Page 70 of A Me and Him Thing
“What’d you do?” I ask Ren.
“Replaced my red mailbox with a new red mailbox. I knew I was playing with fire. But I also knew I had to take a stance, or it would never end.”
“Did it end?” Is this what Ren meant earlier when he said there were a few bumps in the road with the neighbors?
Jack laughs again, a sarcastic laugh if I ever heard one.
“No. Then they complained that our sprinklers were hitting their newly painted fence and ruining it.”
“They seemed to have forgotten they live in a city where it rains half the year,” Susan says, collecting the dirty dishes. She’s quiet, but when she has something to say, she says it.
Ren shrugs. “I adjusted my sprinklers so they didn’t hit their fence. Problem solved.”
“You’d think.” Jack shakes his head with disgust.
“There’s more?” These aren’t bumps in the road, these are mountains to climb.
“Oh yeah. Then they complained that our walnut tree was hanging over onto their side of the fence and making a huge mess. Instead of gathering the walnuts, which are delicious, by the way, they’d let them pile up until they were rotting. I had originally told them they could have whatever fell on their side of the fence. That wasn’t good enough. I didn’t have time to play games with them. I had the tree cut down.”
“Crying shame. It was a beautiful tree,” Susan says as she continues to clear the table.
“The roots were about to interfere with their fence. It was the best decision.” Ren slaps his hand on the table as though he’s still upset about losing his tree. “I refuse to play neighbor wars.”
“There were more incidents. Small things here and there,” Jack adds. “Rhoda seems to think she lives in a neighborhood where she is the HOA president and queen.”
“But it’s all good now.” Ren is smoothing it over. I know he is.
“Yes. After Allie’s accident, they became some of our dearest friends. Everything changed when things became serious.” Susan smirks. “Thank goodness. I was about ready to throw walnuts into their yard just for fun.”
I laugh aloud. Susan has hidden spunk. I like her. “I would’ve joined you. It would’ve been my favorite pastime.”
“You two will be dangerous together. I can tell already,” Ren says. “No yellow paint for either of you. We’re keeping the peace. Got it?”
“Except you still have a red mailbox,” I point out. “That’s not a surrender flag, waving in the wind. That’s a huge screw you.”
Jack practically cackles at my words. “I like you, Bree.”
Susan laughs right along with him.
Ren raises his eyebrows. “Sometimes you have to choose your battles. Iwillhave a red mailbox until my dying day. It’s non-negotiable.”
I join Jack and Susan’s laughter. Ren’s choice of “taking a stand” is the funniest thing I’ve heard all day.
I needed a good laugh. We all did. It helped defuse the gathering storm inside me.
Kate returns with a pile of games. There’s no way we have time to play them all.
We settle on a few games of Uno, then a few anxiety-producing games of Jenga, followed by a highly competitive game of Candy Land.
I do my best to feign a cheerful mood. I enjoy Kate and Ethan, so it’s not terribly hard. The hard part is ignoring my aching heart.
I’m relieved when we finally say our goodbyes. I could easily fall in love with this sweet family. It’s not in the cards, though. The sooner I back out of Ren’s life, the better. He will always be a constant reminder of what I can’t have.
Jack hugs me before we leave. “Hope to see you again, young lady.”
I nod and smile, but I think we both know we’ll never see each other again.
“It was lovely to meet you,” Susan tells me, holding my hand. She’s a reserved lady, easygoing and calm. I liked her from the first moment I met her. I know we could be friends.
