New Neighbors

Five minutes in the neighborhood and I can’t believe the shit that has already taken place. Five police cars two paramedics and the whole block is outside; watching as a major disturbance unfolds. As we pull into our new parking lot, Danielle turns to me with a look of concern.
“Jonathan where in God’s name have you moved us too” she said?
As we sit in the car waiting for the others to arrive, we noticed what the big fuss was all about. Two of the neighbors were standing outside of their apartment in the nude fighting. Denise walks over to the car with a huge grin on her face.
“It looks like we have just entered a whole new world of excitement” she said!
“I think your rights, but at least we won’t need cable”, I replied with a small laugh.
Eric and the movers pull up in the moving truck with a look of confusion. “Hey Eric, how do you like the new scenery”? I ask.
“Umm (with a slight pause) it’s kind of unique” he replied.
Danielle gets out of the car and runs upstairs to her apartment but not before stopping on the first flight of stairs to watch the police officers tackle one of the neighbors to the ground for having a weapon.
“Danielle”! I shout really loudly. “Why are you running like you are scared or something? You didn’t do anything except watch.”
” I just don’t want to get caught up in this mess, I just moved here” she said.
“Stop worrying about that, you are always so quick to assume the police are after you” says Denise with a laughing voice.
As I turned to Eric I asked, “How is this going to work out if we have to finish moving the two houses and the girls are scared to stay here alone”? Right in the middle of my sentence Anthony walks up and introduces himself.
“Hey what’s up, I’m Anthony”! He says in a cheerful manner.
Before I could say anything, Denise opens her mouth as usual.
“Hi, I’m Denise and this is Jonathan, Danielle and my hunny, Eric”.
“Nice to meet you all” says Anthony.”I can tell you one thing’s for sure; things’ are really going to get interesting around here. Today is only Thursday... just wait till the weekend comes around. Over here it seems as if every weekend is some sort of movie scene. There is everything from fighting to car wrecks, down to evictions.”
Eric looks over and me with a blank look.
“Wow, this seems to be the place for all types of entertainment” he says with a chuckle.
I looked over to Denise and began to laugh under my breath, “now this is my idea of a concrete jungle” I mumbled. Suddenly a loud cry filled the air.
“What are you doing you idiot,” the loud voice said. “Stop taunting that dumb ass cop.”
We all turned to see where it was coming from and be- hold, it was one of the neighbors that were involved in the disturbance.
“This is why everyone is out here now”, she stated. “You and your ignorance are our biggest problems.”
Suddenly another officer ran over to the woman as she continued to run her mouth.
“Look miss you are just making the situation worse”.
At that point I turned to Eric and said “hey we have to get this moving done or we will be out her all weekend trying to finish.” Eric just nodded and began to unload the truck with the movers.
Anthony comes over and says, “Well let me know if you guys need help with anything, I am in apartment two”.
Danielle began to call for Denise with an annoyed tone in her voice.
“Denise, can you come up here and help me get this dumb door open”.
As the movers unloaded the truck I went over to my new apartment to unlock the door so that things could move a litter faster. BANG! “What the hell was that,” I said? I ran inside my apartment to find out that a brick had been thrown into my kitchen window.
Some kids were in the back of the building throwing rocks at each other.
I just chuckled and said to myself “wow are you serious”?
As night fell, the neighborhood seemed to get really lively. People began to come out of their homes as if there was a circus that just opened in the front yard. I walked over to the stair case leading upstairs to Denise’s apartment and yelled “are you guys still unpacking the first load”? Eric came to the door and yelled back at me.
“Yah we are, but I am ready to head back for another load if you are”.
Anthony came back outside and began to ask if we needed any help. I told him, “Yah we do actually, can you keep an eye on the girls while we go and get the last load”?
“Sure” he said, here is my number, just call if you need anything else.”
“I have been thinking about something and I want your honest opinion,” Eric said to me as we pulled into the old apartment complex. “I am thinking about asking Denise to marry me, but I want to know what your opinion of that is. Do you think we are right for each other”?
