by Anne Harrell

Created on: July 20, 2009

Bad Friends

Speaking of bad friends, I can tell you a story of a family that lived down the road from my family. My family lives in a townhome. Bob and Carla lived two doors down. Bob had a serious mental problem. All the neighbors around us stayed clear of Bob. We never knew what Bob was going to do next.

It was just a few days before Christmas in 1993 when Bob and Carla moved in two doors down from us. Carla worked as a nurse's aide at one of the near by nursing homes. It was Christmas Eve night when Bob came up and introduced his self to Mark and I. when he saw Mark and I bringing Christmas out of the car for our six children. We stood there and talked to him for a couple of minutes when all of a sudden he realized that he left the truck running with his two year old son in the front seat, and the child was not in a car seat. Alston decided that he was going to lock the doors in truck with the motor running.

This man is crazy! Bob realized that Alston was playing with the steering wheel. When Bob went running to the truck, he couldn't get in the truck with the doors being locked. Bob stood outside at almost midnight screaming and yelling like Alston understood every word he said. He was loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear him, even three streets over heard him yelling.

After a half hour of Bob cussing, somebody ended up calling the police! Bob didn't want the police to come out because of the violation of leaving a child unattended in a running motor vehicle. When the police showed up the officer chided Bob for getting out of the truck in the first place leaving the truck running with a child not in a safety seat. Bob was gotten on child endangerment. This was just the beginning of future run ins with the neighbors and the police.

About two weeks down the road, it was again about midnight when all a sudden we were awaken from a car horn blowing. The deaf woman next door to me had parked her car right on the line Bob wasn't happy that Joyce had parked right on the line. Usually at nighttime when she comes in late at night she would park where she could make a beeline to the door. Bob came up in her driveway blowing the horn blinking the lights, then gets out and pounds on the door cussing at her.

When I first heard the noise, I knew it could be anybody but Bob with his mental issues. I got up out of bed and opened my window when I saw the neighbor on the other side of me looking out of his window. Steve couldn't believe the show Bob was putting on for the neighbors. The bad thing Bob forgot all about was that two doors up from us lived a city cop. Dan came up just in time before Bob kicked Joyce's door in.

When Dan saw what was happening he called for back up from the police department not knowing what Bob might do. Bob wasn't afraid of what the police would do that he told one of the officers that he was going to kick the cop's rear. Bob didn't know when to let by gone be by gone. Different neighbors had come out to see what all the rifts were about when they started telling Bob to kick the cop's butt. Bob didn't know when to shut up and go into the house. Bob took in picked up his hand and took a awing at the cop. That was all it took for the cops to hull Bob off that night. At least we were able to sleep for a few hours with out Bob cussing outside and threatening people. Thank God, we only had to put up with Bob for six months before they moved away.

That is what you call bad, bad, friends.

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