The Green DOOR

His new neighbour had brought nothing but noise and disruption, yet there was something about her that still drew him in

- Linda Lewis

When two more vans arrived the day after his new neighbour moved in, Arthur couldn’t believe his eyes. It wasn’t just furniture they were unloading, there were plants too.

There were so many tubs and containers that he quickly lost count. It was as if she’d brought an entire garden with her.

It was no better at the weekend. Hammers, drills, thumps, bumps and thuds – the racket went on for hours.

He wondered why people always had to change things. The previous owners had ripped out a perfectly good kitchen mere weeks after moving in. When they tore out the original fireplaces and dumped them in a skip, it almost broke his heart.

On Saturday afternoon, all kinds of thuds and noises were still coming from next door. It sounded as though a herd of rhino had moved in.

He decided to go to the library for a bit of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong time to leave. His new neighbour was in the front garden, watching as a man painted her door a deep shade of green.

Arthur preferred the door the way it was; white like everyone else’s.

She gave him a friendly smile. ‘Hi. I’m Rachel Burrows. You must be Arthur. I’m sorry about the noise. The worst will be over in a couple of days.’

‘It’s Mr Brown,’ he replied as he hurried down the path.

He hadn’t meant to be rude, and regretted his snappiness the second the words left his mouth.

It was lucky his daughter hadn’t heard him, she would have told him off something rotten. Sometimes, he could hear her voice in his head. ‘You’re turning into a grumpy old man. You need to get on with your life. It didn’t end when Mum ran off.’