To The Man Who Lives In The Building Next Door

I do not apperceive your name, but I feel like I apperceive you.

I apperceive you are a harder worker, you acquire two jobs. I acquire credible you in your accordant for a acclimatized Southern restaurant. A lot of of the time, you haversack your broke accent with you to the car. I didn’t apperceive for constant breadth it was you formed until the day you larboard your adaptation acid it. We acquire that in common. Years ago, I formed for the above chain. I apperceive your torment.

Then there is your added uniform, the complete job is still a abstruseness to me. All black. A bit dressier, but hardly billowing on your beefy frame. Is it because you don’t care? I agnosticism that, I ahead there is some added reason.

How did I arise to that conclusion?

Your car.

That is how I ancient noticed you. It has been 5 or six years aback I acquire lived in an apartment. In that time, I acquire lived in houses that are either abandoned or in quiet areas. Any time a car was diplomacy up, they were advancing to my house. It just became acclimatized breeding to blink and see who was animate up. The reflex remains, except no one comes to see me a lot of days. Without fail, if I apprehend a car bit-by-bit into the lot, I run to the window to see who is there. Naturally, I acquire empiric the comings and goings of our neighbors, but you acrimony my assimilation abounding added than they do.

Your car is a able kept, basal model, American car of a abreast year. The atrocious brownish banausic bloom accoutrement you. It is nice, but not too nice. I account if it matches your personality. I ahead it does. I’ve credible you charwoman it. This is a allocation of why I ahead you care. I assert that one time it was not even “dirty”, but there you were, ensuring you car was as nice as the day you ancient got it. I was there on the sidewalk smoker a cigarette. Not even twenty all-overs away, abandoned ambuscade aback my bright blooming sunglasses. You never noticed. You usually don’t. You abide in your own world.

I see a lot of you in me.

You smoke. Newports. Gross. Is it stress? Or just a bad addiction you cannot escape the claws of? It is a bit of both for me, I ahead so for you as well.

The ancient time I saw you alfresco of plan clothes (which was afterwards able over a ages of seeing you around, abacus to my harder animate theory), I noticed your tattoos. I acquire yet to see them up close, but the intricately ambagious outlines with bursts of colors interspersed artifice me. I crop it you are a rebel, too. Maybe even a aesthetic spirit. I could see you accepting a musician. Strumming your guitar to get the adversity and acrimony out.

How do I apperceive something plagues you?

Your face.

It took some time afore I could bolt a adequate look. The night’s adumbration would covering your face at night. Or you would acquire one of your abounding baseball caps on with your achromatic jeans and able exhausted T-shirts. If the day came, I was surprised. You are a bit beforehand than I imagined. Your hair still has added pepper than salt. Those hardly acid locks stylishly aiguille about your channelled brow, surrounding the bigger accustom of them all.

Your scowl.

That all too acclimatized “Don’t fuck with me” scowl. Not because you are bitter. I ahead you are just over it all. Plus, it helps accrue the angel at arm’s length. I get how abhorred the boilerplate Joe is. I abhorrence them all too.

Ever aback I was a babyish child, I admired watching people. Parks, malls, cars, sidewalks. Everywhere. There is just something so adorable watching candid interactions. Or what bodies do and how they behave “alone” in public. If I began autograph a abridge while later, I would watch and achieve up acceptance about bodies based off my observations.

You are different. I don’t ambition to abode your story. I ambition to KNOW your story. I bet you acquire lots to tell.

I can accustom that like me, you are lonely. I acquire witnessed every associate about us acquire some affectionate of visitor, but not you.

I just cannot accompany myself to aperture down that coffer and say “Hello.” It all seems so weird. Three months I acquire been achievement and we acquire exchanged glances and even a angishore or two, but not a alone word. I ahead it would feel awkward talking to a drifter that I apperceive so abounding about. How would I even start?