New Neighbors

By Bernard F. Gero

This is a book for everyone. As a parent, grandparent, teen, or adult, you will find one, perhaps many, of the characters in New Neighbors to be like yourself in many ways. As the story progresses, the diverse characters display their traits and emotions. While subtle in the book, they become recognizable no matter your state in life—as a teenager, parent, or a best friend—as the story progresses. Discovering yourself in New Neighbors is a part of the enjoyment of reading as well as recalling memories from your past.

This is a story about a young person, still in high school, who has an enthusiasm for living that knows no age barrier. Alex takes on tough teens, right up to grandmas and grandpas, and all ages in between, and then finds and uses the magic in his personality to awaken their purpose for living and changes them forever.

Humor and kindness have become his weapons of choice, and he uses them skillfully throughout the book to change people’s lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781098098766

Book preview

Chapter 1

The New Neighbors Arrive

I t finally happened. That old rattletrap house at the end of our street is finally sold, and we are getting new neighbors, Alex said excitedly to Jamie. And they have kids. Lots of kids of all ages. How great is that?

It’s really great. They are the first new neighbors since we moved in over a year ago. How old are the kids, Alex?

I’ve heard, from three years old to nineteen, and there are seven of them, plus a mother and a very old grandmother.

Are they boys or girls?

There are five boys and two girls. The oldest and youngest are boys. I don’t know about the rest.

How did you find all that out?

My father knows the realtor, and he clued him in. They are coming in about a week.

Are they going to go to our school? asked Jamie.

I guess so. It sounds like each of our schools will have some. They are in most of the grades.

I guess so, Alex, with all those kids.

My father said one of the boys will be in my class. I can’t wait to meet him.

Let’s meet him together, said Jamie. Are they going to fix the house up?

I’m not sure, but I don’t think that is a good question. I asked the same thing, and my father looked at my mother real funny. She said that really was none of our business.

Did you ask anything else? Like their names?

No, I didn’t. The subject seemed to be closed.

You are turning this into a mystery, Alex.

It seems like that to me too, and I don’t get it, but I did get that I shouldn’t pursue it any further. I can read my mother pretty well, and I knew I was on thin ice with all my many questions.

Do you want to walk down there and look around? They don’t move in for another week, so what could it hurt? asked Jamie.

Sure. You are exactly right—what could it hurt?

The two boys were off as if they were on another adventure. While each boy thought the same thing, they each, without saying one word about another adventure, silently agreed they could call this anything but an adventure. Their hike on a bike, and all the trouble they got into, was still fresh in their minds. More than one adventure was sure to get them in big trouble with their parents.

Just approaching the house gave each of them a funny feeling in their stomachs. It had not been painted in years and looked very dark and gray. A shutter had broken loose and was hanging on one hinge. It rattled in a wind that had blown up. It was like a warning to stay away.

Wasn’t it a sunny day when we left your house ten minutes ago, Alex? Look at the sky now. The clouds are racing across it as if a big storm is coming, and dust is blowing up. And that shutter is banging over and over against the house like it is going to break off. It feels kind of creepy to me.

Jamie, do you want to leave?

"Why do you ask?’

Oh, just asking. That’s all, said Alex.

They decided to just shuck that strange feeling off. No one was in the house. It just stood there looking dark and empty, and maybe a little spooky.

Let’s walk around to the back, Jamie. There is a ginormous horse-chestnut tree growing there. I always see it from the street and wonder what it would be like to climb it. It is the biggest tree I have ever seen. Some of those branches look big enough to be trees.

Better still to build a tree house in it, continued Alex. We could have a huge one in that big tree.

Who knows, maybe the new kids will have the same idea, and we can all build it together. But it would have to be a big one with all those kids, plus us.

What’s that old shed in the backyard? asked Jamie.

I think it looks just like a brand-new tree house all ready to go up in some ginormous tree.

What! It just looks like a junky old shed to me, said Jamie. It looks as bad as the house."

Let your imagination out of the box, Jamie. I can see it now up in the tree, spread out on those three huge branches. We could have two or three rooms in it. It would be super neat. We could take it apart down here, carry the wood floor up, nail it to the branches, and then build the sides and roof up again the exact way we would want it. And it would be free. There is a lot of wood in there and four free windows and a door.

