Peek

A story about a neighbor

            He was showered, dressed, and ready to go by six AM to watch the sun rise. Of course the daily rise of the sun wasn't the only thing that piqued TV's interest. As a man at the ripe old age of seventy two, he had many interests during a life of more stories and experiences that most people forget by age twenty. TV’s mind was still as sharp as a tack and his eyes even sharper. He'd seen dudes nuts blown off (as well as some blow their own nuts off), traveled to the farthest ends of the earth, dined with prestigious celebrities, and conquered more women than Hugh Heffner's valet's brother.

            TV was born in the fall of 1940 on a brisk fall afternoon. Due to a lifelong disdain of hospitals, his mother hired a midwife to assist with all of pregnancy's joys and hurdles. TV was welcomed into this world at 3:30 in the afternoon to the jovial company of his parents and their beloved helper. He was passed around the room until the wee hours of the morning and this only snowballed into the next month as the extended family visited little by little. (Not everyone had his or her own automobile.) Glasses were toasted to the finest music provided by none other than the recordings of Artie Shaw's orchestra which by the end of that year had suffered more wear and tear than TV's face this current morning.

            Today was like any other day. He watched neighbors rise and prep for their daily tasks. He lurked behind the window shade at every passing vehicle. He didn't bother to wave; the light in the living room was rather dim save for the small standing lamp next to his recliner. It was nearly impossible for the public eye to observe how he chose to occupy the end of his days.

            Like any child, the first few years of TV's life were a blur. He remembered more than most children, though. Of course he could remember being lost in the market. Of course he would remember his first solid food (sweet potatoes with carrots). Of course he could remember the first music he had ever heard. Of course he would never forget the impression music made upon his young mind and what caused him to pursue a music career for a decade of his young adult life. Of course there were bad things, too. Being the middle child wasn't easy and oftentimes he was laid to blame for things he either did or did not do. He remembered his first experience of violence and how it changed his worldview forever. Nevermore was the earth a smiling, friendly place. Once the walls were torn down they were never built again. He could remember the first small feelings of resentment for his upbringing. Later in life, as a father, he came to terms with these feelings.

            It's funny how the retired mind loses track of the days. There are no weekends. There are no Mondays. Hell, everyday is virtually a holiday anyway. This old b*****d laughed under his breath more than any good deeds could outdo. His teeth were browned as marshmallows over the campfire with gold encasing the edges of a few. Thick lenses on his gold rim glasses combined with the expensive binoculars on his lamp turned TV into a hungry vulture floating above the neighborhood in ominous concentric circles. The neighbors’ dirty looks didn't bother him anymore. He knew more about them than they knew him. He always knew where they were coming and going. He never once thought how uneasy his constant watch would perhaps make others feel. Dressing to the nines in your own home can become quite tedious. Some neighbors, like the Edison's, even installed doors behind their homes in hopes to enjoy the only privacy available to them. Keeping the drapes closed on the east side of the house was always a hassle too. It's hard to enjoy the dishes without a little sunshine. TV truly did not know how much his curious eyes impacted the lives of his neighbors.

            TV always bragged about his teenage years. He keenly divided his time amongst many activities: practicing the drums and learning music, flight school, high school classes, sports, and parties. One could tell by looking at the discolored spots decorating TV’s face that he liked to spend more time than good on the beach either playing guitar or drinking. In fact, he probably liked to drink more than most. As he was one of the oldest students in his class, he got his license early and enjoyed the luxury of his cheap Chevrolet.

It was also at this age that TV started to lose a fair amount of family members. His aunt Sarah had passed when he was 16 years old due to chronic bronchitis brought upon by heavy years of cigarette smoking. His grandfather also passed almost a full year later. Grandma had stepped out into the yard to tend to her garden when he began seizing at the top of the stairs. The worst part was that she didn’t hear any of the crashing and mumbled cries for help. She had come inside to take a short shower and came to find him lying at the bottom of the stairs. Blood trailed from the back of his head out the front doorway. The sight was something she had never gotten over, despite the years and years of therapy and prescribed anti depressant and anxiety medications. Oddly enough, TV’s grandmother took a certain fondness to smoking marijuana and they had enjoyed a few tokes together on more than one occasion. It helped her sleep at night and brought out his negligence behind the wheel.

