I did a terrible thing yesterday.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

In another thread oh what a month ago I told you about our neighbor, the Banshee. Anyways, each week since I have gone out to mow and their lawn as gotten a tad higher. Now its too tall to actually think about mowing it...

Its been relatively quiet next door. Him going off to work early, him coming home late - her screeching kind of muffled by the rains we have been having.

So anyways today (which now technically yesterday) I went out in the morning early pulled out the mower and started mowing the lawn. I'm halfway through the lawn the mower hits one of the dog toys (great). I stop the mower to pick up the plastic bits and from next door there is the shrill screeching of the Banshee.

A moment later he comes out of the front door and she's right on his hells screaming such profanities - calling him a B*stard and every word is f*ck and f*cking. I note that he is only half dressed, the fly of his jeans open, belt buckle flapping, his boots untied, and hes carrying a t-shirt in his hand. His body still wet - as in dripping wet, from his shower, even a bit of shampoo suds are visible down his back. He's really not that bad looking.

As he out the door he must of said something she bellowed, "I don't F*ing care if the whole world hears me. You are lazier than the f*cking cripple next door!"

He climbs in his truck, pulls out and doesn't even stop to look for traffic.
She screams a few more profanities at his tail pipe then turns to me and asks:

"What the f*ck are you looking at?"

By its own volition and without hesitation my mouth opens up and says "A......"

Before I continue, understand I am a man of few words. I never actually cuss out loud. The last time I used this particular word I was 13 years old and I said it at a girl in ear shot of my mother. The word is so terrible, so hideous that my mother made me eat - no not just take a bite and hold it in my mouth, eat a whole bar of ivory soap. I have never uttered it since that terrible day.

"A C*nt."

She shuts up. Well she is trying to say something, her mouth flopping wildly like a fish out of water gulping for air. Her eyes literally start bulging, her face grows from bright pink to a terrible purplish red color. She stands there a few moments, then turns around slams the door as she goes into the house.

I'm standing there stunned myself, I actually do look to either side of me trying to figure out who just said that. I broke several taboos and personal rules about civility and how to treat women in one short sentence.

Then from her kitchen comes the crashing of metal, pots, pans, perhaps other things as well and at the top of lungs she is screaming 'F*cking B*stards!' over and over and over like some sort of mad chant.

At first I thought it was just one (singular) but no the hiss "sss" sound definitely makes it clear she is talking about her husband and me.... Plural.

I stand there a few moments attempting to process what just happened. Then decide to finish mowing the lawn. 30 minutes later I shut off the mower (no bagging this week) and she is still in her house raging like a man-woman. And every so often I hear the crash of metal, even something sounding like crockery.

Anyway. Here I am hours later still chuckling at myself, but feeling such horrible shame for what I done.

[dfiant]

That's my favourite word

[Rainbowmum]

Good for you , it's about time someone stood up to her.
I think you gave her exactly what she deserved.

Personally , I do not view her as a woman ,it scares me that she has no empathy or softness about her, she is a bully.

If she can dish it , she should expect to get it back.

[Pix]

Most people should at least get some tolerance if not courtesy and/or respect. However, she is not one of them.

I try very hard to get along with people (even if it's nothing more than a polite nod and walking away), even with those whom I despise, but I think I'd have said worse were it me instead of you having to put up with her.

[jaxc]

the way i see it, she was a bitch( or a c.... as you would put it:tongue and she needed to be told that, so good job!!

[ceez]

eh, you call it like you see it and I don't know how things work over on the west coast but over here the women can do just as much yard work as the men.

[pellaz]

stay out of your neighbor's business.

I had a neighbor who's wife owned the house. She and the son were the local drug dealers in town like the Weeds TV show. He would come over and talk, all good, drink my beer, better him than me, while I worked on whatever car issue in my garage. All good but there was not anything i could do. It all went its own way and they are gone now.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

This morning the Neighbor dude came over. I was out puttering around the front of the property.

He was kind of nervous asking me if I really did say that, I told him yes, and it wasn't anything against him. Then I told him I am tired of being called the 'Cripple Next Door'. He said he told her to stop that. We stood there a moment, and he asked 'Are we square' and wanted to do the knuckle touch thing.

We stood in silence a bit longer, then I realized why he wasn't heading home was because the wife was expecting this to be a sound 'thrashing' thus that should take time.

So we chatted a while. It appears his bike shop is on the brink and he has been working 12-16 hour shifts, having already laid off his two clerks and his mechanic is now 'on call'. He's been going in every day for months just to sell enough parts to pay the rent.

He's 'ok' with my calling his wife a.... you know. but then he knows that I have been hearing my 'nickname' screamed out of mouth for a while.

I would like to tell him that his marriage is one of abuse. But I also know that he a straight guy and his lifestyle is such that the notion that a woman can abuse a man is out of the question.

I told him I will wait until he gone before I start up the mower next week... He was appreciative of this.

[Jay]

Bowyn, it wasn't terrible. You had a reason to say such thing. Yes, it was a bad word but fully justified. It helps to shut her mouth even for a moment.

[East]

Abusive women usually get away with it.....for so many reasons. It isn't really a straight thing...society wants it's abusers to look and act a certain way...we are all addicted to images. That is how my mother got away with it. I would be careful around her.