I Never Realized How Loud the Neighbors Are.

I’ve lived in the same building now for almost five years. In all those years I’ve been going to schools that require me to be there before 8am. So I’d always get ready and head out, with whatever routine I was working with. When I went to high school, my days got longer, going from 8am to 5pm. Through this time, we had gone through quite a few upstairs neighbors.

When we first moved in, it was a man and a woman, who argued a lot. The arguing would go all day, non stop. It honestly sounded like two larger dogs having a cage fight, while three small dogs watched and cheered them on. And it actually was three small dogs, because they had three jeriatric chihuahuas. Sometimes one of the dogs would die, and then they’d almost instantly replace it. But they’d never have an old dog die, then get a new puppy. They would go and get yet another old chihuahua. They must have had a crippling old chihuahua dealer. I think the worst part was, after all that arguing, the couple would make up throughout the night. Lucky for me though, I didn’t sleep under the vent, like my brother. He would have front row seats to these makeup sessions, that would last throughout the night on full blast.

Once that couple moved out though, we all felt pretty relieved and hopefully for our new neighbors. We were still hoarded by our suffocating schedules that we didn’t notice a whole lot above us. Every once in a while there would be a thump or a roll or a squeak, but personally I didn’t think too much of it.

But now — I’m in quarantine. What does this mean? I notice damn near everything. And one like day three of quarantine, I started to notice how fucking loud my upstairs neighbors are. Some of my guesses on what they do are: Bowling, 24/7 workout, fight club, fostering Great Danes, and this list can go one. But then I remember, they’re two grown adults. Who in real life, when I’ve said hi, are really quiet and keep to themselves. And I really just cannot emphasize enough how loud the noises are. I hear loud thuds, followed by rolls, and crashes. And now, everyday of quarantine I just can’t help to ask, what the fuck? Like, what is happening up there? I contemplate knocking, not even to ask for them to stop, but to just get a glimpse of an idea of what might be happening in there, but I never will.

Through all the chaotic clamor above me, it made me realize something. The couple that lives above me have lived there for over a year, and it’s not like they just started making these noises. My family and I are just so in tune to being out and productive we couldn’t hear the fights between King Kong and Godzilla above us. As long as I have a complete schedule that I’m in tune with, so many small things can fly by me. Even the loudest neighbors in the world.