Sleepless in Rivervale

I can't believe I haven't introduce my dear readers to my infamous neighbour. He has to be the most “popular” in our neighbourhood. The first time he made his “debut” was in the middle of the night. We were all sleeping soundly when I thought I heard a shout.

You know how your heart beat will suddenly pick up speed, and you get all nervous and wide awake, when totally unexpected, heard something in the dead silence of the night? That was what happened the first time I heard him. It was in the middle of the night when the shouting started. Moreover, our flats are built in such a way that the playground is in the middle with the blocks surrounding it. So whatever sounds made anywhere were bound to be bounced around and reflected to everyone of us.

I remembered that first time I heard him, he was so damn noisy that another guy from some other unit shouted back at him to shut up in Hokkien. Naturally, this neighbour was undeterred and shouted back. So hence began the shouting match for a few minutes. But somehow, the husband was still snoring away beside me. If only I was as sound a sleeper as he is.

So it began a series of shouting in Hokkien and Chinese during the middle of the nights. When it happened a second time, I woke the husband up. If I was not getting any sleep, he was not either. Anyway, I'm not sure what triggered off all the shoutings but somehow, they always happened during weekday nights when most of us had to work or study the next day. And it's worse when I'm a very light sleeper. However, when weekends come, there was not even a whisper from him.

The husband said most likely the shouting started becoz of quarrels in the house as we could hear a woman shouting sometimes too. There was one time when the man was shouting in Hokkien, "Help! Help! The mother is going to kill the son!" It was then followed by a series of door banging and things hitting against one another. That was one of the worst night.

The husband called the police that night. However, we didn't know if the police came or not. Actually we already know which unit is it, coz I saw the guy kicking and shouting during one weekend morning. But what exactly can the police do? I think they could only issue a warning or something, can't really arrest him, right?

Anyway, that week was one of the worst. During that one week, we heard him for about 3 to 4 nights. Once, he shouted to his neighbours upstairs to stop banging. Another time he challenged another neighbour to go look for him, and he even shouted out his unit number.

He was at it last night again, after a very long spell, about 1 or 2 months of absence. Maybe he wanted to remind us not to forget him. Anyway, some guy shouted back to call the police, then our dear neighbour challenged him to call, saying he was not afraid.

Really, what is going on in his mind? We would never know. Maybe he is a plain nutcase, or he has some serious anger management issues.

At times like these, I find myself wondering whether we are considered lucky or unlucky to get such a neighbour. I've heard other horror stories about neighbours throwing chicken rice or curry out of the window only to land on others' laundry. And also an auntie who buys fish from the market, and proceeded to gut it outside her flat and leave the intestines and other stuff along the corridor.