aka Neighbor Girl

My neighbor just called to say her 20 month old son just sat out on their deck and looked over to my yard calling, “Enn Gee!” and then “where are you”? It’s nice to be wanted, no?

My neighbors on one side have always called me “Neighbor Girl.” This is for two reasons. One, I’m the girl who lives next door (I wonder if they’ll still call me that when I’m 60 since I’m never moving out of my house) and the other reason is that “Neighbor Guy’s” first wife has the same name as me. Apparently he and the new wife thought Neighbor Girl was less confusing. Over the last two years it’s been shortened to “NG” and I hear this a lot from their yard: “Hey, NG, do you have any milk?” “Hey, NG, got any gas for the mower?” “Hey, NG, I noticed you got home pretty late last night!” Did I not mention how incredibly NOSY my wonderful neighbors are? Nothing slips by any of them.

I also hear a lot of “Up, UP!” from their son, “Neighbor Boy.” Apparently Neighbor Boy thinks the grass IS greener in my yard and he likes to toddle over to the fence, hold his hands above his head and scream, “UP, UP!” That is then my cue to walk over, pick him up and over my fence to play with my two dogs because his own THREE including the 8 week old chocolate Lab puppy aren’t enough.

I might have mentioned it before but kids scare the living crap out of me. I don’t want any of my own and try to avoid them at all costs. And for some reason they love me. (Same thing with cats except with cats I just plain don’t like them.) Neighbor Boy greets me almost everyday when I come home with an “Up” so I have to lift him up and over into my yard to help me water, check on the tomatoes or pick up my mail. Now that he’s talking his parents have encouraged him to call me “NG” which is much easier than my real name which can be a mouthful when you’re not even 2. I’ve tried having him call me “E” but to no avail. Now he’s calling out “NG.” And, I must admit, it’s cute.

It almost makes me like kids. ALMOST.