Good Neighbors

One of my friends is also my neighbor lady Linda. I love her to pieces. She’s dryly funny, and she has an outlook on life that’s a little cynical but tinged with with hope. She’s also a creative problem solver, and she doesn’t take any crap from anyone.

One day I was over at her house for one of our sporadic kaffee klatsches. While we were running down the list of things to fuss and quack over, the phone rang. Linda picked it up and within about five seconds she gave me the “it’s a telemarketer look”. I nodded and snorked up some more coffee. When the telemarketer finally let her get a word in edgewise, Linda said, very bluntly, “Well, she’s dead. This is her sister, and I’m just cleaning up around here. Take her off your call list.” I snorted coffee up my nose.

She hung up and looked at me, as I sat there, wiping coffee off of my chin and face and looking slightly amazed, and she said, “It’s the only time I ever really get to lie. I wish those idiots would call more often; it's kind of fun.”

Like I said, I love my neighbor.