popsicle

Monday, July 5, 2010

Meeting people has never been one of my strong points. I duck into the dog food aisle at Walmart to avoid chatting with people more frequently than I care to admit. It is not really any shocker that I only recently met our neighbors two years after they moved into the house next door.

I had been intending to meet them for a long time. Years, even. I rationalized that waves from my car and shouted greetings across the lawn were neighborly enough. My landlord had met them so didn't that count for me too? I lived in the friendly house but that didn't mean I had to be friendly myself did it?

One weekend after several narrowly avoided encounters I was really feeling guilty about things. I truly wanted meet them and let them know I wasn't crazy but it seemed to be an awkwardly long time since they had moved in how was I supposed to go about it. Just walk over and knock on the door?

Sunday afternoon came and I made zucchini bread with the intention of going to meet the neighbors but then my roommate wasn't home to go visiting with me so I curled up with a book, always a good alternative to social interaction. I had not been reading very long when the ice cream van came down the road with its siren song of sugar and love. One of my summer goals was buy some ice cream from the ice cream man and with or without a friend to witness this first time event I was going to seize the opportunity.

Did I mention it was raining? It was raining quite hard and the quarters in my fist were dripping by the time I ran to the end of the driveway. The van had already passed and was makings its way around the loop before it would pass by again. I will just wait. So I waited and waited. The song was seemed close but was taking a long time to come any closer. How long was our dead end street? The rain was dripping from my ears, pooling in my shoes and soaking my shirt when I turned to see my neighbor lean forward in the chair on his porch. He was staring at me as I slipped under the trees dividing our property and crouched down. The branches provided some shelter from the rain but they were awfully low to the earth.

The ice cream van finally chugged up the hill and I gave my wet quarters in exchange for a fudgesicle. The rain was slowing then and I walked down to the end of the road eating slowly watching the steam rise from the asphalt in wafts around my legs. When I returned to my house the neighbor had already gone inside but Brittany returned home soon and I had the bread all wrapped up and ready to deliver.

The neighbors are a lovely family.

I don't know why I waited so long.