well with our neighbors. It was for the best reasons, though. First off, the neighborhood kids weren’t really friendly. They would often play rough and get involved in fights. Sometimes, they even sustained serious injuries. Also, in my neighborhood, my family is the only one from another tribe. It is like a bucket filled with green balls and in that bucket, there is just one red ball and we were that red ball. So, my parents felt it was better to keep us indoors most of the time. It was not really boring because my cousins would visit every now and then. This was when I started to mind my business and try not to become too friendly with my neighbors and soon enough, it became a part of me.

It’s a new week and for today’s Hive Learners’ prompt, the community asks us an interesting question: in a world where people pride themselves in minding their businesses, how well do you know your neighbors? To be fair, I don’t really know my neighbors because as I mentioned earlier, my family and I try as much as I can to mind our businesses. I only know my neighbors based on the things we hear and see. I mean, I have never seen the inside of their houses nor do I know their family history, but I know that this or that family has 3 or 4 children because I have seen them. I also know of families who spread their dirty linens outside without shame. In my neighborhood, there was a couple who would fight every now and then.

They had been married since I was a child. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I have ever known a time when they were happy for a week straight. Their fights were always like a two day interval. What I find more surprising is that they don’t care about their kids. They don’t care about what people say. Imagine parents fighting in the presence of their kids. Of course, my parents never allowed us to go out to watch them display their silly acts, but we would see everything through our windows. Whenever the fights started, my siblings and I would carefully move to the windows and watch the whole thing. One thing I knew about this family is that they often got involved in fights and that’s pretty much it. When I got back from school, I heard that the wife packed her things out because she could no longer bear it.

On a scale of 1-10, I would say a solid 1. I feel like 1 is even an exaggeration. Maybe a solid 0.5 would do? I barely know my neighbors talk less of being friendly with me. I would say a solid 1 or 0.5 because when I see them, I greet them, especially the elderly ones. However, one of my neighbors is different. Their house is just next to ours, and just like my family, they mind their businesses. It is almost impossible to tell whenever they are home. I know quite a few things about this family because their last born is my friend. He would often come to my house to play and sometimes, I would go to his house. He is the only person my mom would let me visit. But things are different now. Everyone is busy with life. If an emergency came up and I was away, this family is the only family I would trust to help with my home. Others would be a very risky game.

I try as much as I can to mind my business. When I gained admission into the university, things were just the same. I could stay indoors for days. The only things that would make me leave my apartment was if I had classes or if I wanted to go get something outside. However, this doesn’t mean I don’t talk to my neighbors at all. Of course, I do. I allow them to charge their devices at my place and sometimes I play football with the guys. I’m not sure if I’m the kind of neighbor I’d like, but I try my best.

Thanks for reading.