Our friend Mark had a sauerkraut party a few weekends ago...and I must say that HIS sauerkraut is very tasty, for reasons that defy logic. Every few months Mark and his neighbors all gather for obscure food, drinks, and a good laugh. It usually happens in the middle of their cul de sac - right there in the road. They pull out the BBQ, the fire pit, the chairs, the condiments, the dogs, the children, and sometimes even a wurlitzer for me to play. This is the sort of neighborhood where people literally hop the fence to say hello. This is the sort of neighborhood where someone raises rabbits, and then everyone else adopts them. It's either the perfect neighborhood or a terrifying lack of privacy.
We love Mark. We love his neighborhood. We love his house, his pets, his hobbies, and his friendship. Every time we hang out with him, our spirits are raised. In comparison to his neighborhood and life, the rest of us have it pretty dull. I don't really speak with my neighbors, unless we nod at each other as we get the mail.
However, at 2:10am a few mornings ago, our whole neighborhood awoke to a terrible S-M-AAAAaaa-SHhh. And then...the squealing of desperate rubber. To clarify - when I say "the whole neighborhood" I mean EVERYONE except me. Cuz I was sleeping, yo.
Kevin jumped to the floor, threw on some clothes and joined everyone who had thundered to the street. My old car was still sitting in front of our house, and he was fairly convinced the smashing sound was the demolition of my Jetta. (It wasn't.) What he discovered was an entire crowd of PJ wearing people surrounding the busted car of a drunk driver who was stupidly trying to squeal his way from a hit and run. Oh, yes. That sound was the smashing of two cars. But neither of them were mine.
It was the first time in recorded history that the polite, stuffy, reclusive neighborhood in which I live all came out full force and partied in the street. Jammies, bedhead, morning breath and all. And I missed it.
It's such a shame that it took a drunken car crash to bring my neighborhood together. It makes me think that between the two, I'd take sauerkraut over a crash any day of the week.
