Louise is a hoot! The homeowner comes almost daily to visit with us, shoot the breeze and express her gratitude. Often this is at lunch where she will grab one of the bag lunches and eat with us on her front steps. We often laugh along with her as she tells stories. Her parents bought the house in 1938 and she and her sister were raised here. Except for 4 years, she has spent her entire life at 20 Sovereign, raising her son, Johnny there.. They now share an apartment on the third floor.
Growing up this was a different neighborhood...everyone knew everyone and looked after each other. If her mother wasn't home when she and her sister came home from school, they would go down the block to a neighbor lady who kept cookies on hand specially for them. Nowadays many of the houses on her block are owned by absentee landlords. Tenants come and go. Not so many people hang out on the front steps and if you overhear conversations, it is just as likely to be Spanish you hear, as English. But where Louise is wrong is that some of her neighbors really do know her. The other day Daryl explained to a curious neighbor across the street who we were and what we are doing. His response in accented English was that "it was good since Louise didn't have anyone."
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