My mouth dropped open. “Well to be honest, I think that you two are perfect for each other” I began saying. “It still amazes me how you and Denise can work through any situation that comes up. All I can say is to just follow your heart and keep God in the forefront; Oh, and don’t forget to submit to her,” I said in a joking manner. “We can talk about this more if you need to,” I told him. “In the mean time, let’s get the rest of this stuff loaded. I will meet you over at your old apartment in about ten minutes, I have to go upstairs and see if Lora and the kids are ready.” If they are, they can follow us back over to the new place,” I finished adding. “Also I am going to get my son Junior to help us.”
“Ok” Eric said! ”I am going to run over to the store and grab a snack before we start.”
As Eric leaves for the store, I walk over to the old apartment and began to call out to Lora. “Lora, Lora” I yelled.
“What Jonathan”, she replied? “
“Are you and the kids ready to head over to the new place? Eric and I are on the last loads and I am making sure that we have nothing left up there.” I yelled back.
“Yah, we are ready but there are still a few things up here”, she said, “but I can just put them in our car when we leave.”
As she began to walk back inside I yelled out, “Where is Junior? I need him to come and help us load this truck.”
Lora turns towards the front door again and says “Junior, your dad wants you so hurry up and put your shoes back on”.
I turned and started walking away but not before yelling back, “send him over to Eric’s apartment when he is ready. I have to get started.” Five minutes later Junior comes running over to Eric’s place breathing fast. “What is wrong with you boy” I asked? “You are breathing like you just ran a marathon.”
He looks up at me and said, “Man dad that was a long run. I sprinted all the way here and now I am tired.”
I just chuckled and replied “boy, I know you aren’t tired, that was barely five hundred feet that you ran. We have got to get your skinny self in shape,” I said as I walked away laughing. “Come on let’s get this stuff loaded.” A few moments later, Eric walks in.
“Hey Junior, how ya been” he stated.
“I am fine, just trying to stop my little brother from getting on my nerves when my dad is not home,”
“I know the feeling” said Eric. “I used to feel the same way about my sisters growing up.”
“Will you two stop all the lady talk and help me carry this shit outside please” I yelled out with a stern voice? Then I turned to Junior and said “here, take this to the truck and send one of the movers in here”. As we began loading the moving truck, I heard a very high pitched annoying voice speak to me.
“So I see you guys are finally moving out, well it is about time your kind left here”.
Both Eric and I turned around to see who had spoken to us. Much to our surprise it was the property manager. Eric looks her in the face and began to laugh very loudly.
“It’s amazing how you can find time to harass tenants who are moving out, but yet you seem incapable of repairing broken things in your apartment”, he stated. “I wonder if the owner knows that you are slacking on your duties and stealing money from him”.
The property manger looks to Eric and said, “Well I guess you will never know, you free loader.”
Eric began to lunge forward and I grabbed him. In a low voice I said, “Just chill out E, there are other ways of getting back at ignorant people. I have an idea, but in the mean time, just calm down and let’s get this stuff loaded.” Eric agrees and walks into the apartment.
“By the way Eric, do not tell Denise what just happened, you know your wife is always trying to cut somebody.” I said with a smile.
Meanwhile, the property manager is still standing in the walkway being rude. Finally I turn to her and said “look you are the main reason why so many people are or have moved out of here. You are lazy, you don’t do your job on any level and you are annoying as hell. You and I have never had any issues except when it came time for something to be repaired. For the record, your boss does know what you have been doing because I personally sent him a video recording of you while several people were trying to get you to fix issues in their apartment. So while you are trying to be a bitch to everyone, you might want to think about what is going to happen to you next week when your boss gets here”.
She looks at me with a frown and says “bu-u-ut how? “Umm whatever” and storms off.
“Jonathan” Lora says in a loud voice. “We are all loaded up and ready to go. Are you going to have junior ride with you or me” she asked?
