Neighbor Mom Buzzes Me at Midnight, I Let Her

The first day I moved into my new home, the stay-at-home mom next door shoved a purchase agreement at me, offering to buy my place at twenty percent off.

"I saw this apartment first. You jumping in over me and buying it means you stole it from me, so you have to sell it to me cheap."

I figured she was out of her mind, told her I wasn't planning to sell, and shut the door.

But that humiliation curdled into rage.

She started ringing my keypad buzzer from the building entrance at two in the morning, every single night, demanding I let her in.

"That thing about buying your place before, that was just a joke. My memory's bad and I work late, so I'll probably have to trouble you to open the door a lot from now on."

"They say a close neighbor beats a distant relative. My husband and son are light sleepers, so I've got no choice but to ask you to buzz me in."

I was livid, but no matter what I did, she buzzed all the same.

Even the other neighbors, afraid of getting on her bad side, turned around and urged me to just help her out when I could.

My whole family was worn ragged by it.

And of all things, neither the building management nor law enforcement could do a thing to stop her from ringing my buzzer.

For my daughter's sake, I went over to make peace.

But Penelope only sneered.

"It's too late to apologize now. Either you sell your place to my family at half price, or wait until I drive your whole family so crazy you jump off the roof."

I knew she wouldn't let it go.

But I also knew what it meant to reach the end of your patience and stop enduring.

She liked ringing the bell at two in the morning, did she?

Then I'd let her ring to her heart's content.

One:

1:58 a.m.

I've always gone to bed early and risen early, but tonight I wasn't in bed. I was standing at the door, staring hard at the screen of the electronic entry panel.

Because in two more minutes, my next-door neighbor Penelope Lawrence would ring my buzzer from downstairs at the building entrance, right on schedule at 2 a.m., demanding I let her in.

And every single time.

The buzzer jolted my sleeping daughter awake and left her crying in terror.

So tonight I was going to keep watch at the door. The moment Penelope showed up downstairs, I'd open the entrance for her, and at least that way we'd get one quiet night.

But I opened the door, and Penelope didn't come in. She just smiled up at me through the camera.

"Well, would you look at that. What's the occasion today?"

"Before, I had to ring and ring before you'd deign to let me in. Today you're actually standing there waiting for me?"

"But that won't do. I've got this, what do you call it, this compulsion. If I don't hear the buzzer ring, I won't sleep a wink all night after I go in."

The words left her mouth.

And Penelope rang my buzzer again.

I'd already turned the volume down, but in the dead of night it still cut through everything.

That one ring, and all my effort was for nothing. From the bedroom came my daughter's crying and my husband's sigh.

My heart ached so badly I almost cried, and there was nothing I could do.

Ever since our first night in the new place.

Penelope had been ringing that buzzer out of spite, all because I refused to sell her the apartment.

Sometimes it was early morning, before we'd even woken up.

Sometimes it was a weekend noon, while we were napping.

A few times it was even when my daughter was sick and resting at home.

And now it had turned into two in the morning...

She wasn't even getting off a night shift. She was a full-time stay-at-home mom. She slept the whole day, then went out at midnight to take out the trash and rang my buzzer while she was at it.

Gritting my teeth, I pressed the talk button and begged, keeping my voice low and humble.

"Penelope, I've already told you about the apartment. We live here so my child can go to school later, so there's no way we can sell it to you."

"A close neighbor beats a distant relative. We're going to be running into each other for years to come. Please, stop ringing my buzzer from now on, okay?"

Penelope wasn't tired at all.

So she kept ringing the buzzer while she explained in that snide, singsong tone.

"Buy your apartment? Don't you go spreading nonsense. You just want to use that to run to the building management and call the cops, saying I'm threatening you, saying this is gangster behavior!"

"So let me make it perfectly clear. I simply forgot my keycard, that's all."

I couldn't hold it in.

"It's not like there's nobody home at your place. Even if you forgot yours, you could just ring your own buzzer."

Penelope gave a cold snort.

"My husband and son are light sleepers. I have to wait until they're asleep before I can come out to take out the trash. And you said it yourself, a close neighbor beats a distant relative, so what's the harm in helping me?"

"I've already asked around. You and your husband are both teachers, and it's summer break right now, so what's the big deal about buzzing me in?"

"You're supposed to be a role model. Since when is doing a good deed a problem?"

"Someone like you, how are you fit to set an example for anyone?"

Penelope talked so fast I had no chance to argue back.

Once she'd said all that.

She went stomping up the stairs, and by the time she reached my door she was still fuming, so she pounded her fist against it several times.

"I can see you're just selfish and out for yourself. A person like you, and you talk about a close neighbor beating a distant relative."

"Let me tell you, not even God almighty can stop me from ringing this buzzer. There's no law that says I can't ring a doorbell. Make all the fuss you want, it's useless. I'll ring it again tomorrow, same as always!"