Tuesday, February 17, 2009

RETURN POLICY

 SHADOWED MOTHER
I was talking with a friend in my front yard today, when a stranger came down the driveway.
She wanted to know if at least one of us lived here. I acknowledged that I did, said goodbye to my friend, &
turned to her to ask what, if anything, I could help her with.
She told me she was visiting her sister-in-law next door, who was ill, & was offering the outdoor deck plants to me if I wanted them.
We went through the side yard gate & went to my neighbors place, a lady I had never seen. She introduced me to her husband, a very nice man, & we discussed what they wanted me to remove.
The lady of the house, my neighbor, came out & after introductions all around, we went indoors as she was offering that I take more items. I told her that I could take the plants with my truck & some of my workers on Thursday, if that was fine with her.
She then asked me if I liked "figurines". She brought one over & I was a little surprised as she handed it to me, & told me I could have all of them.
There were many assorted carvings & busts around the place. She went off to answer the phone & I talked with her brother & sister-in-law, till she returned. At that point, a man walked in & wanted to know what was going on, & what I was doing there.
I then recognized him, as a man who rents a room, below the lady`s house.
I had talked to him over the lower yard fence about removing a large tree limb that had broken off of one of the boundary trees & was straddling the property line. I did remove it at that time.
He was a little obnoxious, but I brushed it off.
The lady of the house, noticing the uncomfortable haze of rudeness, asked me quietly for my phone number, & that she would call me in a while.
Half an hour later, she called & wanted to meet me in the side yard to give me something. I told her it was not necessary but she insisted. I didn`t really understand the "why" of this gift.
I went to meet her, & she handed me the bust she had shown me earlier. As we talked, again, the man who had interjected himself into the group inside the house, showed up, and asked what was going on.
She told him she was giving me a gift, & that she would talk to him later.
Since we had been introduced in her house earlier, he was using my name when addressing me. He then told me to give the bust back to the lady, & that I was being irrational.
I told him I could easily explain what irrational meant, & that ordering me to give back a gift from a third party, would be part of the explanation process.
He then said that he meant she was being irrational, & not me, again using my name. He said he did not even know me.
I told him that since he did not know me, he was to only address me as "Sir" from that moment on.
I left.
Tomorrow, I`ll conclude with what hopefully will be the end of this little tale, although, trust me, it is not very nice.
I must tell you though, that no one came to any harm, physically.
I took a few shots of the bust, a carving in some exotic wood from somewhere in the orient.
Have a nice day, & remember, I`m always available to help strangers in need.

17 comments:

AndiF said...

Interesting times, Head -- it's like some soap opera story. I'll stayed tuned for the next episode of As the World Churns.

And interesting statue. Some of us were never that perky. :)

Anonymous said...

The wooden statue is beautifully accentuated by the headdress & flowing, wavy hair. Your neighbor is aware of how much you would appreciate it. It is unfortunate that there is this other element occurring.
My daughter had done a wood carving of a female torso (slightly larger than life size). It was quite lovely with the wood grains accentuating the body parts.

dada said...

interesting neighbours you have head. perhaps the boarder has his own agenda, eh.

the piece itself is very lovely, it looks very indian to me. it would be interesting to inquire about the story behind it, given the opportunity.

Nancy P said...

Sounds like the start of a mystery novel.

Knucklehead said...

AndiF, Ms. NDD, dada, & NancyP,
I may never divulge the rest of the story, but only that it ended tragically with her taking her life today.
I just returned from a quick trip up the coast & returned to find the lady`s brother, his wife, & the tenant on the street waiting for the coroner who is now next door.
The brother & his wife, will be over in a while.
I just had a long talk with them separately & together.
Karma will be arriving later & believe.

Anonymous said...

Peace to all.

Knucklehead said...

Ms. NDD,
Amen



Thank you for reminding me.

olivia said...

Oh no!! I'm so sorry Head.

masslass said...

Oh head... so very sorry to hear this
sad ending to such a strange story.
Here's hoping that 'justice' visits
your neighborhood...

Knucklehead said...

Olivia,
When I returned today, Teri was away visiting friends & I had no chance to talk to her about the turn of today`s events.
Before she left, but after I had gone, she was cleaning the yard of dog droppings, presents from another neighbor`s incontinent dog.
At 10:19 AM "BAM", a gunshot. Dismissing a sudden thought of what ultimately, had happened, she wondered if some person down canyon was shooting at wildlife, something she abhors.

When I heard her car arrive this afternoon, I went out to help with any possible purchases.
The family of the deceased who I had invited over earlier, had just finished telling her. She was upset that she had heard the instant of death of our neighbor, a mere 30 feet away.
She`s cool with it now, the pragmatic she is.
Me, not so much, that she`d heard that. I`m sort of protective.
Thank you.

Knucklehead said...

masslass,
I`ve already begun to hear the fearful cries, of one, upon whom the shroud of Karma, has begun to flutter over & envelope.

Justice does not visit, justice, is.

I do though, know absolutely what you mean, as long as it isn`t something that skulks about in the dark, exacting blood for blood.
I am a man of peace who has, in the past, occasionally allowed myself to think I was, the justice, but I strive to continually grow younger, & back to when I was an innocent.



On a more humorous note, I sometimes feel I`m on that course, when I find myself fantasizing about breast feeding

AndiF said...

Sorry for the sad turn of events, Head.

masslass said...

head ~

How about some kickass karma visiting
your neighborhood...

Any update?

Sending calming peaceful thoughts.

Knucklehead said...

AndiF,
Thank You,
I`ll be back in a few days.

Unknown said...

So sorry, KH. That poor woman.

Hope to see you around again soon...

Anonymous said...

Hey Tony,

Awhile back I saw that you weren't posting on a regular basis anymore & I stopped going to your blog. But now I see you're up & runnin' again & that's cool! Things are cool here. Hope you & Teri are doing well. I'll e-mail you & get y'all up to date on the "island scene" he, he. Take care...

...Tatudave

P.S. Keep Coconut away from the buttons & butts!!!

Anonymous said...

O! head!!!
what a situation....
djeeze.

i'm sorry i'm so late to the update.
i've been a sick lil girl for awhile.

i guess by now you & ms.head have things more or less under control...

i'm glad your neighbor felt so assured of you to turn to you...& that her family honoured her wishes.
& i'm glad your neighbor found her peace....
♥~

RiaD