A New Neighbour

5 A New Neighbour Across the street from where I live, there is a row of shabby, old parking garages. Most of these garages have cars in them year-round since the area is close to downtown and parking spaces are in high demand. But one summer, one of the garages was empty. The door didn't work properly, and it would not close completely. I guess that's why it wasn't rented. One day, a person moved in-an old man in his 70s. I suppose he noticed the open door and decided to move in. He had only a few possessions and they were all stacked in a shopping cart. He would walk around the neighbourhood picking up glass bottles and plastic containers. At the end of the day, he would separate and pack them. Later, he took them to the recycling depot. Of course, the garage had no heat and no water, but there was electricity. Sometimes he played music on his stereo, the only thing he had of any value. Because the garage door would not close completely, people could see inside as they walked by.

Outside, he posted a piece of cardboard on which he had hand-written these words: Private! Video surveillance is on. Who knows? Perhaps he thought that thieves would be interested in his meagre possessions. Fall soon arrived. The days grew colder, and the leaves began to fall off the trees. One weekend, the man had a party at the garage. Nobody knew where he found all of the friends. They were drinking, singing, talking, and having a good time. Most of them stood outside the garage on the street. The man told his friends, “ Don't smoke. There are many leaves on the street and you might cause a fire. " You see, he was not an irresponsible person. But all did not end well. The next day, the property owner arrived with a truck and took away all the man's belongings. The garage door was replaced with a brand new one, and a strong lock was installed to keep the man out. The street became quiet again, but I will always remember our summer neighbour.