Beware the ogre? We have missing water, missing people and strange snow angels

This morning I awoke to no water—I need to brush my teeth, I need coffee!  After checking my phone for alerts from our landlord, headed downstairs to see if a notice was in the lobby.  While waiting for the elevator, up walks my neighbor Darla.  I said Happy Holidays, she said the same.  I asked where our water was, she said she didn’t know.  I said “So where’s our friend Charlie?  I haven’t seen him downstairs for two weeks now.”

(Charlie is the name we gave our 60ish neighbor who talks to no one; he wears khaki shorts and a matching baseball cap, takes a pack of cigarettes downstairs every morning, stands outside our apt building and smokes for 2-3 hours.)

Darla said “Where have you been?  They booted him out after Thanksgiving.”

I said “What?? Why?”  Darla shrugged her shoulders.  I said “I know he wasn’t the friendliest of people.  If you said hi he’d look down and make growling sounds in his throat.  If you tried getting on the elevator and he was on there first, he’d shake his head no and block your way until the doors shut.”

Darla said “Yeah we all have our quirks.”  I said “He did talk to Pearl that one time.  He asked her for the phone number of the girl she’s always with, and when Pearl said ‘That GIRL is half your age and my DAUGHTER’  he said ‘Does she have a boyfriend?’”  

Darla laughed and said “Yeah, other than Pearl he mostly kept to himself.”  I said “That’s right.  When he had an issue with the couple who lived above him, he never confronted them.  He just banged on his ceiling every night with a broomstick, and complained to Steiner the people upstairs were committing lewd sex acts.”

Darla shrugged her shoulders again and said “Well, I guess we’ll never know.”  Right then, Janet comes out of her apartment and her eyes lit up.  She said “I thought I heard voices out here!  I’ve been worried about you, Mister!”  I asked “Who?  Me?”  She said “I haven’t seen you in ages!  I was about to call Steiner to ask about the water and why the tenant in 401 never comes out of his apartment!”   

I said “I don’t live in 401.  I live in 402.  Dee lives in 401.”  Janet said “She never comes out either!”  I said “I’ve been sick and Dee is a hermit.  Please don’t ask Steiner to check on us.”  Janet said “I’m the mama here and worrying is what I do!”

Janet is a stout black woman who lives in a 2 bedroom apartment with 3 problem foster children.  Just the other day on my way back from the laundry room, her oldest, an 11 year old boy, was lying on his stomach on the floor between our apartments.  His arms were outstretched and he was sweeping them up & down, like he was making a snow angel, face down.  In the carpet. 

When I asked him if he was okay, he stopped what he was doing and said “Yes”.  He then went back to making his carpet angel as I walked away.

Janet if you’re going to worry about anyone, I think your neighbors should be the least of your concerns.  Still no water, but I just remembered I have a full Brita water pitcher in the fridge.  As for Apt #414, with the new ogre sign on it’s door, a hip young couple lives there and you couldn’t meet a nicer pair.