The aspect Teddy most appreciated about the place he lived was knowing he could randomly choose a day from the last hundreds of thousands of years ("or as far as I know it might be millions, no big deal to me either way") and except for the flora and maybe one or two distant houses, the basic layout would be recognizable then as now. Had photography been a thing in 2000 BC he could look at a landscape photograph from this scene and say, pointing, "that's a different row of trees on that hill, but my house sits approximately here. Elk and deer gather over in that space come wintertime. Timeless landscape. Yep, it suits me about perfect, living where the landscape remains basically the same."
A winnable wager was not out of the question if the photograph came from the dinosaur age. "We've no stegosauruses lounging in our front yard, eating up our fruit trees, but I know that horizon and the clouds like I know my wife's tone of voice when she hands me a loving, well-meaning, rebuke for not mopping up a few drops of spilled coffee or juice." And even if primitive peoples hung around this area, "doesn't look like they were too interested in building empires" or they were conscientious about picking up after themselves (a quality Teddy's wife, Dinah, would suggest he take note of).
Many a morning as he engaged in what had become a ritual of greeting the dawn with a cup of hot black coffee, he remembered to attentively note something like, "maybe my choices in this life were sometimes not the best, but bringing my then-new wife and then-newer daughter to this setting... I believe I deserve credit for making at least one winning decision. And you just can't beat this meditative, poetic, view. If I ever begin to let news of how crazy the world is getting, letting it pull my soul into a sour mood, may I remember how blessed I am to come out to this porch and just bask in the timeless landscape, getting to let mind and spirit freely meander thanks to the sweet gift of solitude. May this truth offer aid in nipping a bud before making my generally cheerful mood too sour for anyone's preference."
It will likely be little surprise that the above sentimental expression was on the verge of abrupt change, otherwise this tale about to unfold would have little reason to begin existence.
This abrupt change came in the form of a bulldozer.
Teddy thought he heard something while fixing his coffee. Something foreign. Distant clank and squeak unique to machinery, introduced by sputtering burps in triplets.
Gave that foreign sound little more thought until he went out to the porch for his ritual. There and then given the answer for the source of that abrupt sputtering burp: bulldozer. Bulldozer in the distance, though not all that distant -- far enough to obscure the operator's physical details to the point of giving the illusion the bulldozer was its own conscious entity or operated via remote control technology. Close enough for the sound to rain crude crank and grind on what until this morning had been quietude often speckled (especially come spring) with early-rising songbird notes.
This sudden reality threw Teddy into a mental space of feeling trapped between invader and home. Being forced to see the last thing he would want to see utterly wiped out the joy of proceeding with his morning ritual of coffee, quietude, and contemplative thought. Yet to return inside the house... no, this was his personal time. He might go so far as to use the word Sacred. The bulldozer must not win. Said he would ignore the bulldozer. Have his coffee and contemplation as always. But the bulldozer was winning. No contemplation; coffee went cold. Only able to stand staring in disbelief; seeing all he loved about that timeless view get slowly, tortuously, ripped, eaten...dare he say raped. And there was nothing he could do about it.
Telltale sounds from within the house informed him his wife Dinah was up and about and this brought his head back to the present. She would listen. She would soothe. An ally in his angst. So for the first time since beginning his morning porch and coffee ritual some years ago, he reentered the house not to fetch a refill but to seek a wife's sympathetic shoulder. Made a slightly bleary-eyed way to the kitchen, where indeed his Dinah had just taken her seat at the table. Morning greetings and smooches. Teddy with his freshened coffee, leaning against the counter. Observant type she was, Dinah would have to detect something was off with Teddy. Waited for her to ask but she did not. Exaggerated a sigh meant to send a signal of discontent. Muttered a cuss word. Still she did not ask why he was in this kind of mood on such a sweet morning.
Teddy not seeing that Dinah had entered her own world of thought, maybe hoping Teddy would be the one to ask what was on her mind. So he saw little other choice but to blurt, "you see what's going on out there?"
Gestured with the cup.
A touch of irritation expressed in a slight frown, Dinah answered, "No. I've not been outside yet. What's happening out there?"
"You don't hear it?"
Dinah cocked her head. No she didn't hear anything; not out of the ordinary at least.
"I hear the refrigerator hum. Gurgle from the coffee maker. Sounds like Sandra is in the bathroom. Nothing from outside. Oh wait, maybe a sparrow or two."
Teddy also listened anew and heard nothing. Except a sparrow or two. Sandra up and about; sounds from the upstairs bathroom. Of course. Bulldozer operator taking a brief break.
"Must be paused. It'll start up again, if you care to wait, listen, you should hear the clank of a bulldozer out there."
"Oh. Bulldozer. And what is the bulldozer doing?"
"Ripping up the ground. Obliterating that... that beautiful...my favorite..."
"Ohhhh." Dinah gave the side of her head the kind of light tap when suddenly remembering something. "Didn't I tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"Hm I guess I didn't tell you. That land got sold. Couple months ago. Broken into parcels. Going to be like a dozen, two dozen, houses. Nice houses. Upper income residential area."
"What?!"
"Might be a couple years before it's all done, but that's the plan. Not much we can do about it. Teddy? I was just remembering--"
Teddy wilted like a punctured blow-up doll.
"So we will be having neighbors?"
"One would think so. Oh the horror. Listen. Teddy? I've been remembering, last night, this morning, remembering the fun we started to explore before--"