She then continued by saying, “I have the other kids strapped in and ready as well.” I looked over at the car and saw that there was some room.
“He is going to have to ride with you” I yelled out to her. “There is not going to be enough room in either truck.”
As we load up the final items, Eric turns to me and says “I am really going to miss this place, minus that lazy bitch of a manager.”
Chuckling I asked, “Why”?
Eric looks at me with a warming smile and says “because this is where we all became a family.”
We took one last look and began to walk towards the truck.
“Hold on” Eric said.” I have one last thing to do.”
He runs back to the apartment and kicked in the door. I turn around and run back to the apartment. “Dude what the hell are you doing” I ask?
“I have one last parting gift to leave”, he says.
Then he punched the wall and leaves a whole the size of a catchers glove. After that he walks over to the bathroom and plugs the sinks and turns the water on while laughing hysterically.
“Now let us see who has the upper hand” he said as he walks out the front door.
“Eric”, I began to yell. “Dude you have some serious issues”, I state while laughing as we walk towards the trucks again. “Can we just get in the truck and go now,” I ask? As we drive away I sit and began to think to myself. “Here we go. I truly hope that the new neighborhood is ready for us. This is going to be one wild ride for the whole block.


Settling In
“What you doing down there black man” yells Denise? “Are you down there making trouble again?”
I looked up at her with a very weird look on my face.” What did I tell you lady about calling me black man,” I said? “Didn’t I tell you that I am black and Native American (in a laughing manner)?”
Eric comes strolling out of their apartment. “Wow”, he said...”That’s hard to believe seeing that you are as black as they come”, with a silly grin on his face. “Besides, you still have black in your blood.”
I looked up at him and Denise while laughing and said, “yah well this would have never happened to me if I was black”.
Lora comes to the front door and says, “hey hunny, can you come get the kids I have to take a shower for work and they are bouncing all over the house”.
Eric yells out,” is it time for your curfew already, it’s only eleven in the morning?”
Denise comes down and walks into my apartment, “what are you down here doing now black man”?
Lora called out, “Hi Denise”!
“Hey Lora, whatcha up too today”?
“Not much, just getting ready for work.”
“Are you working late tonight baby”, I ask?
Lora walks out into the living room area with a small frown on her face and says” I think so” she began saying. “I am only scheduled until ten but who knows at that place. So what are you guys upstairs going to do today she finished?”
Before Denise could reply, I said, “Well, the kids and I are going to get this stuff organized and put away so that we can relax for the most part.”
Denise then says,” well to be honest, I have no idea what we are going to do. Eric ask me this morning if I wanted to go out to eat or just sit around and relax. I still have not decided what to do. Danielle is supposed to be going out for a while today so we will have the house to ourselves if we stay. It’s a hard choice in my book.”
Tick Tick!
“What in the world is that noise” asked Lora? “Where is it coming from”?
“I have no idea but it sounds like someone is tapping on something,” I said. “Junior”, I cried out in a loud voice, “what are you all in there doing?”
“Nothing”, he yells back, “that is coming from outside.”
I open the front door to find Anthony outside taping on his living room window. “Dude what are you doing, with a laughing voice”?
“This stupid ass female has locked me out of my own house”, he said.
I give him a puzzled look and replied, “who locked you out” with a bit of concern.
“My girl”! “She is on some crazy crap right now and is tripping.”
Denise rushes to the door. “Are you ok new neighbor, in a cheerful voice”?
“No, just having a little dispute with my girl.”
Suddenly his front door swings open with a loud banging noise. “Don’t be out here telling my business to people” yells Krystal. People don’t need to know my business.
Anthony turns to me and says “this is going to be a long day”.
“Are you coming in the house or not Anthony”, Krystal yells?
“Man let me go deal with this mess, are you going to be home”?
“Yah I will be here all day”, I replied.
Two hours later, I hear a loud commotion coming from outside.
“This is all your fault Anthony. Every single time I say that I am going out, you have to get all loud and start throwing things around the house”, Krystal yells. “This is why we always fight and have these problems.”
