We have lived in our townhouse-style condo since early 1999. Over the years we have considered buying a bigger place, mostly to accommodate more guests, but with 2 ensuite bedrooms and a half bath downstairs, the place, although compact, has more than enough space for the two of us, a dog and two cats. There are a few inconveniences to be sure; probably our biggest beef has been the lack of storage for our bikes, and not having a good place to grill outside is also a headache, but in general, we have been very happy here.
Our unit has two floors, and there is another condo below us. When we first moved in our neighbor downstairs was a quiet architect named Joe who kept the landscaping around our building immaculate. When Joe took advantage of low interest rates in the mid-2000s to buy a house, he sold his place to Steve, another quiet guy who traveled a lot and rode his bike for fun. Steve moved out a couple of years ago, and our new neighbor was Trevor, a young man starting his career as a government employee.
There was something about Trevor's enthusiasm and earnestness that reminded me of some of my former students grown up, and he and I bonded the first morning he lived here when his car was towed and I helped him get it back and get to work on time. After that we would trade text messages almost daily. But Trevor must have been good at what he did, because only a couple of months later he was offered a promotion which entailed a move to New Jersey.
The condo stood empty for a while; the market was soft and it must not have made sense to sell it right away. A few people did move in and out of the place, but they kept such a low profile and stayed such a short time that we only jokingly began to refer to the place as a witness protection safe house. All that changed earlier this week when a guy named Clayton, his partner and their three-legged dog moved in.
It's only been a few days, but I can hear their music clearly enough to tell that they like Paul Simon and several other rocking singer-songwriters from the late 20th century. Their music has been my music all day today, and I can only hope the intermittent banging is just temporary picture hanging and furniture placing racket.
I know that everyone is staying home and we are all in closer quarters than usual, but for goodness sakes! For the first time in 21 years, we might have to go knock on the door and ask them to keep it down, all ready!
Our unit has two floors, and there is another condo below us. When we first moved in our neighbor downstairs was a quiet architect named Joe who kept the landscaping around our building immaculate. When Joe took advantage of low interest rates in the mid-2000s to buy a house, he sold his place to Steve, another quiet guy who traveled a lot and rode his bike for fun. Steve moved out a couple of years ago, and our new neighbor was Trevor, a young man starting his career as a government employee.
There was something about Trevor's enthusiasm and earnestness that reminded me of some of my former students grown up, and he and I bonded the first morning he lived here when his car was towed and I helped him get it back and get to work on time. After that we would trade text messages almost daily. But Trevor must have been good at what he did, because only a couple of months later he was offered a promotion which entailed a move to New Jersey.
The condo stood empty for a while; the market was soft and it must not have made sense to sell it right away. A few people did move in and out of the place, but they kept such a low profile and stayed such a short time that we only jokingly began to refer to the place as a witness protection safe house. All that changed earlier this week when a guy named Clayton, his partner and their three-legged dog moved in.
It's only been a few days, but I can hear their music clearly enough to tell that they like Paul Simon and several other rocking singer-songwriters from the late 20th century. Their music has been my music all day today, and I can only hope the intermittent banging is just temporary picture hanging and furniture placing racket.
I know that everyone is staying home and we are all in closer quarters than usual, but for goodness sakes! For the first time in 21 years, we might have to go knock on the door and ask them to keep it down, all ready!
My fingers are tightly crossed for you that these are settling in noises. I could feel the warmth you and Trevor shared, especially in the way he reminded you of your former students.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to be passive aggressive you could always roll up the living room rug and start clogging, like that family on the new Geiko ad. Just kidding! I love that you've gotten to know the various downstairs tenants, to a greater or lesser extent. Time will tell.
ReplyDelete