A Short Journey-or Two

Noisy Neighbours (Version 2)

For a time as a student I was renting out a smaller apartment in what felt like it should have been a retirement community by the looks of it. A dormitory would be more fitting, if we are going to classify it. Along with all the classic rustic fittings that an apartment affordable for a student might include, of course-A noisy neighbour. In hindsight-it could have been worse.

A student needs many things in life, among the list an important one being sleep (when they can afford the time to do so). Sleep was that treat on a Saturday night when a students has finished maintaining a social life and caught up on enough work to justify going to bed before 11:30pm. My parents suggested a dog or a cat to help warm/liven the apartment up. I opted for a fish once, was pretty decent at maintaining it and prettying up the tank space. However, after a tragic from sink to toilet bowl spill-I decided the more humane thing to do was to not have an animal in my care.

Being a student and someone who generally doesn't go out of their way to meet new people, I didn't get to know my neighbours, at least not until it was too late. When I first moved into the place, I was often so occupied into the wee hours of morning (likely being the noisy neighbour), that I really didn't notice any noise. I picked up a job for a few months on campus working at an after hours diner followed by a relationship that didn't really warrant me to be at my own place all the time.

Months have gone by and I had been settling into a new routine, part time work in the afternoon-less work to complete for classes and a holiday. For the holiday, I had made the goal to do something special for myself, "I am going to get some, real sleep!" I had now been able to take care of what ever responsibilities to hit the sheets around 10pm (when I stayed up to watch a film). I really liked being able to get up before sun rise, go for a walkabout or run, still having time to enjoy the sunrise over coffee and eggs.

Once holiday began I buckled into the routine and sure it took a day or two to actually fall asleep early, often I would help the sleep along with headphones and just sort of sing myself to sleep, but eventually it worked out. I enjoyed that first night of real rest (no headphones, and no television) until

about 11pm when in the silence of rest, my eyes shot open. Tucked into bed, and now hearing the apartment fill with what was seemingly a drowned piano, I looked up. Wide-eyed, I turned over to check the time. I can remember being so angry and embarrassed at the same time. Thinking back to the times I may have likely been the noisy neighbour, I remained tucked in bed. The noise of the piano was short lived actually. I was surprised, and nestled myself back into the cove of the mattress. I closed my eyes and off I was dreaming about-dancing sugar plums? Ya.

I woke up at 5 AM as the alarm went off. Not the worst night of sleep after I woke up and eventually back asleep, but also not good enough for me to warrant fighting my eyelids for the sunrise. I'm not kidding anyone anyway, classes were on a hiatus due to holiday, there was nothing to do but develop a somewhat normal routine anyways.

I felt that same joy of that first night, being tucked in-ready to shut my eyes. Ready to sleep, real rest (no headphones, and no television) until about 11pm-again when in the silence of rest obstructed by the random gentle tinkling of keys from the apartment above, and then repeated again. For the next 30 minutes I lied in bed debating until I finally decided to put in my headphones and sing myself to sleep.

My eyes shot open, the sun was high beaming my bedroom window. I jumped out of bed, and continued on with my day. Late breakfast, workout, late lunch, socializing and then dinner. I got home a bit later than 10 PM but early enough that I could hit the sheets-except this time I sat my baseball bat beside the bed, I'm short, but the baseball bat gives me just enough length to use controllable force and gently tap the ceiling to alert my neighbours that its bloody late and I want to sleep.