“What? How you gone try and put this all on me”, says Anthony. “You are the one that always has some sort of excuse when I ask you to stay home and spend time with me and the kids. I work all day and come home hoping to spend time with my family, and as soon as I walk in you are trying to run out the door. I mean come on Krystal, what is really going on”?
“What are you trying to say”, she asks?
“You want me to be upfront, asked Anthony? Ok then, are you cheating on me or something”?
Krystal paused for a short moment the replied “FUCK YOU”. “How dare you ask me something like that? I have done nothing except tried to have some me time after being home all day and stuck in the house. So what if I do not feel like spending time with you when you get home, maybe I just don’t want to be bothered”.
At that point, Anthony began to get really loud and repeating himself. “How else can you explain it then (repeating three times)? That is a load of crap and you know it. Me time, yah right; if that were the case why do you have to get all dressed up don’t come home till late hours of the night. I’m not stupid, but I will tell you this, if I find out that you are cheating on me, there is going to be hell to pay”.
“Just leave”, she said with a teary voice. “I can’t do this anymore. Everyday it’s the same thing over and over. We can’t seem to have a calm talk without arguing and fighting about what I want to do. You say you love me but how is this loving someone”?
“What do you mean how is this loving someone, he replied? I give everything to you. No matter if its financial or emotional; I give and I give, just to please you. What can you say in return? Nothing, just like always. I should be the one who is calling it quits not you. I mean come on Krystal, what grounds do you really have”?
By this time all the neighbors in the complex are outside trying to figure out what is going on.
Eric comes over to me and asks “so what’s going on now? We have been here two days and have been totally entertained each day. There never seems to be a dull moment here on Samano.”
I just laughed and replied “yup that’s true”. As we stood in my doorway and watched the drama unfold, my phone rang. Hello!
“Hey what’s up Jonathan”?
“Not much who is this”?
“This is Danielle”!
“Girl, why are you calling me from upstairs” I asked?
“I just didn’t feel like coming down there, besides I can hear everything from my room. They are right under my bedroom and I think the whole thing is funny as hell” she said.
“Yah, me too but to be honest, it’s none of my business what’s going on with them”, I said.
“Then why are you listening in on it like everyone else”, she asked?
“You can’t help not to; I mean they are loud as hell”, I said with a small chuckle.
“Well I agree on that part, I will talk to you later Jonathan.”
Thirty minutes into the entertainment, a red pickup truck pulls into the lot. A lady in what looked like her late forties or early fifties gets out and runs up to Anthony’s apartment.
“Who the hell do you think you are yelling at my daughter”? It was Krystal’s mother.
Apparently she had been on the phone when the entire fight started. “You have no right to be raising your voice to her, she said. You don’t even belong here in this apartment in the first place.”
“Mom, please stop”! “This has nothing to do with you. I did not call you to come over here first of all, screams Krystal. I called you to tell you that I had your keys and that I would bring them to you. So why are you here”, she asked?
“I have every right to be here her mother replied. You are my child and nobody is going to yell at you except me”...
“Look bitch”, Anthony replied with a very aggressive tone.” I will do whatever I want. As long as I don’t put my hands on her you don’t have anything to say. This is between me and Krystal, so you need to get to stepping.”
At this point Krystal is sitting in the doorway of her apartment crying.
“I can’t take this, this is too much, she said in a whimpering tone.”
Anthony realized that she was really upset and began to change his tone.
“Look, can’t you see that you being here is making things worse he stated to Krystal’s mom. Just leave and let us work out our problems alone.”
Krystal’s mother began to get really assertive once she saw that Anthony was backing off.
“I’m not going anywhere and there is nothing you can do about it” she said.
Krystal jumps up and bolts into the house. “Look mom, why are you doing this? We can handle our own problems without you getting in the middle. I don’t need you here to fight my battles and to tell you the truth I don’t want you here.”
