3 women share stories of a difficult neighbor

Neighbors. When you live so close to someone else, you become a part of their life — from sharing in their simchahs to borrowing a cup of sugar to knowing their daily schedule. But what happens when your neighbor is spiteful, demanding, or can’t respect your boundaries? Three women share their story of a difficult neighbor

The Friend across the Street

Three days after my husband and I moved into our beautiful house in the Five Towns, I met my neighbor Shaina. The kids were in school, my husband was at work, and I was at home unpacking boxes when the doorbell rang.

A woman in a blonde sheitel was at the door. “Hello!” she said with a big smile, holding up a lemon bundt cake. “I’m Shaina. Your neighbor across the street. I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood!”

“This is so nice of you!” I exclaimed, taking the cake from her. “Please come in and have a cup of coffee. I’ve been hoping to meet some of our neighbors.”

I invited her into my kitchen, and we sat at the table with coffee and her delicious cake. “If you have any questions about anything, let me know,” Shaina said. “I’ve been here for five years already, so I know everything about shuls, schools, babysitters. Anything you need to know.”

We chatted for half an hour, and when she got up to leave, we exchanged phone numbers. “I go for a walk every morning if you want to join me one time,” Shaina offered.

“I’d love that!” I squealed. “That would be amazing!”

Later that night, I told my husband all about Shaina. “She’s so smart and nice and put together! We’re both stay-at-home moms and have so much in common. I’m so happy we moved here. I think we’re going to be friends.”

“Great,” he replied, looking up from his sefer. “Glad it’s working out for you so quickly.”

I went walking with Shaina the next morning. I had a lot of fun and got some good exercise to start the day.

Soon enough, Shaina and I were walking together every morning. Along the way, we became more than neighbors. We became close friends. We confided in each other and talked about everything — problems with kids, marital stressors, the difficulty in taking care of our elderly parents.