neighbors who make me sweat
I have this new neighbor who is missing the gene that compels one to respond when addressed in a friendly fashion. It’s kind of wild, actually. She has two kids around the same age as mine. Her husband is what I call an RST: Reluctant Secret Talker. I say hi, he says hi, then there’s nothing — he bows his head and moves along. If I pause for half a second or ask anything beyond that, I’ll be standing outside his fence for upwards of 15 minutes listening to his thoughts on windowpanes or trees (my opinions of which are not probed).
His wife, however…is tough. I don’t get a greeting if I don’t greet first. Beyond a greeting, I can’t get anything out of her. I mean I don’t want to stand there and chat, but give me something to feel like I am not a wretched ghost wandering around invisibly haunting Altadena’s mountainside corridors????
This type of social interaction makes me SWEAT! It’s a disturbingly tidy circle back to my very last encounter with