Her mother just looked at her and said “Well I am going to call CPS, so that I can get my grand kids. I will teach you and that dumbass white boy of yours that wants to be black a thing or too.”
Suddenly the woman takes a swing at Anthony and misses. Then she pushes him as hard as she can, trying to provoke him into hitting her.
“So I guess you’re just going to stand there like the punk you are and do nothing” she says to him.
“Anthony replies, “No I am not.” ” You are trying to get me to hit you so you can put me in jail but I have a better idea.” He then called the police and makes a report of assault.
Five minutes later, a police car arrives and Anthony begins to tell the officer what has taken place. The officer talks to Krystal and her mother after he finishes.
Krystal begins to tell the officer, “yes my mother assaulted him and he did nothing to provoke her.”
The officer turns and walks away to his car. After a few moments, the officer returns and tells the lady to leave. Both Anthony and Krystal say that they want to press charges but the officer just shrugged his shoulders and says “there is nothing I can do.”
Now even I know that the officer was wrong. There had to be some sort of person involvement of some level. She assaulted him and nothing was done about that…
Anthony asked the officer “why is nothing being done”? At that point the officer began to get really rude with Anthony.
“Don’t tell me how to do my job”. “You already have a record, so do not make me add to it.” He replies with an attitude.
“Krystal steps in and says, “Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that you are not going to do anything because he has a record? Come on that is a load of bullshit and you know it.”
The officer just laughed and said, “Have a nice night” as he walked back to his patrol car.
As the officer drove away, I turned to Denise and said “if this is any indication about how the police handle things in this area, we are in a lot of trouble if there is an emergency situation.”
She just smiled and said “I guess I will be cutting a lot of people then.”


Family Day

Thunder and rain is not a way to wake up after having a dream about drowning. I laid in my bed listening to the rain storm that was taking place outside this morning. Lora walks into the room and flops down on the bed.
“Jonathan, are you getting out of bed today”?
I just laid there pretending like I was still asleep.
“Jonathan” she said with a stern tone, I know you are not asleep and you heard me.
I sat up and replied, “WHAAAAT” leave me alone. I tried to roll back over but before I could my little four year old daughter came running in the room and jumped on me.
“Get up daddy, she said. I need you to beat up your son.”
I turned to her and said, “which one and why”?
She replied “Tiny, because he won’t stop trying to stuff me in the freezer.”
I sat up in bed and began to laugh; “why is he trying to put you in the freezer Pooter” I asked?
“Because he is a big dummy head and a punk”, she replied.
I turned to Lora and said “ok, these are your children today”! Next, junior walks into my room and lays’ on my bed.
“Dad, can you please talk to you wife”?
I just sighed and said, “Ok why”?
He sat up and said (while laughing) “because she was chasing me around the house with Ann and she had no diaper on”.
I looked over at Lora and said “why in the world are you tortuering my son”?
She just gave me a big innocent smile and said, “Because it was fun”!
I finally realized that my family is very special on my levels. Furthermore they were not going to let me go back to bed. I finally pulled myself out of my bed and made it about five feet from the bedroom door before I heard;
“Now that you are up can you make breakfast” from about three different voices.
All I could do was drop my head and walk towards the kitchen. After breakfast, I decided to sit back and relax or so I thought. Ring Ring Ring!
“Hello this is Jonathan”!
“Hello, my name is Mr. Wong and I am the owner of Terrace Apartment. I am calling you in regards to the letter and petition I received a few days ago about my complex manager. Please tell me what the entire situation is.”
I sat straight up in my seat and said “well sir, she is a slum lord. The information you received was a full report of how your property needs some major repairs and your property manager refused to correct them.”
“I have never received any information from her on this”, he said.
“I know and that’s why both I and twenty-five others decided to send the information to you directly. She has been taking people’s money for rent and then stating that no one paid. For example, in August of last year my neighbor paid five hundred dollars for rent in cash and received a receipt. Four days later, he was given an eviction notice by her stating that rent was fifteen days late. All this information was forwarded to you. We also sent over information to the housing authority as a result of this.”