The weirdest thing about TV was how easily he kept his life a secret. Even his wife didn’t know about the computer database in the basement simultaneously recording all twenty-four digital cameras in the front and back of their home. Yes, TV was secretly recording every move of the neighborhood. He even liked to broadcast these images live over the internet on a URL for which he paid a small monthly fee. Indeed, TV knew every inch of flesh of the Edison’s…as well as the Barker’s, Piedmont’s, Dockson’s, and De La Cruz’s.

When TV was 25, he met a young gal, Darla, and immediately fell in love. They had met while he was in the navy stationed just outside of Miami. TV was at his favorite local dive, Cinderella’s, and just happened to catch Darla mid-fall as the heel of her shoe decided to give way. (Naturally this lead to conversations of his strength and quite a few gin and tonics.) No, TV didn’t take Darla home that night, but went home with another prize altogether. Darla never heard about it, even ‘til her dying days. People can get away with a hell of a lot if they really try.

Their courtship lasted for the better part of 6 months before TV brought himself down onto one knee during the fourth of July celebration in downtown Miami. Darla couldn’t help but cry her little blue eyes out in front of a crowd of hundreds. What started as a coincidence turned out to be the greatest dream-come-true when TV bought their first home at age 27. They moved to a small ranch home in Athens, Georgia. This provided many great nights of playing games with the kids (come a few years) and of course more gin and tonics. The maple syrup at Sunday brunch never tasted sweeter. The kids eventually grew old, moved out, and had families of their own. TV was a happy grandfather at the age of forty-four. They babysat until they could no longer stand. They changed more dirty diapers than they ever thought they would and enjoyed it this time around. Of course, TV (being the dirty old b*****d he was) practically forced their fourth child on Darla and became a father again at the age of fifty. This is the child never discussed or seen. David was a teenage runaway and was probably dead of suicide but TV didn’t mind. He was a colicky baby that never seemed to like dad despite his efforts. David always preferred mom and it made TV sick to his stomach. In David’s younger years you could most often find TV in the garage passing the time smoking cigarettes or joints with a dessert of beer.

There was no more drinking for TV at his ripe old age after the diagnosis of diabetes in 1993. It was hard enough for him to put sugar in his morning decaf without losing his mind. He had to think long and hard about getting his rocks off in different ways. He was even tired of hitting Darla when she pissed him off. In fact, Darla was no longer with us. She died much like TV’s grandfather after a fall down the stairs. It was merely passed off as sleepwalking and no questions were asked. TV barely grieved for the woman whom he had devoted over half of his life and likewise hers to his. She was just getting in the way of his newest project.

What started as an annoying idea one sleepless night had now turned into TV’s obsession. After damn near emptying his savings account on the counter at Best Buy, he was rigged with the most complex and illegal system on the block. He could just think about which neighbor’s life he wanted to live and it was one click away. He had a certain fondness for Mrs. De La Cruz and knew her schedule quite well. He shared many of her eight of clock baths with her from the comfort of his own home and with joystick in hand. He thought about just going over there and knocking on her door which he eventually did. She answered in her bathrobe and had been startled. Embarrassed, TV was just asking if she still had power since all of his clocks had stopped. She only replied with a ‘yes’ and they parted their ways. TV resumed with their nightly sessions. Of course he didn’t mind waking up early to have a nice conversation with her hologram in his living room computer as she made the morning coffee. TV now lived a comfortable electronic lifestyle without the need for actual human contact. He spent enough of his years trying to let people please him. It wasn’t really worth it in the end. TV enjoyed the honeymoon phase of his new “relationship” to the fullest.

