The Good Neighbor Read Online Free

to continue to mope after her forever. It
wasn’t fair to expect that of myself.
     
     
     
     
3 Bernie
    My head felt like it was splitting open. I
stumbled into the bathroom and threw open the door to the medicine
cabinet. Bottles tumbled out and fell loudly into the sink. I said
some bad words as I fumbled through the bottles until I found what
I was looking for.
    I thumped a couple of pills into my hand and
set the bottle on the counter without replacing the lid. Who cared?
I turned on the water. I threw the pills in my mouth and bent over,
drinking water straight from the faucet.
    I kicked some dirty clothes out of the way
and walked to the toilet. Without lifting the lid, I pissed,
getting some on the seat. I knew as I was doing it, I wasn’t going
to wipe it off. Hell, I couldn’t even remember the last time the
toilet had been cleaned. But who cared?
    I went to the kitchen to grab something to
eat. My gut was growling.
    I stood at the sink, holding a slice of pizza
left over from a couple of days ago. I flicked a cockroach off it
and took a bite. It wasn’t bad. Kind of stale. It didn’t matter to
me. I didn’t care what it tasted like. I could’ve been eating
cardboard and I wouldn’t have cared. Food had long ago lost all
flavor and appeal to me.
    I looked out the window at the broad next
door. I’d watched her make a few trips in and out of her house
yesterday, and even watched her go down the street to that loser
Owen’s house. I wanted her. It was just a matter of time until I
had her.
    I picked up a can from the counter and shook
it to see if it was empty. I heard liquid sloshing inside so I
drank it. It was a very flat, warm soda. As I drank, I felt a
floating roach brush against my lips. It must’ve drowned in the
soda. I made sure not to swallow it as I drank, but I wouldn’t have
cared much if I had.
    I watched the broad pushing her brats on the
swing set in the back yard. Noisy little bastards, they were. But I
could put up with it if it meant getting some of the mother. I’d
crawl through burning embers on my gut, naked, if it meant I could
get some of her. She wasn’t like the women I usually brought home.
They were just bar whores, used up and past their prime. She was in
her prime, and didn’t appear to be used up. Yet. It was only a
matter of time until I had her.
    Of course, if things worked out between us, I
don’t know what I’d do about those stupid kids. Maybe their father
would take them. The last thing I needed or wanted was a couple of
snot-nosed heathens running around my house. I didn’t have the
patience for that sort of thing. All I wanted was her. I wanted to
do things to her that you couldn’t tell other people about even if
you were in prison. Things that I’d been dreaming of doing to
somebody, anybody. Her moving in next door was meant to be. It was
almost like she was asking me to do it to her.
    Watching her now, I was pretty sure she was
inviting me over. Her shorts were short. Her top was tight. Yeah,
she was asking for it, alright.
    I decided that perhaps later tonight, after
all the nosy bastards on this street went to sleep, I’d slip over
to her place and give her a little bit of ol’ Bernie Bear.
     
     
     
     
4 Owen
    I rang the doorbell at Carla’s house and
hoped she answered quickly, leaving me no chance to change my mind.
It had taken me two days to convince myself of what I’d known all
along. After mulling over Jill’s words, I realized that she was
right. It was time. But I still wasn’t sure I should be here. Even
if this was the right time and the right thing to do, was this the
right person? Maybe I should just go home and forget the whole
thing.
    Before I could talk myself into turning and
leaving, Carla threw open the door and smiled.
    “Hey. Come in,” she said happily, standing
back so I could enter. After she closed the door behind me, she
asked, “What’s up?”
    I looked down at her and tried not to notice
how sexy she looked,