Neighbors

Daily Prompt: West End Girls
Every city and town contains people of different classes: rich, poor and somewhere in between. What’s it like where you live? If it’s difficult for you to discern and describe the different type of classes in your locale, describe what it was like where you grew up — was it swimming pools and movie stars, industrial and working class, somewhere in between or something completely different?
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I live with my son now. I mean to acquire my own home but my son is not keen for me to do so. He tells me he only sees me at night times. If I go and live on my own he might see me on weekends or may not. He remains busy on weekends too.

My son’s home is on a corner plot. The neighborhood mostly have Asians, whites and few black families.

The couple living facing us, are whites. The chap owns his own company. He is rich but he is the only person in the neighborhood who mows his own lawn. He tends his flower beds. He washes his own and wife’s car on Sundays.

My son S recently banged their Jaguar while reversing. Their car was parked on the road in front of our driveway. S could have kept quiet but he went and sheepishly rung their door bell. The wife came out and graciously comforted my son, and patted his shoulder, instead of the other way round.

On our right are Hindus originally from India. They have rented the house from the owner temporarily. They are building their house nearby and will shift to it once it’s ready. The head of the family is a CEO and drives a Porsche.

On the other side of the road lives a Chinese family. We see each other daily, when I take a walk with my son. They have a cat named Chanda. They have given a girl’s name to their Tomcat. Chanda abandons his mistress when he sees N, (my daughter-in-law) when she accompanies us, (sometimes) on our daily walk. He walks behind N with his tail high up in the air. No amount of calling deters him from following N. Chanda seems to like pretty faces. Good choice!

My own background is totally different. Ours was a Army family. We lived in Army Cantonments. In the old days, when I was growing up, the houses were huge bungalows with sprawling lawns. Now the lawns are just a patch surrounding two story houses.

My own house (back home) is in Cantonment area. Most of the original owners who belonged to the Army sold their plots. Few Army families remain in my neighborhood. Many of my neighbors are business owners.

My own home was built twenty two years ago. My neighbors are very nice people and have shown me kindness and care only. The cats lady, (whose cats troubles me and I write about them in my blogs on a regular basis) is a lovely woman. When I wanted to move away to an apartment after my husband died, my neighbors stopped me from moving. All of them told me that they are there for me. They have shown me like and respect and I like my neighborhood.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/daily-prompt-west-end-girls/
Neighbors