22 October 2009

Old and Odd

My girlfriend has a stalker. And, boy is that irritating!

We live in a neighborhood with a pretty decent number of people like us. Our next door neighbor is a big ol’ gay man with a stable of pretty boys. Around the corner are a couple of lesbian couples, and down the block is a great combination of two gay men with kids and two lesbians with kids who live next door to each other and share yards and toys. There are more than that but those are the ones I see the most.

For a while, the guy next door had an older lesbian living in the house with him. He travels a lot and she was a sort of housekeeper/pet sitter for him. Apparently they have been friends for years and have lived with this kind of arrangement before. Joan has since moved to a different house in the neighborhood but we still see her over there.

Because we live in the city, our yards are visible from the neighboring houses. So, anytime they are at their kitchen sink, they are looking into our back yard. Last summer T and I built a deck. They watched the progress with neighborly interest and would wave occasionally or holler out, “Looks good!” That’s fine. A little encouragement is friendly. Eventually though, it became intrusive. Joan began making a habit of offering unsolicited advice.

After finishing the deck, T started on a landscaping project. She would be on her hands and knees laying a brick pathway and every time she turned around, there was Joan, watching her from the window. If T went out to mow the grass in the front, out came Joan to walk her dogs. When there are neighborhood functions, she’ll be standing apart, scanning the crowd, until T shows up and then she makes a bee line over to say hi. Creepy.

Now, I know that my girlfriend is attractive and that she has a personality that draws people to her. All of her clients adore her. Sometimes they are irritating with it, like when they call repeatedly to ask her advice about paint, or to change their minds about a remodel. Mostly though, they respect her privacy. Except Joan.

T was next door working on a project last month when Joan and Rick arrived. They chatted for a few minutes and T mentioned that we had won tickets to see Bonnie Raitt. Joan, of course, LOVES Bonnie Raitt and would LOVE to go to the concert! T said something like, oh, too bad it’s sold out. You think that stopped her? Hell no! She was on Craigslist that day and got tickets.

When we were in line waiting to get into the venue here came Joan walking to the end of the line and searching for T. As soon as she saw us, she called out and came over to stand next to us. T was beyond irritated. In fact, we left the line and went to drink a beer in one of the bars rather than wait in the blazing sun with the crazy old broad. It’s open seating at the Edgefield and we made sure that we couldn’t see her anywhere when we sat down. At the intermission, we went to smoke a cigarette with some friends and were standing away from the crowd behind some trees. Surprise, surprise, here comes Joan, looking for T! She’s not a smoker so she doesn’t need to be standing around with all the reprobates. She must have realized that there was no good reason for her to be there because she turned around and left.

And me? I’m not sure she remembers my name. I know she thinks I’m not good enough for T. When I see her in the grocery store she doesn’t say hi, she asks me what T is working on now. Tells me how lucky I am to have such a hard working and productive partner, and so attractive too! Wow. Really? You think you need to school me in how to appreciate my partner? Fuck the hell off, bitch.

I’m glad she isn’t living next door anymore, but she is still in the neighborhood. I swear she only walks her dogs on our street, our block even. It’s pretty annoying but hopefully that’s as escalated as it will get.

9 comments:

Murray said...

Good luck with that. I have had some experience with difficult neighbors.

When we first moved into our house several years ago we had a similar problem with our neighbors - a husband and wife. They were nice enough at first, but they just seemed too chummy for me. I couldn't figure out their angle and they were the type that would expect you to drop everything if they came over. And they came over A LOT and they wanted us to come over to their house A LOT. My partner AJ is more outgoing than me and didn't see it as a problem. Then this couple started telling AJ I was bitchy when I would say I would rather stay home and not go over to their house to visit. They would tell AJ she should just come over to their house without me, which she did sometimes, but then they would make snide comments a few days later about my not being there. They seemed to be trying to get between AJ and me and I found the whole situation very upsetting. AJ kept saying that I was overreacting and they were just trying to be friends. It was the worst time, I think, in our relationship because I couldn't make her understand why I didn't feel comfortable around them. I started to feel like we were being stalked and that we had to hide in our own house. It took awhile, but finally AJ started seeing what was going on and they backed off. We had to get rather rude, though, before they finally took the hint. They are still neighbors, but fortunately they had found other interests and they are not as pushy as they used to be.

8thday said...

That is really creepy. If you think it might develop into something serious, you should speak to stalker person now, tell her that her behavior is making you uncomfortable and document all the creepiness. That way, if it does escalate, you will have a record to file for harassment.

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with some people that they don't get repeated hints that they are being intrusive? It's so frustrating. If it continues, I have to agree with 8thday, say something to her. Certain people require that extra step.

e said...

At firt we joked about it, but now we're both uncomfortable with the situation. I think I will document what's been happening. Just in case.

If it goes any further I'll definitely have to say something to her. We will have to say something to her...

GrumpyGranny said...

Wow, that is creepy. I guess you could chalk it up to someone being lonely and wanting company, but since she obviously has no "use" for you and is focused on T, I would agree that documentation, while a pain, would not be a bad thing. Hopefully, someone new will move in and capture her attention!

Good luck!

GG

Jen said...

Jeez, sounds like a very uncomfortable situation. Documenting is a good idea at this point. Good luck!

eb said...

Yeah, you need to say something if it keeps up. Having said, that, I totally want to see a picture of T. I promise not to stalk.

Anonymous said...

I love women but when they are intense and weird they are b effing yond intense and weird. yuck

* said...

That is totally intrusive.
And disrespectful to you and your relationship.

Oh hi...new reader btw.

:-)