Heavy snow fell that weekend, and while grumbling usually outweighs the excitement after a huge winter storm, the hustle and bustle in our small suburban neighborhood could only be described as inspirational. Due to some heart problems, my friend Janet isn’t able to shovel snow, so once the storm subsided, the neighbors on her street made sure to help dig her out. Dressed for warmth and equipped with shovels, three strong fellows quickly and cheerfully removed the deep drifts from Janet’s walks, driveway, and vehicles. One of them was Eddy.
Eddy and his family had moved in just a few houses down from Janet about 15 years earlier. Soon after, Eddy added his own special touch to the camaraderie shared among the neighbors. When visiting Janet, I often saw Eddy, arms akimbo, leaning against his car out in front of his house, chuckling and chatting amicably with a neighbor. When Janet’s husband was terminally ill, Eddy regularly visited him, sharing a funny incident or animatedly recounting the play-by-play from a high school sporting event.
As evidenced by their kindness during the snowstorm, Eddy and the others on Janet’s street looked after and supported one another — with one exception. The Rudy family had created friction and caused conflict with just about every neighbor within shouting distance. Children and adults alike tried to avoid them. The Rudys complained at the littlest infraction; they were always irritated about something.
Though nearly everyone in the neighborhood had run-ins with the Rudys, Eddy bore the brunt of their nastiness, probably because it was Eddy who lived closest to the Rudys. Whatever the reason, Mr. and Mrs. Rudy took every opportunity to be impolite and uncharitable toward him. Although they could park behind or in front of their own house, they purposely parked their cars in front of Eddy’s house, occupying his only available parking spaces. They spent hours peering out the window, watching to ensure no one touched their vehicles. When Eddy tried to entertain guests in his yard, the Rudys always seemed to choose that time to mow their lawn or run their noisy weed-trimmer.
True to form, the night before the aforementioned snowstorm, they shrewdly parked their cars in front of his house, knowing that the borough snowplows would then be able to clear the street in front of their own house. The storm came, and a few hours after the neighbors had shoveled Janet’s walkways, she looked
