Neighbours are a punishment. At least the kind of neighbour I have now. I am hoping to be let off a good deal of Purgatory after I die, on her account.
And a boyfriend. The boyfriend brings out the worst of her. About half an hour after I'd written that, I actually called the police, because the screaming had reached a pitch and shape that made me worry about real violence. It seems to have died down since.
For five years, I have felt myself quite snug in this flat, although it is a rathole in some ways. It suits me in terms of space and location. But if I have to go on living with her, I am beginning to wonder whether moving might not be a notion.
In this country, it would not happen unless someone died first. The police don't bother, and the social services (which are more prominent than the courts in this area) rarely remove children unless the matter is desperate and the children clearly at risk. There is a presupposition in favour of "the family unit, whatever it is".
They wouldn't arrest the boyfriend if he was beating her up?! I worked with a girl whose ex-husband beat the crap out of her--she had to wear long sleeves and turtleneck sweaters to work for a couple of weeks she was so bruised up, huge hand marks on her neck, etc. When she called the police, they took extensive photos of her injuries and threw the guy in jail.
From what I hear, it is likelier that she is beating up the boyfriend. I must make this very clear: she is the one with the violent temper. And unless it was a really serious case, it would be passed to social services for counselling. Our jails are quite full enough.
After experiencing college dorm life, I completely sympathize with you. My last neighbor was a young woman with a very active "social" life, which she made quite obvious, no notion of appropriate indoor volume (she would open her door shout across the hallway), and a smoker with a chronic, wheezing cough. It made literal obedience to "love thy neighbor" extremely difficult.*
*Ironically, the other neighbor was a delight. She was a soft-spoken Buddhist whose boyfriend practically lived with her (though it was prohibited), and I rarely heard a peep from either of them.
Haha! That's a great quote. I, too, live in an apartment that I like in a good location, above a young couple with a small child (about 2, I think). AHHHHH!!!! about sums up my feelings.
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no subject
Date: 2010-02-03 06:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-03 06:15 pm (UTC)For five years, I have felt myself quite snug in this flat, although it is a rathole in some ways. It suits me in terms of space and location. But if I have to go on living with her, I am beginning to wonder whether moving might not be a notion.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-03 06:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-03 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-04 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-03 06:57 pm (UTC)*Ironically, the other neighbor was a delight. She was a soft-spoken Buddhist whose boyfriend practically lived with her (though it was prohibited), and I rarely heard a peep from either of them.
Chesterton
Date: 2010-02-03 08:52 pm (UTC)I didn't realize how funny (and true) that was until I lived in an apartment.
Re: Chesterton
Date: 2010-02-03 10:06 pm (UTC)