In the building where I temporarily live, there are a bunch of older folks. Some are more than delightful. Some are bored, frustrated and jealous. Observing behavior in the latter provides some interesting characterizations for writing.
One such couple are both busy bodies. He suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, morbid obesity. She is frustrated with him, fat herself and when he says JUMP, she says, "how high?"
Both seem to enjoy commenting on the lives of others. They confer with other 'undeclared' busy bodies and caucus on the way to best HANDLE THE SITUATION at hand. At the given moment. There are always situations.
Today he started commenting on another busy body neighbor who wasn't present.
"Do you know why I am leaving?" the man said.
The woman sitting there clearly couldn't care less. She was trying to read her newspapers.
"It's because of Sylvia," he said.
"She is such a busy body and I can't stand it!"
The woman dropped her shoulders looking in the direction of the man with absolute kindness and compassion. It was obvious she felt his pain.
Then he turned to the woman.
"You seem unsatisfied," the man said.
She put her paper down folding it neatly on the table.
"Excuse me, that is a rather arrogant comment. How do you label people and make suppositions about them when you don't know a thing about them?
"You're twisting my words."
"No, you are making value judgments and I don't much care for that. Look at your own life before you comment on mine," she said picking her paper up.
The woman, who was reading a newspapers, turned to the man and queried about his life. She commented that he was suggesting everyone else wasn't happy and she wondered about his life. He got mad, threw up his arms and left the room.
"Have a good life!" he stormed.
"I always do," she smiled.
Both he and the busy body wife are moving out soon. I'll have to find more interesting characters to include in my writings. No doubt, we will have them. At least while I temporarily live here.
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