My neighbour is a 60 something man, when I first moved here, he knocked on my kitchen window and told me I had a leak. Then he introduced himself. I was warned about him by the previous resident, so I was polite but restrained myself from being overly familiar. After this he started to ring my doorbell, maybe once every two weeks, to try to involve me in local issues. I expressed a mild interest, but my job involves unsocial hours, so I had to make my excuses (honestly).
Then the dinner invitations started to come, again, I rarely get a chance to have an evening free, especially at weekends, so I would reply with a handwritten note, apologising and expressing my thanks.
This went on for around 6 months, then one day he rang my bell, and after answering the door he told me he had a ticked to Dominica going free, and would I like to have it!!! (For real).
I said no thankyou, as I felt that this was way too much from a man I hardly knew, (ain't this an obvious reaction), and that I felt that he must know someone who was much more deserving of this ticket/holiday. (I forgot to mention the man is very well off).
A week after this, I was walking to the supermarket, and he appeared out of nowhere and again offered me a ticket to Dominica, plus all expenses paid. Again, I politely refused (I was very gentle btw, not at all rude).
But I was getting a bit creeped out by this point. As I left the supermarket, I found him waiting by the exit, where he told me that he was 'in love' with me, and that I was 'the most dearthly handsome man he had ever seen'.
At this point, I must admit I lost some patience and told him that his behaviour was most definitely upsetting me and perhaps it would be best if he just left me to get on with my life!!
2 weeks later I came home to find my garden (which I take some pride in) had been, well, destroyed. The rose bushes had been uprooted, the drainage pipe smashed, the trellis ripped down, earth and shrubs uprooted and flung all over the lawn. Terracotta pots smashed, and garden waste strewn from the bin all over the shop!!!
My neighbours told me that they had seen this guy (the neighbour in love with me) in full flow rampaging through my garden, had leant over the garden fence to ask what he was doing and he had ran off.
At this point, I got angry. Really fucking fucking FUCKING PISSED! I went around and for the first time banged on his door.....no answer. I left him a note and told him that if he didn't leave me be, I would involve the police.
The next day I awoke to find that he had dumped about 10 garbage bags (emptied) all over my car. Now, I didn't see him do this, but it was pretty obvious who it was. What had I done to deserve this? Had I hurt him deliberately? I mean, I didn't even know this guy, this much respected 'pillar' of the local community.
So, I went outside, cleared up all his shit from the car bay, and the car! Then, I went over to his, and calmly in broad daylight dumped all his shit back over the front step and window boxes of his Hotel. Then I called the Police.
This was 2 years ago....all is quiet on the Western front, as the Police told him that if he bothered me in any way again, he would be arrested and charged with stalking.
I still see him from time to time, and he hates me. Which is fine, I can live with that, but what freaks me out is that here is a guy who I never even knew, and he feels that I did him wrong somehow, and that he still lives next door to me. (Distant pyscho threads shrill......).
So much for 'love thy neighbour' eh!!