I get an Apology

On Saturday as I was returning from my wanderings I encountered a woman from the village. While normally this would not be worthy of including here, the conversation we had and subsequent events relate directly to previous posts.

I first met this woman when I first moved to the village. Back then I was a point of interest as was seen as a new and just as important single man in the village. It was quite amusing to have all that interest, but while I am open to a relationship, I am not really looking. This woman though was one that I did find attractive but we soon discovered that we had little in common. I am always open to forming friendships that was the way we left it.

We had been out a couple of times so I was rather surprised when she asked if I would look after her girl one afternoon. I refused but I did go with her to do the shopping she needed. It was because she had been let down over a lift that she asked, but as a single parent she could not envisage trying to carry the shopping home and look after her child at the same time.

Well when I saw her on Saturday, when I said hello she told me that she was not sure that she should be talking to me. While I had guessed why, I asked her what she meant. She told me what she had been told. Well I informed her that is was not true and the real reason behind the lies about me.

I pointed out that if I were a danger to children then wouldn't I have been trying to baby sit your girl, when in fact I refused. She admitted that was true and that she was confused. Anyway, I told her that unless the woman, who is my neighbour and repeating the vile lies stopped I may be forced to take legal action. That shocked her, I also told her that I had documents that proved that the friend of the neighbour was nothing more than a hateful liar.

So she came to my place and while I made some coffee, she loves my coffee, I got the papers relating to the court action. In particular was the report by Corgi and the Electrical survey done by the council on the state of the property. But what really clinched it was showing her the photographs of the poor state of repair of the property.

I explained that my then Landlady, and friend of my near neighbour, had made up the story to try and stop me getting any accommodation. However there were the matters that my near neighbour were saying independently. As my friend listed the criticisms, I was able to knock each one down. The one that really had me amused was that I regularly wandered around the place naked. Now while there had been once incident where it may have been possible for outsiders to see in, as she talked I realised that my neighbour must have been spying on me. I did comment that she obviously doest have anything better to do with her time, but I showed her that the only way she could have seen that was through my kitchen window, and as the yard is surrounded by a seven foot wall, she would have had to be making quite an effort too.
However during our conversation she reported a comment that greatly offended me. This near neighbour has previously made it clear that she doesn't like my long hair or that I frequently wear a beard. Now that is all a matter of taste, and I don't care what she or anyone thinks about that, but she is saying that it make me look like a “Dirty Jew”. While I have never hidden my Jewish heritage, my mother was Jewish, my great grandfather was a Rabbi, I have no religion. But this makes her motivations crystal clear to me.

I even told my friend that, as the near neighbour was clearly being racist she should consider if she should even be friends with her.

Well I thought that was the end of that. Then on Sunday while I was sorting out my video footage, I spotted the Common Buzzard flying over, so I went out to see if I could film it. As I walked to open ground the husband of the neighbour called to me. He had obviously seen me going out and had followed me. At this I told he “Did he really want to talk to a Dirty Jew?”

He blushed at this, at least that told me that his intention was not to beat me up. He then said that he was sorry that I had to hear that. I pointed out that he was sorry that I heard it not that it was said. What followed was a difficult conversation, as he tried to justify what his wife was doing and saying. It was clear that my friend had told them everything we had said. But clearly the real motivation here was to avoid getting sued. As I pointed out such lies could and would damage me and my business. While he agreed that they would not repeat the claims made by their friend, my former landlord, I would not agree to stop any thought of legal action. Mainly as I don't yet know how this may have damaged me or if the lies would stop.

I pointed out that their friend was not just a criminal but had been convicted of running a brothel that had a fifteen year old working in it. At this revelation he turned white, this had obviously been news to him. Therefore if anyone was guilty of child abuse she was. Even then he tried to defend their friend saying that she was only found guilty on a technicality. I told him “Technicality my butt”, not the word I actually used, and informed him that their friend was charging a rent that was about ten times higher than a normal rent, that she would not have done unless she knew what was happening. That information left him speechless.

At this he promised me that not only would the lies be stopped but he would make sure that the truth was told. He acknowledged that his wife didn't like me and had told several people but he would make sure that it ended.

Then this morning the neighbour herself came to my door to apologise. While I was cold towards her, I accepted her words. I just hope that this can now be an end to the matter.

While I was aware that this neighbour did not like me, she has been bitchy about my appearance and my lifestyle right from first meeting her, that I could live with. What has annoyed me most is the way that other people have been prepared to listen to hateful words and accept them without any evidence.

Personally I prefer to follow the words of an inspirational and eloquent leader, I judge people by the content of their character, and I admire people who do the same.