Author, Stella Riunga Rop.
Have you ever watched those movies where a crime is committed in an otherwise peaceful neighbourhood, and then unknown to the criminal, there is a witness? It is usually a housewife, and for good reason. By the way that term ‘housewife’ is a little problematic. What does it mean exactly?
That one made marriage vows to the house? Somehow, I do not see such a relationship working … Anyway, I am not a full-time housewife, but I do work from home and it is people like us who get to see a lot of interesting things around the neighbourhood.
Let us say you have a house help whose behaviour is suspect, and you need someone to verify your suspicions. Look no further than your retired, stay-at-home mother, or work-from-home neighbour to aid your investigation. In fact, brace yourself, you will find out a lot more than you had bargained for. You may realise, to your dismay, that she and a neighbour’s driver are in a cozy, intimate relationship and you are literally the very last person to know.
You may also discover that she is in the habit of arriving home drunk as a skunk on her off-days then masking it with peppermint chewing gum and a very long nap (I speak from experience, this actually happened to me).
It pays to be a good neighbour. For example, if you need to leave your house for a long period of time, do not worry, we at-home neighbours are here for you.
We are able to monitor any dubious characters loitering near your home, as well as chase away stray animals (and children) from your property. If so-and-so’s cat has taken to defecating in your yard, don’t worry, we will take the necessary action to re-direct its bowels.
We do not even need to leave our houses for these monitoring activities, a stern rebuke from the window and a timely phone call is enough.
The only downside is that if your creditors come knocking then we will be the first to know as well!
Brethren, your neighbour can save your life in so many ways. Be a good neighbour!
