Brennan finally retired. Finally. It was one of the best days of our lives, even though I had another decade or so of working at my job as a 911 operator. I didn’t mind, though. The extra money was always useful.
We had outgrown our neighborhood, which was getting more run-down by the moment. Too many welfare bums and other degenerates moving into the area. What was once an average neighborhood was now marred by graffiti, gang activity, boom car stereos, and God only knew what else.
House hunting would be much easier with Brennan around more often. We had a lot more money than we had nearly 30 years ago when we first met, which opened the door to more possibilities. I knew exactly what I wanted too. One of those modern two-story houses that weren’t too big but that would definitely provide more space than the house we were currently in. The boring 50-year-old tract house we were in now was only around 1000 square feet. I always loved those modern homes with stucco siding and Spanish tile roofs. At around 1500 square feet or maybe even a little more, it might be a bit more space than we needed, but I would rather have too much than too little. If we had a couple of extra bedrooms, one could always be a guest room while the other could be used for storage. Or maybe some kind of a hobby instead. I really liked to paint in my free time. Perhaps it could even be for our exercise equipment.
Together, Brennan and I browsed the houses for sale in nicer areas. I was surprised and also amused when I found a house we both liked and could afford that happened to be next to Nora Mills, of all people. I knew this because I was the curious type and would often look people up whom I had known in life to see what became of them.
My mind peeled back nearly 30 years ago to when I first moved to Hialeah from Wichita. Shortly before meeting Brennan, I started off in an apartment complex in which Nora was the manager. You could say that Nora and I had our problems. I had mixed emotions when I remembered them. I chuckled at the thought of some of them and even more so at the thought of us being neighbors all these years later. I would have to deny my identity if we ever did live next to each other. I’d only known Nora for less than a year, but I was good enough with people to know that she wouldn’t be the least bit happy to have me as a neighbor. She wasn’t the type to forget and move on. She was a very stern and controlling individual, and I could imagine the frustration she would feel knowing that I was right next door and there was nothing she could do about it.
Or could she? I guess that depended on who she knew in the neighborhood and what kind of connections she may have. Either way, we both loved the house listing and I wasn’t going to let anyone like her stand in the way. We were going to make an appointment to see the house as soon as we could.
“If the house looks as good in person as it does online, it really amuses me to think of living next to Nora if we get it,” I said to Brennan.
Brennan smiled knowingly. “I get you on that one, but we should probably avoid her as much as possible.”
“Yeah, maybe, even though I doubt she’d recognize me after all these years. It still wouldn’t hurt if we came up with aliases just to be safe. She never knew you, so you can stay Brennan, but maybe I’ll be… Oh, I don’t know. How about Jennifer? I always liked the name Jennifer. Sound good?”
Brennan shrugged. “If that’s what you want. Let’s just see if we can get the place first.”
The realtor emailed us back and we were on for an appointment the following morning to look at the house. I had trouble sleeping that night. First and foremost, I was excited to see the place and hoped it would be where we wanted to spend our golden years. I couldn’t help but giggle to myself at the thought of knowing that Nora would never know who I was. Did she need to, after all? Why not start with a clean slate if we were going to be neighbors? Nora didn’t exactly have the type of personality I was drawn to, so I didn’t really want to see much of her anyway. We all had our own lives to live and it wasn’t like we’d run into each other every time we came and went. We checked out the street on Google Maps and the front doors had to be close to 100 feet apart, which meant we weren’t going to be close enough to see much to begin with.
I finally fell asleep that night and dreamed of the past. I saw myself stressed out, knowing I would have to get rid of my beloved cat or else be evicted. Then, oddly enough, falling for the bitch that was making my life hell on top of my financial struggles, my loneliness, and my predictably noisy neighbors.
Her eyes, her body, her mannerisms, her voice. There was just something about her. But why, regardless of her appearance, was she picking on me? Was there something about me, in particular, she had a problem with?
I woke up the following morning after having a dream where I was discussing all the reasons why Nora Mills could possibly have it in for me with a nameless, faceless being.
I got up, greeted Brennan with a warm hug, and fetched my coffee. The anticipation of seeing the house made me wake up quickly. I really hoped we would like it. Nora may be just an afterthought, but she was definitely a funny one. I wasn’t sure why, but the thought of living right under her nose amused me. I realized, however, that if we weren’t careful and she found out who I was, there might be ways she could make our lives unpleasant.
No! I wouldn’t let her. We wouldn’t let her. I was now a married woman in a house she had no control over, whether or not it ended up next to hers. Not alone in an apartment complex she managed and ruled over like a mean God.
We ate a quick breakfast and were out the door and on the way to the house. The realtor would likely already be there.
But she wasn’t. We noticed this as soon as we pulled up to the house and found no other vehicle present.
Brennan decided to park our blue sedan on the street. We exited the car and gazed at the house.
“It’s gorgeous!” I said.
“It is,” Brennan agreed.
The house was on a corner lot, so if we ended up living here, Nora would be our only neighbor.
My gaze shifted to Nora’s house. Just like the house we were to see, its yard was well-kept. By the front door stood a religious statue of a praying angel holding a rosary. I wasn’t surprised. Nora was the type to be religious, in my opinion. I knew what that likely meant, too.
Brennan followed my gaze.
“Remember, I’m Jennifer,” I told him.
“Got it.”
We waited, pacing up and down the driveway after circling the house.
Then a white sporty car pulled into the driveway next door and I knew right away, based on the profile that I could make out, it was Nora. Her straight shoulder-length blond hair bobbed as her head swung in our direction. We watched in silence as she pulled into the garage. I expected the garage door to close and for her to enter her house through the garage, but she didn’t. Instead, the garage door closed as she stepped out of it and then headed toward us.
I felt my heart rate quicken a bit as I watched her approach. She still dressed conservatively, yet stylishly. The tall, slender woman wore an off-white pantsuit with beige flats. Instead of side bangs, she now had a middle part. As I studied her, I thought that she could pass for Jennifer Aniston’s sister.
“Hello,” I called out.
“Hello,” she said back. “Looking at the house?”
“Yes, we are,” said Brennan. “The realtor said she’d be here, but I guess she’s running late.”
“Oh, that happens at times. I’m Nora, by the way.”
“Brennan,” he said, extending a hand to Nora, “And this is my wife, Jennifer.”
Glad Brennan hadn’t slipped up, I offered my hand to Nora next. If she recognized me, she didn’t show it.
Before anyone could say more, the realtor pulled into the driveway. Nora said goodbye and headed for her place.
An older stout lady with a waddle-like walk exited her gold SUV and apologized profusely for being late.
“Oh, that’s alright,” we assured her.
“Hit some unexpected construction along the way.”
“We know what that’s like,” said Brennan.
I studied the woman before me. She wore a blue paisley shirt with navy pants. Her lightly graying hair was short and wavy. Her dark eyes fixed on my green ones and she asked, “Excited to see the house?”
“Sure am,” I said with a smile.
And even more so now that I was pretty sure Nora didn’t know who I was. Wouldn’t she have at least told me I looked familiar if she thought she recognized me, or maybe even asked if we’d met before? But the fact that she hadn’t said anything made me think I could remain anonymous, or better yet, as Jennifer.
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