Mr. Wong replied, “Yes I know. I was contacted yesterday by them. I must say that I am truly shocked of such poor management that has taken place. I will personally be in town tomorrow to resolve this matter. I will also have the local police at hand if you would like to make a report to them of theft. Thank you for your time and the information you sent me he said. Have a great day”!
As soon as we hung up, I called up to Eric and Denise.
“Hey guys, you are not going to believe who just called me. “
“Who”, Denise replied?
“The owner of Terrace apartments”!
“Are you serious”, she stated while laughing hysterically?
“Yep and he is pissed; He is taking the police tomorrow over to the office and the property manager is in for it.”
Eric yells from the background, “That is what she gets; I hope she goes to jail and gets fired.”
I began to laugh under my breath. “Well I told you I had something else in mind for her.”
Tiny comes up to me and says “dad, why are people so selfish.”
I turned to him and said “I have no idea but selfish people always ends up in worse conditions.” He just shrugged his shoulder and walked off. Lora comes into the living room and sits next to me with a paper in her hand.
“Hunny” she said, “have you decided what we are going to do about your son.”
I looked over at her and replied, “What are you talking about”?
She reached over and began to hand me the paper in her hand. “Junior got a notice in the mail from the school about being in I.S.S for talking back to a teacher.”
I grabbed the paper and began to read. About half way through it I yelled with a very heavy tone “Junior GET IN HER NOW”! He walked into the living room with a blank look on his face.
“Yah dad” he replied?
“Please tell me why in the world you were talking back to your teacher in class? Didn’t I tell you before, that you are not at school to be funny or popular”? He just nodded his head. “Keep this crap up and you will end up getting kicked out. Then what are you going to do”? Before he could answer I said “get in your room”. About five minutes later, Tiny comes into the living room and sits next to me.
“Dad” he said, are you ok?
“Yes I am ok, just a little upset”
He looked over at me and with a really serious voice said “I will tell you, these kids now a days will make you hurt them”.
I just turned and began to laugh as hard as I could. “Boy you are special” I replied...
“What are we going to do with that boy”, my wife said? “He seems to be getting more and more intellectual as the days pass.”
“I have no idea” I replied. “One thing is for sure, he sure knows how and when to make somebody laugh. By the way, I forgot to tell you that Monique is coming to stay with us for a while.”
“This should be interesting”, Lora stated.
“What in the hell is that supposed to mean” I asked? Look if you have a problem with my sister, I advise you to keep it to yourself and check your attitude before she moves in. I’m telling you now, if you get out of pocket with her, she is going to knock you on your ass. I don’t care what your opinion is of her or what your issue is and frankly I don’t care.”
Lora replied, “I don’t have a problem with your sister at all, what are you snapping about”?
I just looked at her with a look of disgust. “You know, when it all boils down to it, my sister is the only woman I know I can count on. I don’t care who likes it but in my life she out shines any woman that I am with.”
“Whatever Jonathan”, she replied! “I was just making a comment.”
“You know, sometimes your comments need to be kept to yourself “I said with a nasty tone”. Suddenly, a car pulled up in front of the apartment, playing loud music. I walked over to the front door and before I could open it, the door flung open with force.
“Tee Tee”! Pooter yelled with a burst of excitement.
“Hey Poot”, she replied.
Tiny and Junior came running out of their bedroom. “Hey Aunt Monique, when did you get here”, as they ran towards her to give a hug?
“We missed you so much”, screeched Tiny.
“Are you moving in with us” Pooter asked?
“Yes I am and shit is about to change.”

Impressum

Texte: S (TRUE STORY OF A LIFESTYLE) © 2011 David L Brown Sr, Edinburg, Texas All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author. If you want someone to be able to copy or distribute portions of the book, place exceptions here.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 01.02.2011

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Widmung:
Dedicated to: Mahrea E Cook,Donna E Campbell,Diahann K. Cook Davida M. Cook Thank you for being the foundation stones in my life