The Neighbors - Chapter One

My muscles refused to relax; I gripped the steering wheel without conscious thought. Even when I thought I was relaxed, I really wasn't. Silently I talked myself into relaxing and enjoying the ride out into the country. It was a beautiful day in mid-January, the sun was warm and there was the crispness in the air that a northerner blew in the night before. I was going to see another house - perhaps maybe the 20th in the last two months. It wasn't often I came across enough money to actually buy my 'dream' home, but the divorce left me with a nice sum to invest in a home. Until now between my ex and I, we had been moving around quite a bit with jobs and college, I hadn't stayed in one place in over 10 years. I was excited, but at the same time that familiar tightness reminded me of what a whirlwind I was living in. If I could only find that special place to finally call home, maybe then I could begin to relax and enjoy life again.

I rounded a corner on the curvy road and on my left I caught a glimpse of an old farmhouse nestled among some trees...my destination. I shut off the squawking GPS and took a left down the long gravel driveway. The trees were large and majestic in the way they lined either side as if guiding me to the house. There was an ever so gentle breeze and I could hear a variety of birds singing in the large trees. It already seemed perfect.

I could see that my realtor hadn't arrived yet so I pulled around the circled drive and parked. I couldn't wait to get out of the car and start exploring. The perfect little farmhouse...it had the wrap-around porch, and shutters! It had been sadly neglected and I could see there was going to be quite a lot of work, but I felt invigorated about the prospects. I walked up on the front porch and tried the front door...to my amazement, it swung open. I walked tentatively into the front foyer, beautiful ceramic tile graced the floor. The house had the old musty smell, but everything inside seemed like the previous owners had only left days before. I couldn't wait until my realtor Cynthia got here! This was it, this was the house!

I wandered around the downstairs before finally going up to the second floor. The upstairs was large and inviting. The master bedroom was two of the bedroom I had now, and the master bath could have been mistaken for a smaller bedroom if not for the sink, shower and oversized closet. I already felt at home and started thinking of where everything would go. I went to the window and looked out towards the back of the house. The back yard looked a bit overgrown, but there was a garage and a small barn that still looked usable.Then in the distance to the right I saw another house, there were several horses in the field grazing. I sat thoughtful for a moment wondering what kind of neighbors I would have. I went downstairs and stepped out into the back yard...I still hadn't heard from Cynthia. I looked over again at who would potentially be my nearest neighbors and this time saw a man out feeding the horses. He waved and I waved back and went back into the house as I heard Cynthia's tires crunching the gravel in the driveway.