Chapter 2: The Warnings
Marlene did not complain again the next morning.
She waited.
Two days later, she appeared at the fence while Daniel was outside with the children.
The basketball bounced once.
Marlene raised a hand.
“Enough.”
Daniel turned.
“They’re almost finished.”
“I told your wife what I expect.”
Daniel kept his voice calm.
“You asked them not to play.”
“I asked you to respect the neighborhood.”
“They’re playing in our driveway.”
Marlene stared at him.
Daniel knew that look. It was the expression she wore whenever someone failed to give her the answer she wanted.
“You people think you can do whatever you want,” she said.
“No. We think ordinary daytime activity is part of living around other people.”
Marlene pointed toward the patio behind him.
“And what about that?”
Daniel followed her finger.
His portable outdoor speaker sat on a small patio table. He had been using it while doing yardwork and sometimes while grilling. The volume was low enough that he could still hear conversations from across the yard.
“What about it?”
“I told you to turn it off.”
“You asked me to turn it down. I did.”
“I shouldn’t have to ask twice.”
Daniel looked at Sarah.
She had come outside after hearing the raised voices.
“This isn’t about the speaker,” she said quietly.
Marlene’s face hardened.
“It is about respect.”
Daniel nodded.
“I’ll keep the volume reasonable.”
Marlene stepped closer to the fence.
“You don’t understand. I want peace.”
Sarah answered before Daniel could.
“So do we.”
Marlene turned away.
But she did not leave the matter alone.
Over the next week, her complaints became more specific. The basketball was too loud. The children were running too loudly. Daniel’s speaker was unnecessary. The boys should not be outside so often.
Sarah tried once more to compromise.
She moved the basketball hoop farther from the fence.
Daniel lowered the speaker whenever he noticed the sound carrying.
The children stopped playing early one afternoon because they saw Marlene watching from her window.
That night, Sarah found the younger boy sitting on the back steps with the ball beside him.
“What’s wrong?”
He shrugged.
“I don’t want her yelling again.”
Sarah sat beside him.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But she hates when we play.”
Sarah put an arm around his shoulders.
“Some people think peace means everyone else has to be quiet.”
She looked toward the neighboring house.
“It doesn’t.”
Across the fence, Marlene stood behind her curtain.
She saw the family gathered together.
She also saw that they had not stopped.
And that seemed to anger her more than the noise itself.
