The Neighbor

She lived next door and yet we know next to nothing about her. The rare times we heard her voice there was a kind of calm that moved over the house like a cloud shaped similar to a barking dog. That got their attention and before they knew it, the rains became her hope. She always thought and felt at peace near water; it brought her to a place of solitude. At one point she had other hopes as well; one of which was to become fluent in Chinese and Asian culture. Though they would look foreign, she felt as if they could fit in a suitcase. The move had to happen. It could no longer be put off as each ticking minute could cost her five dollars and a cab ride to Phoenix. The capital of the sun. The town where she belonged.

© 2009 Lee Greenfeld