love a neighbor

the dog barks and growls and announces a visitor.  the boys come hollering into the living room.  "he's here.  he's here.  our neighbor is here."  at seven thirty in the pm i step out the door to meet him in the dusky cool.  {in my pajamas.  because, face it.  at least for this week i'm the kind of girl who goes to work and wears pants with buttons by day, and the girl who wears only elastic from five in the pm on.  it is literally the first thing i do when i get home.  hi, how was your day, where are my pajamas?}  he's always wobbly as a newborn kitten.  today was no different.  he walks when he can't drive.  and.  sometimes.  as horrifying as it may seem, driving is the only thing that keeps him going.   his walking is equal parts perilous.  he needed a break from hotel lonely he told me.  and he missed his wife.  i watched his eyes as he described their wedding day.  he got lost in her beauty long gone.  those are the important memories, i thought.  his other memories weren't coming to mind as readily as they did only a few months ago.  he took a breather in my kitchen.  all ninety one years of tired, heaped up there.  he is always welcome at my table. sometimes he takes me up on the offer.  joining a link up about how we love our neighbors here.