Over the Fence

I interrupt my neighbors gathering near their garage with their friends to say, “It sounds like you have chickens in your garage.”

They stop laughing and give me a dirty look.

I try to correct this neighborly misunderstanding and lean over the fence to say, “I have plenty of compost for your chickens.”

Once again, they ignore me and move away from the fence and I wonder why my neighborly overtures came across as offensive.

I take the dog for a walk to ponder this, and when we return, I no longer hear the chickens. The women are gathered in the garage. The neighbor man walks over and retrieves a freshly plucked chicken to throw on the grill. The dog barks, hoping they will invite her for their feast. When the offer doesn’t happen, she gives me the dirty eye, sensing my nosy neighbor encounter has ruined her chances for a decent meal. I leave the dog salivating by the fence and sulk inside the house, hoping my absence improves her chance of getting a piece of chicken tossed over the fence.