On a warm Saturday afternoon, Jacob Piedmont was playing catch in the road with his father. Jacob’s terrible aim landed the ball in TV’s yard more than once. Frustrated with all the extra work and about to call it quits, Mr. Piedmont walked into the yard to grab the football one last time when a glare caught his eye. He gazed over the yard again and noticed a small glass mirror in the corner of the lava rocks. He bent down to inspect and upon doing so realized that in fact a small camera was hidden in TV’s front yard. He hollered at Jacob to go inside and knocked on the front door. There was no answer and the door swung partially open. Piedmont figured TV was in the backyard so he wandered carefully into the house. He inspected every room and noticed some meatloaf in the oven. TV was nowhere to be found. Piedmont checked over every room and found nothing. TV must have been out running one of his rare errands. Piedmont wandered into the basement.

            You could almost hear Piedmont’s jaw drop to the floor. He lost his breath and glared into the most horrifying computer system he had ever seen. He saw his wife and Jacob cutting peppers in preparation for dinner. Mrs. De La Cruz was stripping down to her birthday suit and sticking her big toe into an inviting bathtub. He could see lawns being simultaneously mowed. Piedmont choked on his spit. My f*****g god, he thought. He began screaming words that he hoped his son would never hear. His screamed so loud that blood began to trickle out of his right ear and onto his cheek. Tears streamed down his face. He stormed out of the house.

The news was such a shock that mommy fell straight down to the floor with a blank expression. Daddy picked mommy up just as soon as he sent the kitchen table flying across the room in pieces. One shard almost nailed Jacob in the head if he had only been a few inches closer to the wall. Daddy didn’t even notice. He was busy stomping around the house and smashing his fists into the wall. All of the commotion was rather traumatic for Jacob and he started to cry. As his cries went unheard, he ran into his room and began to hit his head against the wall. Eventually he just crawled into bed, turned off the lights, and fell asleep clutching the pet dog.

            Mr. Piedmont was more protective than anyone, going so far as to carry a small hunting knife in his pocket at all times while the family was on vacation. He kept a small handgun underneath his bed. Suddenly, a car pulled into the driveway across the street. He ran into the hall closet and pulled the shotgun off the wall. He grabbed two shells. Before exiting the house, he coughed down two mouthfuls of potent whiskey and stared at himself briefly in the mirror. Humans were animals.

Piedmont approached the front door and observed for a moment. He lifted his mammoth leg and sunk it directly into the door just above the doorknob. The door collapsed into pieces. Oddly, smoked poured out of the house. Piedmont stepped back. He laid the gun down on the ground casually and took off the safety. He ripped off his shirt and tore it into two strips. One strip was folded and covered his nose and mouth. The other strip was folded and worn as a headband. Piedmont entered the house confidently with his gun scanning every possible direction. CNN poured useless information into the empty living room. He moved quickly into the kitchen. The oven had been left on and the burning made his eyes water. He nudged the oven switch with the nose of the shotgun and moved up the stairs. He checked each bedroom to find nothing. He stopped at the top of the basement steps and peered into the backyard to again find nothing. He slowly descended down the stairs.

            In the smoke filled basement, Piedmont gathered his thoughts before he turned the corner and pummeled TV in his vital organs with three metal slugs. He pumped the shotgun. He turned the corner.

 

 

…………The distinct sound of sobbing caught him off guard.  

 

            Piedmont almost dropped his gun. TV was standing on top of a card table in the middle of the basement with a noose wrapped tightly around his neck and his hands behind his back. TV attempted to speak but the tension on his neck turned his voice into a soft growl. Piedmont stepped forward to hear him better. Again, TV tried to speak to no avail.

            TV’s hands emerged from behind his back carrying a large magnum revolver. He lifted up his hand and fired a round directly through Piedmont’s head. What was left of his body collapsed to the ground in a large puddle.

 

            TV leapt off of the card table.