My doorbell rang just as I was about to place the plate in the oven. I set it down on the kitchen counter and hurried to open the front door.

"Good morning, Liz," came my neighbor’s sweet voice, accompanied by his usual warm smile.

"Hey, how are you?" I returned the smile, immediately noticing the box in his hands.

"I'm great, thank you. I was making pizza and thought of you, knowing how much you ...

The paper bag was on the verge of rupturing.

I had overestimated how many groceries I could carry in one trip, and the universe — sadistic bastard that it was — decided to test my limits and my patience on a flight of stairs.

A carton of eggs shifted dangerously. The bag groaned. I swore.

“Need a hand, darling?”

The voice purred from above, velvet-wrapped and honey-slick. I looked up —

Ah. H...

Is he kind

Try to rewind

The conversation

Which was a slight invasion

On an occasion

When he was friendly

But a little too gingerly

With his compliments

Regarding the apartment

And the decor

And floor

But before

He was a bore

Like an old book store

That had moldy shelves

Nothing to tell

So maybe it’s me

You see

And not he...

It started with a broken waterline, and a prompt fix shortly therafter. I heard him early that morning cranking away with a wrench and the occasional swear. But by midday, the water flowed from my faucet and I was able to enjoy a shower.

Having lived there for all of a week, I should have asked his name, if only to say thank you. He smiled all the same as I stepped out of the two-story duplex we ...

“BEEP BEEP!” I awake to my alarm screaming at me, It’s 4 in the morning. While still half-asleep I get out of bed, its cold today. Colder than usual. The window beside my bed is open, with the curtins pinned up. I could have sworn that I closed the curtains, and I never leave the window open. Still groggy, I mope to the open window to close it when through the dark I see my neighbors house’s light...

It’s a bit odd. The man, this stranger in my mist.

Placid smiles. Hello here and there. Is there a twist?

Under the smile. A lion or lamb. I wonder.

He seems nice enough. But did I make a blunder.

Door opens. Stairs creak. Some clatter. Like squirrel there.

All sublime. He has the gestures. But there’s still fear....

With her tee shirt glued to her back with sweat, Julianne carted the last milk crate from her Honda Fit. Summer had been just a long spring with days of gray skies and rain. It had been damp cold until today. Today was a scorcher. Just my luck, she thought looping her mega purse around her neck.

Her right hip ached. Julianne shifted the pack on her back and headed for the staircase. She looked ...

I just moved into this new place, from a house to apartment is a big change. My therapist politely suggested that my big secluded house in the forest wasn’t making my growing insomnia and depression any better. Being that I had the money and didn’t want these feelings I had to continue I chose to move more in city.

I unenthusiasticly made a checklist for this new move to keep me on track. As s...

My neighbor is so nice! It makes me sick! I hate it! She will always help others, making me feel bad. I hate how she helps feed the hungry even if that means she has nothing to eat. I hate how she give her clothes to the poor. Then she will have nothing. I hate that I want to be more like her. She just baked me a pie for no reason. Ohh it’s cherry my favorite! Forget evil that woman is a saint!...

It starts at 3 am, the noise. Like bowling balls bouncing, rolling. I shove my pillow over my head to block the noise.

Mr. Henderson is such a nice guy when I see him come down the stairs. He is old and feeble, and I worry that one day he’ll trip and fall. Which is why the late-night noise is so disturbing. How can such a weak old man make all that noise?

One day I’ll ask him about it. But to b...