|
So my neighbor comes by tonight while I was on the front porch smoking. I have known him my whole life, we went to school together, played together, and so on (We are both 40 now).
J (his first initial) is no stranger to trouble. He has spent prison time for murder, drugs, theft, counterfeiting, and lord knows what all else (assault comes to mind). When we talk thesedays it's mainly about issues in the 'hood' as we call it or relating to someone dying.
Last week the neighbor across the street from J hung himself. An elderly black gentlemen most people here knew in some way or other, and his wife and my mom were friends and I have been in their house on several occassions.
Long story short on this part: J was the guy who cut him down, and it upset him a bit as J actually liked him quite a bit. Which is how we got onto the title of this OP.
Here is his conversation with me tonight:
"His funeral is tomorrow. That was a good neighbor we lost, and I don't usually say that about colored folk, but I liked him a lot. Hell, I have my SS lightning bolts tatooed on my arm from when I was in prison, and I am a Klan member and go to rallies. Now don't get me wrong, I don't believe everything they say, but I do think ya should shoot mixed race couples, it ain't natural. Even says that in the bible."
And - NO I am not making one iota of that up, and with the exception of some sentence breaks and minor edits to make it intelligable, that is exactly how he said what he said.
This is one of the most crazy and dangerous people I personally know, his whole entire family is like this (some are worse). I could go on about him all night....but now onto the
Curse of the Hood (which I have talked to J and others about quite a bit).
There are 86 houses here. Cut off by two freeways and a creek, we are our own little place.
A recent list I compiled showed 7 deaths here in two years (of well known neighbors, not the transient type). And within the last 10-13 years, 25 dead. Several with 2 or more kids in the family dying. Others are just pretty messed up folks (one who sits in her room all day, her mom is 70 and never driven a car, daughter could drive but won't, and would rather veg and do drugs), my other neighbor who is a dealer and has lost some of kids, had 5 more to make up for it - and they run the streets half dressed. And so many stories about tragedies and such it would take me all night to write them out (and some are really bizzare).
Multiple suicides here over the years. Numerous folks leaving their spouses for other people's, sometimes for their kid (ie, one was 40 and they ran off with the 18 yr old son, and so on). One family lost two kids, one of the other kids is mentally blown after some bad crack, and thankfully the one my age seems ok so far. Child molesters, killers, dealers, users, and more tragedy than a years' full of soap operas on all three networks.
The rumor for years here is that this was an old indian burial ground (hence the name of the place indian oaks).
With neighbors like I have, I am starting to wonder....
The wife wants to move. Me, I sort of think everyplace else might be boring compared to it.
Oh, and the Klan guy. He dosen't vote, but he sure likes bush (though truth be told, he hates all politicians, but he likes bush better then he did kerry).
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
