This is for Kristin.
Late in the evenings Sybil would let her dog play in the yard and listen to the neighbor's tv from her porch. The neighbors were in their seventies and had hearing problems, so Bill O'Riley would boom through the front of the house and into the quiet of the neighborhood every night at the same time. Sybil chuckled to herself about this on many occasion. She figured, 'if your audience can't hear you rant, what is the point?!' She never told them though. Instead, Sybil sat.
Some nights she would drink tea or lemonade; some nights she'd spike her drink to make the loneliness more bearable. She didn't mind being alone most of the time, but those times the moon was full and the breeze just right she wanted someone to wrap their arms around her. Buddy, her dog, was pretty damn good at snuggling, but not when on the porch. Buddy liked to roam the neighborhood and be a nussance to the cats and Mrs. Winslow. Buddy was some sort of terrier mix. Sybil wasn't sure anymore what all he had in him, but she didn't really care. He was her best friend and she his. She had had him for 5 years; through a divorce and her mother's death. Two of the hardest things a woman could go through. With all the stress, she hadn't had time to start dating again and Buddy always had a kiss for her.
Sybil lived down the street from a bakery. Five houses down to be exact. She had one of those bungalows built in the 40s. It had a nice sized backyard and the houses had decent spaces between them, unlike newer subdivisions. Her neighbors to the left, or south, had 3 kids and 2 cats. Luckily for the cats, they were indoor cats. Buddy loved cat-tail. Tom and Tracy had moved in right before Jay left. Tracy had been pregnant with Missy at the time. Paula and Vinny had only been 3 and 1 at the time. Sybil remembered thinking, 'What a handful!' The kids were well behaved and she rarely saw tantrums.
Distillation of Thoughts
Tidbits about the Author
- Jennifer
- Des Moines, Iowa, United States
- Only child, born in the 80's. Child of the 90's. Loves movies, music, art, science, and love itself. Willing to try anything once if it suits her.
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On the north side, Mr. & Mrs. Brady had a lime green house with cream shutters. They were in their seventies; Sybil never really knew for sure of their ages, but Mr. Brady used to work for the post office and Mrs. Brady had raised four children at home during the Cold War. Two years ago, their youngest talked her into buying a tanning bed. No one in the neighborhood knew why, but Mrs. Brady used it every other morning and opposite evenings. She was very leathery to begin with, but following, she looked like a piece of beef jerky.
Across the street was a quiet couple, Dave and Samantha. They were a little older than Sybil and Jay but only by five to ten years. Dave and Samantha had been very endearing friends during the divorce, but it was hard to stay close once all legalities started to take over Sybil's life. Buddy still visited Samantha every day and Dave would wave when he got home late from work. Some evenings, he would come back outside after dinner and sit with Sybil and talk. They never talked about their lives or what Samantha and him were up to. They didn't talk about Sybil's ex husband or how Dave knew some guys at work that were single. They talked of growing up, and things they had heard on the news. They laughed at the neighbors loud TV and Buddy's treasures he'd bring back. But Dave didn't come over very often and 'porch-sitting' only lasted so long. On occasion, Samantha would send Sybil a card in the mail or invite her to a tupperware party. Sometimes Sybil went, sometimes she didn't.
Buddy must of found something to chase Sybil thought. She looked down at her watch and saw it was almost ten. She leaned back and began to whistle. Buddy would hear her within 15 minutes and head home, even if he had a opossum or cat cornered somewhere.
Sybil woke with a start. Dave's car was pulling out of the driveway. Sybil must have fallen asleep; it was 10:20pm. Buddy was looking up at her panting. They both knew that Dave was not a couch-sleeper and was going into his office for the night. Sybil wondered what silly argument they had gotten into. They never fought for over a day and according to Samantha the fighting was worth the making-up. Buddy and Sybil went inside and locked up the house. It might have been a nice neighborhood, but that didn't mean strange people wouldn't ever try to get in. With an ex-husband Sybil was always on the lookout.
The next day went along as usual. Buddy slept. Sybil ran errands in the morning and came home to work on her memoirs. She had been a pretty decent professor at the local college. It wasn't one of those community college two-year crappin' places either. It was accredited and had paid rather well. When Jay left though, so did the job. He was the dean of students and the drama that had gotten stirred up during the divorce just didn't sit well with the advisory board. Sybil got a pretty good deal out of it though. She was not ready for retirement but didn't mind it too much.
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