Hey if you are reading these and like them vote already sheesh you lazy bones. :p
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I admit it, when I opened the door I expected to see bats or wild dogs charging out the door. Instead the inside is clean, the carpet is a little threadbare and the kitchen is poorly designed, but it is enough. Not like I need a lot of plugs, toaster and microwave are plenty for me. Tony groans behind me making me turn and collect the top box that is falling. Our little Melanie wobbling past making bat noises, I sigh regretting saying it looks bat infested. In my defense the outside does look terrible, along with most of the houses on the street, some are of course falling down so it is a step up.
"So do you think Detroit is bad enough?" Tony asks setting the box I'm not holding in the kitchen.
"Tony, if this place gets any worse it would be better to bomb it and let the plants reclaim the area."
"I do live here you know, it's actually on an upswing should have seen it a few years ago, everything was closing it seemed." Our mover Frank says hauling in our TV on a dolly.
"We do as well now, please tell me the schools here are good at least, our daughter may get old enough before we move on."
"Oh now you remember the report I got, we move to each city for six months while Jaguar gets the police on a big upswing then move on." Tony says giving me a hug.
"Be careful with your daughter you got sent to one of the absolute worst areas, there are wild dogs roaming here still. They are crafty fuckers, excuse my language, fences don't seem to deter them for long." Frank says on his way out the door.
I take Melanie on a tour of the house while Tony overseas the moving in of the living room. I suppose it is our dining room again, I do miss our apartment the only thing we had to worry about was pigeons roosting. The bathroom is not terribly nice, clean enough just a green not seen in nature except on plants that are dying. The bedrooms are large enough at least Melanie lays claim on the master bedroom until she see's the closet and runs out. Tony comes in carrying Melanie consoling her to look at the closet, he grins seeing the metal sliding doors.
"Well I guess we are keeping the master bedroom, come on Melanie the other bedroom has a regular door closet."
I follow them to the other bedroom that does indeed have a regular door closet. Melanie instantly laying claim to this bedroom, Frank comes in laughing with her toy box followed by the other two with her bed. Melanie quite happy now in her barely moved in room Tony and I go out to the living room. While he directs the movers I go outside darting out then around Frank with our big chair.
Looking around I see two guys, barely guys unless their smell is clouded heavily in a strange chemical watching. I realize we have a neighbor an older dark skinned woman is sitting on her porch watching with a dark skinned girl of maybe six. I take an empty doorway moment to tell Tony we have neighbors before walking over on the sidewalk.
"Well hello to you both, we were told there were no neighbors." I say getting close to them and holding out my hand.
"Well hello back." The girl says to me after looking at the older woman who nods.
"Neighbors or not greatly depends on when you were told, we only officially moved in two weeks ago. We were in the projects and the city offered us a house out here seeing as how Jaguar was coming and they wanted more people in the bad sections to call the police. This sprightly little girl here is my granddaughter Steffi, I am Anna." Anna says holding out her hand to me.
"Pleasure to meet you both, I am Emap, I'd offer to have you over but we are just moving in now. Say Sunday is coming up we have a barbeque every Sunday cheeseburgers and chili cheese dogs you are both welcome to come over." I say shaking her hand.
"Lord have mercy chili cheese dogs, I have not had one of those since I visited Coney Island in the sixties. We would be very happy to attend, is there anything you would like us to bring?"
"Just a couple hungry mouths is all." Tony says at my shoulder.
"Tony respect Anna's lawn there is a sidewalk for a reason." I say hitting him on the shoulder.
"Oh now don't you worry none about my lawn, it's not even a lawn just crab grass." Anna says with a laugh.
"We are getting a crew in a couple days, the city has promised to get us a regular lawn. I'm sure they will do your lawn as well and we would be happy to mow it for you." I say getting Tony to groan.
"I will be happy to mow it for you she tried mowing in Phoenix that didn't go over well."
"Tony they never said it was artistically grown grass, they just said I could mow it. Oh I should ask in case of allergies, I make ambrosia with honey in the whipped cream. Our last neighbors insisted on bringing Cole Slaw, it was strange tasting never did get the recipe for their version."
"Well in that case I shall insist on bringing potato salad, my grandmother made ambrosia like you do and it was heavenly, I don't have the hands to do that anymore but I can make a right tasty tater salad." Anna says smiling at me.
"Oh that sounds lovely, we just buy it I'm stuck on making ambrosia. It was what my mom had me doing when I was growing up. I wish we had better plugs, the wiring in our house looks old."
"Oh that's because all of these houses were built in the seventies when the car companies were expanding and getting more workers. They at least remembered how to make cars then. The guy who signed us up to move out here promised we would get electricians to come through and upgrade all of the houses we move into. I'm not holding my breath and making do until then. Oh that reminds me don't plug your microwave in unless everything else is off in the kitchen, we blew the fuse twice. At least the fridge and stove are on different fuses."
"Oh thank you for telling us that, Tony did they say when the electricians would be out?"
"No, they did not, we got a vague there will be electricians, I think we better call an independent and see what he says."
"If you could have him check ours as well, all we need is better lines for a microwave. We don't have much just a small TV and a radio. I also think you need to be careful, those kids over there are spotters for a gang that was a big TV and computer unless my eyes are deceiving me." Anna says leaning closer like they could hear us from way over there.
I listen in on the two, they are talking about a TV and making a call and telling someone our address. I look at Tony he sighs then nods so I turn back to Anna.
"Well it seems you are correct, they are calling in our address to someone. I'd like to formally proposition you for a job we need someone to watch over our Melanie at night, she's too old to ride in the car all night. Free access to our internet as soon as they come put it in along with cable and an Xbox, oh say twenty a night." Tony groans then pokes me.
