Building walls instead of bridges

It seems common to have problems with our immediate neighbours. Sad but true.

Our problem started when our neighbour’s daughter threw a piece of wrapper into our compound as seen by my wife. She told her to bring a plastic bag and collect all the rubbish which they have thrown over – wrappers, empty plastic bottles, beer bottle crown corks, and even clumps of long human hair which one of them conveniently dropped them instead of taking the trouble to dispose of it properly.

Anyway, since then we never talk to each other. Perceived loss of face I suppose, when the parents knew about it. When we built the fence-wall at the time we built the house, it was on our side of the property, not really a common wall. So it is really annoying when they continue to hang dripping car mats and carpets over the wall to dry, causing paint to become mouldy in no time.

Recently, one of my regular breakfast companions had a window pane broken by his neighbour’s grasscutter while I was waiting with him for another friend. We found the missile that caused it was an old piece of metal the size of a cheap blade, the type that can be folded in. It is anyone’s guess what could have happened if it hit one of us instead. I estimated it travelled some 30 ft. and broke the glass. Anyway, he complained to the grasscutter while the owner remained seated on his garden chair, back facing him, ignoring his comments, while
smoking.

That was a couple of months ago. Last week, the grasscutter came and used the same type of motorized cutter. It created a mess in my friend’s compound as a result of the flying cut grass and soil. The last straw was when his wife commented that some soil or dirt actually went into their room. He complained to his neighbour about it.

Neighbour said, “You are always complaining.”

He retorted, “I have tolerated all this for the past 30 years, and you said I am always complaining.”

Neighbour: “I’m going to put up a wall to replace the chain-link fence.”

Today, I could see a pile of sand and some workers working on it. Pride can be expensive!

While Berlin Wall came down, we are putting up walls against our neighbours. Walls to avoid seeing each other.