The Signs, The Signs...

The Signs,The Signs...

Sitting with the usual guys having Diet Cokes  discussing politics, religion, sports, the Boston Bombings and one of the irregulars blurts out: "The signs went up the other day. Still don't know the why or the what... but still the signs went up. Town trucks arrived a little before noon and they installed the signs". I immediate thought  "Did this geezer lose it? What the heck is he talking about?" Stupidly I ask, "What are you talking about?".

And so the story begins: Seems there is a strange neighbor on this guys street. He has never met her and knows nothing about her except what others tell him. She had a husband. He left. She had a tenant. He left. She had another tenant. He left. The cable guy refuses to go back to the house , she calls regularly for service. The police who arrive occasionally leave shaking their heads. Not  a participant nor will she sign on for any block party however when it was held, at precisely the moment the permit ran out  (11PM) she drove down the street at a good rate of speed beeping her horn, chasing the kids and parents  off the pavement. When confronted by a neighbor about her recklessness she gave the neighbors a one fingered salute. (He did witness this).

Each of the homes on this street are well maintained,her's included, forming a nice little enclave. Yet deep down there is one who "has a problem" or so  I am told. Rumor has it she is a nurse who works odd hours so her lack of visibility is job related. But late at night her car is found in one of her two drive ways, one on each side of the home. Occasionally, a flash of light can been seen, according to an eye witness.  It appears Nurse Whatever takes photos of cars parked at her curbside as well as those on the street. "And...?", I ask.

My partner in conversation informs me that these photos were presented to the town board, with dates and times, as well as other "documentation " that her driveway (which one?) was blocked causing her to miss work at the hospital. She feels she is being harassed by the neighbors on this otherwise quite street.

"Hmmmmm", I said," Anything else?"." Why yes", he states. There was that time when a neighbor's mother was being cared for by hospice.  The hospice care giver was an African American  who one day brought her teenage son along, allowing him to sit in the car listening to a NY Yankees game. While the Nurse Whatever saw a car parked in front of her home, one with this young man in the car ....yea, you guessed it, she called 911 claiming her home was being staked out for a possible home invasion. The responding officer must have recognized the address. He was calm, cool, and collected. He asked the young man what he was doing (listening to the Yankees waiting on his mother), and could he present ID which he politly did. A few moments later the young man's mother saw what was happening and.... she became outraged that this woman  called 911. The police officer calmed things down and...

So I ask, "but the signs, what about the signs?"...Oh, yeah the signs.

Town trucks arrived a little before noon. Dug a few holes in the curbside and place NO PARKING ANYTIME signs, the ones  complete with arrows which now effectively designate her property a NO PARKING ZONE. What??? How can that be???? My partner walked over to the juke box, deposited in the appropriate coinage, hit a button, smiled and walked out. A few moments later I heard Willie Nelson's beautiful voice singing..."Crazy"...jazzbus@gmail.com