It would be about eight feet up to those branches. Could we manage that, Alex?

That’s perfect, Jamie. We could have a trap door in the floor with an inside lock and only let in certain people. We would get up there on a rope ladder, which we could pull up once we are in there. That would be double protection from anyone we didn’t want trying to get in.

Actually, Alex, triple protection. Anyone would be at a disadvantage being beneath the tree, eight feet above ground, with the only opening being the door in the floor which would be locked from the outside with a padlock or from the inside when we are in there. It would be a fortress, Alex.

"Now you’re letting your imagination out, Jamie. It could be our fortress where only people with a password could enter."

With that said, a huge gust of wind blew and the banging shutter came off, bounced off the porch roof, and blew end over end all the way down the driveway heading for Alex and Jamie.

Look out, Jamie!

Then it crashed right against the tree they were talking about and splintered into a thousand pieces.

Are you okay, Jamie?

I’m fine, but that was close.

What are the odds on that happening? I mean, that shutter must have been up there for fifty years and it crashes now, right at our feet, and against the very tree we have been talking about. That is quite a stretch for just happening, said Alex.

So you’re saying it could be an omen?

Well Jamie, I’m not saying that exactly, but it’s quite a coincidence that while we were talking about the chestnut tree, the shutter breaks off the house and lands with a crash against the very tree. I mean, that shutter was way at the front of the house, and this tree is in the backyard. It’s like a message. ‘Stay off my property and leave my tree alone.’

So who is the message from—the house or the tree? asked Jamie with great big eyes.

I don’t know, but don’t let it spook you. Why would it matter? We aren’t doing anything wrong. We are just investigating the place, right? While we are at it, let’s go in that shed and see what’s in there.

What! Are you kidding, Alex does that tree have to speak to us in five languages? It wants us out of here. That shingle is smashed to bits. It could have been our heads.

Oh my gosh, Jamie. You really are spooked about this. I say take it easy, and while we’re here right now, let’s see what’s in this shed.

Oh, I don’t know, Alex. I don’t think we should push our luck.

Jamie, are you kidding me? Do you really think that tree can think and have feelings and can decide to scare us to keep us away?

No, I guess not. But that was some coincidence that the shutter suddenly broke off the house and slammed into the tree right in front of us.

"You’ve got the right word—coincidence. That’s all that was. Let’s go into the shed."

Jamie decided that maybe Alex was right, and he was letting this whole thing get out of hand.

It smells in here, Alex, and it is really dirty. Stuff is all broken. There isn’t anything we can use in our new tree house.

Don’t be so sure, Jamie. We just got in here. Let’s take a good look around but be careful. We don’t need to get hurt and then not be allowed to come back here if we wanted to.

I think that is an old work bench over there, Alex, and it looks like someone left some tools.

Well, Jamie, it looks like that to me too, and here are some jars of nails and screws. There is a hammer and a saw and screwdrivers and a lot of tools like I see in my father’s workroom. Someone who left them was planning to come back and use this place again. I wonder what changed his mind and why he just left everything in a mess like this. I mean, tools are expensive, so why wouldn’t you just take them with you?

And I wonder if inside of the house, there is a bunch of stuff there too. It would be fun searching around to see what’s there.

Let’s stick to looking around this shed. There are a lot of things to check out. Jamie knew that he shouldn’t go into that house because it didn’t belong to him, and he didn’t have permission to go into someone’s house. He probably shouldn’t even be in this shed.

Alex walked toward the other end of the shed and suddenly yelled to Jamie to come there.

What’s up, Alex? You sound like you have seen a ghost?

Look at this. It’s some kind of bed. There is a ratty, thin, old mattress, a pillow, and a couple of blankets. Everything is really dirty.

Do you think someone lives in here?

Suddenly, someone grabbed Alex by the leg. He started jumping around and yelling all at the same time, fighting off this attacker. The attacker stood up and told Alex, Shut your big mouth!

Run, Alex said to Jamie.

Before either of them could do anything, the man had Jamie by the arm, and he had Alex by the hair of his head.

Stop that squirming around and stop that yelling! What the heck is wrong with you anyway?

What’s wrong with us? asked Alex. Who are you? And what are you doing here, scaring a couple of kids? Let go of my hair and my friend’s arm.

The man pushed them down on the mattress and said he wasn’t going to hurt them, but they had better not start all that yelling again.

