The Neighbors

Chapter One- Nora

There is something overlooked about cluttered homes. Those halls filled to the brim with books, rugs, picture frames, and little knick-knacks. Used mugs on the coffee table tell a story to those willing to listen. The scattered toys on the ground and dead flowers by the window say more than a thousand pictures. These artifacts of living breathe life into a house. Nora, like most mothers, does not see it this way.

"I just vacuumed, can you please get a plate?" her tone tiptoes the line between warning and begging.

"I gotta go," her husband chews and every crumb that hits the floor as he wipes his lips on his sleeve has a matching vein on her throbbing forehead.

She holds her breath until she hears the front door close and then takes out the mini vacuum.

"Kids, let's go!" she yells after she is done.

Bella and Ben, Nora's sweet fourteen year old babies, are twins. They stumble down the stairs in quiet chaos, collecting their belongings from the surfaces as they find them. A laptop here, some lip balm there, notebooks on the floor and shoes on the table. Their sweet faces she knows so well are squinty from sleep, but they are both well dressed and managed to squeeze in greeting between yawns.

"Morning, mom," Ben mumbles as he plops on the kitchen table. "Can I have some coffee?"

"Here, and Bella, here is your tea." Nora says handing them both piping mugs and setting the plates of eggs and pancakes down.

"Thanks, mom," Bella squeaks, eyes glued to her phone, illuminated by the screen.

"I'm gonna let Max out to the back porch. You guys have fifteen minutes." Nora says and she takes her own mug to the back door.

The back porch is enclosed by a screen and it holds Max the cat's sanctuary. There are four cat trees, two litter boxes, heated cat pads, and toys galore. Nora has given up on this part of the house except for her armchair on the opposite corner. It is the perfect reading, meditation, journaling, I need some time alone spot. She puts her mug down on the unsteady side table and lets the yellow velvet absorb her body.

A sip of coffee is one of life's little miracles, she thinks. Feeling the caffeine instantaneously warms her frontal lobe. She exhales a deep sigh and begins to map out her plans for the day. When Nora closes her eyes, her mind's like a white board. She can see it clearly and things can either be added or erased with the ease of well of a real white board. Maybe the years in university hardwired her brain to study on the go. Maybe her anxiety meds aren't strong enough. Whatever it is, she takes private morning time everyday to jot down all the due dates. She has just written January 15th in big letters when her ears force her eyes open. The loud beeping of a truck backing up jolts her out of her state.

"What is that?" she thinks knowing exactly what the noise is. But in her suburban street no trucks are even allowed to deliver furniture without prior clearance with the neighborhood club.

The twins are gathered by the windows, shoes on the couch, watching the commotion.

"New neighbors?" Ben grunts in an attempt to hide his curiosity.

"I didn't even know that house was for sale," Bella mutters.

"That's because you don't notice anything," Ben retorted.

"What?"

"Ben," Nora reprimanded as she tried to get a better glimpse through the slit in the blinds.

"Not since Jeremy Sawyer started asking you for homework help," Ben pressed on. The response was immediate, a pillow to the face that very nearly toppled his mug onto the couch.

"Benjamin Davis if you spill a single drop of that I will be expecting a whole new couch." Nora said, taking a deep breath.

"But Bella threw it at me!"

"He started it!" Bella yelled out.

"Enough, we are going to be late. I am going to wait in the car, if you guys aren't in it in the next five minutes God help me!" She said and both loving teens sprang off the couch to finish off their necessities.

Nora stomped to the front door and almost walked out with her bangs in her night roller, she caught a glimpse of her reflection of the hall mirror and yanked it off neatly. Sporting one of her raggedy pajama pants and a stained tank top she marched to her car. The U-haul pulled into the entryway of the opposite house and furniture seemed to spill out of it in a never ending stream of movers. From the safety of the driver's seat of her Subaru, Nora saw a lot of nice things she had liked on Instagram and furniture magazines. Ornate gold mirrors, green velvet couches, bookcases galore, as well as a few small decoration items too tightly wrapped to identify. She did not, however get a look at her actual new neighbors.

"I'm here! I call shotgun!" Bella huffed as she clambered into the car. She threw her backpack into the backseat just as her brother opened the door, brushing him on the head.

"Ouch!" Ben yelled. "Mom! Did you see that?"

"It barely even touched you!" Bella screamed back.

"Another great morning," Nora mumbled as she backed out of the parking spot, feeling a migraine forming as the yapping continued.

The twins liked to be dropped off a block away from their high school. It allowed Nora to skip the drop off line so she never jabbed at them for being embarrassed of her. Part of her never asked because she wasn't sure she'd want to know. They kissed her forehead like they had done for the past ten years and then spilled onto the sidewalk. She drove off watching them walk to school, untied laces and smiling. She was glad her children liked one another and that they liked her. Ben confided information everyday while Bella was more reserved except for an never ending stream of videos and funny posts she'd send Nora throughout the day. Freshman year was a fresh battle, Nora hated her high school years and anticipated her kids would as well. But now it had been two months and they had yet to complain. Most of their friends moved along with them from the early elementary days and weekends were bustling with events, games, or studying.

At the red stoplight Nora pulled out her phone to check her to-do list. It was a Monday, a day she reserved to get the rest of the week in order. Her errands included grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, and cooking. Nora hated cooking. It was the task she most struggled with when she became a mother. It went from a hobby to a required chore, everyday a new dish served for her family. It became especially troublesome once she stopped working since it caused her husband, Nick, to expect better meals. He never said so out loud but she could read his expressions. Homemaking as a whole was a tireless cycle she could not dwell on for too long or else she'd feel the twinges of shame. She had been someone important. She had been someone who had skills and could cause a change. Her kids were important too, so was her home, her marriage. A honk brought her back to reality and she pushed down on the pedal. Thoughts like these never helped. Nick had told her to look for a therapist, that she just needed someone to talk about these silly notions in order to free her mind. Nora held her tongue instead of asking why he couldn't listen to her.

"Milk, bread, chicken, rice, bell peppers, cereal, garlic, mustard, ground beef" Nora's voice trailed off as she went over the items in her cart. That's when she saw her new neighbor checking the fresh produce. Nora pushed her cart nearer, creeping for reasons she didn't really understand. By no means the friendliest person in town but also not a wild animal, Nora felt weirdly shamed by her sneaky demeanor, but she couldn't help it.

The new neighbor was on the phone with someone seven feet ahead of her squeezing the avocados. She had thick brown hair that seemed to fall perfectly in loose curls. Her skin was tan and her nails perfectly manicured. Looking at her from this distance Nora felt that the woman was entirely manicured. Her clothes were as wrinkle free as her face. The picture of the perfect wife. Summoning the courage to greet her Nora hid back into the cereal isle and that's when the woman spotted her. She gave a quick wave and flashed her a perfect smile, Nora returned in a stumbling fashion. The woman did not approach her as she continued her conversation on the phone, bagging a couple of avocados and pushing on with her cart. Nora exhaled a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding. It was only later, when she was driving home that she wondered why she assumed the woman was the mystery neighbor.