There are neighbors that we are pleased with and there are those which we will not want to have them as neighbors the next time. The influence of our neighbors on our lives can be very impactful. Some of us as children have learned bad habits and become bad citizens. On the contrary, there are those of us who actually learned good principles from observing our neighbors.
I have had several kinds of neighbors. I have those who are immediate family relatives who build houses where we live together. There are also those I experienced when I went to stay with my aunty during long vacations. There are equally those who I have who were friends in school. But most especially, there was a family I remember that lived near us when we were young, Taiye and the siblings.
This is my response for the #memoirmonday engagement by @ericvancewalton. This is the week 12
What were your next door neighbors like when you were a child
Living With Rough Boys
Taiye and the other four siblings were very rough boys. There were just children living with their parents. We shared the same boundary. I usually get to their house to fetch fire for my mother. Their father was not always at home. Their mother was not always available to check on their behaviors. They were very wild.
The father of these children used to work in a neighboring state. So, he usually visited home maybe in two weeks' intervals. The parents were not good at raising children. Unlike my mother who would take no nonsense from us, Taiye’s mother was not always with the kids. She loved going around visiting with other women and gossiping. Taiye's parents were so irresponsible.
We were schooling together in the same community school. We used to follow each other when going to school and when coming back. The day Taiye raped a girl was the day my mother stopped me from following them. That incident cost the parents a lot. The parents of the girl and the community elders almost threw the family out of the community if not for the pleading of other neighbors. Taiye and are siblings were the worst set of children I have gotten to know.
You might think that raping a 6 years ago girl was terrible. What about pouring detergent inside the community well of water. That well was the well that all of us in the community used to fetch water for domestic use. My mother sent me to go and buy some food stuff that day. By the time I came back, I saw many people gathered at the well with Taiye and one of the brothers drawing water and pouring on the floor. I asked one of my friends who was there and she told me that Taiye and the brother poured detergent inside the well. What a wicked mind!
Taiye was just a boy of 8 years but he was a serious problem to the community. He was picking things from people’s shops. He could even open doors and break into people's houses when they were not around. Taiye’s lifestyle made the community finally send their family away from the community.