Well, you scared us, mister, said Jamie.

Who said you could come in here? What do you want anyway? said the man with his own wild hair sticking up every which way and with a very dirty face and clothes.

We were just looking around when you jumped out and grabbed us like some wild person, said Alex."

You think you can do that to people and not expect them to yell?"

You’ve got a lot to say for being the one who busted into my place.

Your place? What makes this your place? Alex demanded in his strongest, most angry voice. We live on this street, not you. You are an intruder. I have never seen you in my life.

I’m going to tell you one more time to shut that big mouth and stop yelling every blasted thing you say. Didn’t anyone ever teach you to just talk? Have you ever heard of talking?

Have you ever heard of not scaring people?

Suddenly, the man was laughing his head off and began to relax his attack posture.

You sure are a feisty one. I’m glad I grabbed you by your hair. Did you ever notice how much control you have over a person if you have them firmly by the hair of the head? I had you totally under my control, and you couldn’t touch me.

What are you going to do with us, mister? asked Jamie in the strongest voice he could summon up out of his quaking body.

Well, why don’t we all try to relax and talk about our situation?

Our situation? You call this ‘our situation’? asked Alex.

Well, let’s see. Will the legitimate resident of this house please step forward?

No one moved an inch.

It seems we are all in the same boat here. We are all intruders. You don’t own this house, do you, Mr. Mouth?

No, I don’t, but I do live on this street.

You live in one house on this street which makes you an intruder on this property, doesn’t it?

Jamie was finally beginning to relax and not feel that he was in the hands of an ax murderer. He wanted to hear what this man had to say.

All right, all right. We’ve been over that. I scared you, and you scared me because we all knew that we weren’t really supposed to be here.

Do you live here, mister? asked Jamie who was happy to be just talking.

Well, I’m just a little down on my luck, and I’m borrowing a little space to live in temporarily.

You mean you’re mooching. I don’t think you have permission from anyone to ‘borrow a little space,’ Alex quickly replied.

There you go again with that mouth.

I’m not yelling. Did you notice? asked Alex triumphantly.

Well, I guess I must just thank God for that little improvement. Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, or are you always this grouchy?

At least I slept in a clean bed in a clean house.

And I’ll bet all that clean had nothing to do with you. Your mother probably waits on you hand and foot.

Jamie was beginning to squirm again. Things had been settling down, and suddenly, Alex was stirring up trouble with this guy and talking way too disrespectfully to him.

We were starting to talk nicely for a few minutes. Let’s go back to doing that. I don’t want to be arguing all the time. How about it, Alex? asked Jamie.

That’s okay with me, but I do want this guy to admit that nobody gave him permission to be sleeping here. If we are intruders, he for sure is one also.

Okay, okay, if it will make you feel any better. I admit that I am just mooching by staying here. I said I am a little down on my luck, and I didn’t think I was hurting anything by staying here.

I understand, said Jamie. And I’m sorry things are bad for you right now.

Well, thank you. I’m glad someone has a little heart around here.

I’m sorry too, said Alex. I have heart, but I don’t want you to think I don’t have a brain too. And my brain tells me that what you are doing isn’t the way it should be.

You’re right, said the stranger. It’s not at all the way it should be or the way I want it to be.

What was it like before? Jamie quickly asked. He wanted to speak quickly before Alex jumped in with some smart remark and make this guy all hyper again.

Well, I suppose my life wasn’t so different from the way life is for you guys. I mean, I went to school, ate with my family, and wore clean clothes, he said looking directly at Alex. I, unlike yourselves, had to do a lot of chores, so I couldn’t play sports or even spend a lot of time doing homework. I needed to get home and help.

I help and have chores too, said Alex.

Oh, yeah? What did you do, dry a couple of dishes?

Jamie could see that it was starting to go wrong again, so he quickly spoke up and asked the man to tell them more about his home.

Well, it’s nice that you ask, he said. I did fine in school, and I won a scholarship for Promising Artists. It was during my junior year in high school. I and twenty others from around the country went to France for a whole year to participate in an intense study of drawing and painting for promising artists. It was a great experience, and when the year was over, I came back home. The plan was to finish high school and then go on to college and continue studying art.

So what did you do? asked Jamie who was totally enthralled by the story.

"My parents were