Tabula Rasa

Swallowing thickly, she looked to the ground and wondered what the hell she was thinking. Bothering this woman who didn’t bother her. “Look, I don’t wanna be one those obnoxious, misunderstood neighbors that complain about everything. I don’t wanna, you know, harass you. I don’t wanna be the horror story you tell your friends when they come by.” Shaking her head, after a moment, she glanced back to Logan. “You know, I don’t want that weird neighbor rivalry. It’s… cliche. And weird.”

“But I work, not to say that you don’t. I bet you… well, yeah.” Where was she going with this, Harm hadn’t a clue. The woman had to be judging her hardcore for this. “I work at a high school, and I have to wake up really early on Mondays and, you know, your partying on Sunday night… It kinda keeps me up and…” Harmony took a deep breath, rubbing her fingers on her forehead. “This is so embarrassing and I… am so sorry.” She finished, continuing to shake her head before turning away.

At first, Logan bristled at the statement that her neighbor worked. It was the same kind of statement her colleagues had made in school when they thought they were more important. However, that irritation quickly dissipated when Harmony brought up the party she'd had. Logan clapped her head to her forehead in disbelief that she'd overlooked the noise level.  She'd assumed it was fine because Mrs. Rosenthaal hadn't made any complaints - but then, Mrs. Rosenthaal was practically deaf.  Logan followed after her neighbor as she turned to leave and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"No! Don't be sorry, you're totally right," she said apologetically. "I should have cleared it with you first.  I didn't think - well, I just didn't think, clearly.  I'm so sorry for the disturbance.  The partying's not a regular thing, or anything, but - college football's kind of a big deal, but ... oh!" Logan paused long enough to pull her phone out of her pocket. "I could give you my phone number, and if we're too loud when you're getting ready to turn in you could text me or call me," she offered.  Sometimes the games just got exciting and people could get riled up, but a text or phone call would serve as a good reminder that they needed to keep their voices down for the sake of the neighborhood. "And, of course, if you ever wanted to stop by you're more than welcome to ..." she trailed off awkwardly. "I'm sorry, again."

Harmony didn’t like to feel like much of a pester to people, but she couldn’t contain herself for this. This would get out of hand if she didn’t speak up now. The neighbor next door seemed friendly, she had to be. The woman was friendly, a partier, it seemed. Harmony didn’t mind partiers, but when loud music and loud guest and loud raving happens on a night she needs rest for school, Harm definitely minded.

The woman next door seemed nice though, and a part of Harm didn’t want to approach her about the noise. Something in her understood that this was a sports’ season- people celebrated that stuff. It wasn’t her neighbor’s fault. Still, school nights. To think like this made her feel uptight, but like her mother said over the phone, “If you don’t speak up, she’ll never know how you feel.” Which is exactly why Harmony waited at her window.

Harmony was waiting for the woman next door, Logan Navarro, to either enter or exit her home. She wouldn’t be caught off guard, and given a proper introduction. When Logan came in sight, Harm made her move. Skipping out the door, she held herself tightly and took the steps down her townhome carefully. “Excuse me?” She called behind Logan gently. “Excuse me, are you Logan?” Of course she was, the mailbox out front gave the information. But, she asked anyway. Start slow, that was key.

It had gone well enough, in that Logan had been able to sleep easily that night, without the tossing and turning that had started recently.  However, the relief only lasted until the morning when she woke up to a reality that no amount of parties could change the fact that Alex was never coming back.  She'd managed to stay busy since then, just getting out so she couldn't be alone with her thoughts, and it worked enough so that she didn't feel like there was a gaping hole in her chest where her heart used to be.  

This afternoon was one of the rougher ones, and as she walked out to get her mail she felt distracted somehow, lost in thoughts that she could quite put to words. She barely registered the sounds of her neighbor calling out to her until she turned slowly around to face her. "Oh, hi.  Sorry, I was ... distracted," she said, moving her arm in a jerky motion, all the while feeling guilty for not noticing her sooner. "I am Logan.  How can I help you?" she asked, smiling to hopefully show that she was approachable.

The PT shook her head, “Not really?” she replied, questioning slightly. It was a good ten, maybe 15 minute walk and she wasn’t sure if that counted as close in this area. She’d jogged here and had been halfway through her run when her phone had rung. It was a habit she’d picked up over the years, keeping her phone with her at all times. It’d been one of Derek’s rules and she found it a hard habit to break now. “I mean…I live maybe 10 minutes away but…is that counted as close?” Erin asked the other woman curiously. “It is a really pretty park…I didn’t get to go out to parks often at home…” she told her, trailing off as bad memories settled in the back of her mind.

"I would consider it relatively close, if it's a walk," Logan offered thoughtfully. "If it was a car ride, it could be close, just not as close as I was thinking," she went on to explain. "I live probably a five minute walk from here, which is nice because I have a dog who wants to run around all day, so I try to take him here a few times a week.  He's uh - he's at home today though," she added, considering it pertinent to explain why he wasn't with her now.  There could have a hundred different reasons why the woman next to her never made it out to a public park wherever she was from, but Logan's interest was piqued. "Oh, are you not from around here? Did you move here recently?" she asked curiously.

"That’s good to know," Erin sighs, relieved. She nodded her head at the other woman’s words. "It really does. Especially when it’s your fault," she murmurs, looking down to her hands in her lap. She frowned, watching as she rubbed at her ring finger for a moment before separating her hands and looking up. "It’s nice to meet you too Logan," she says, smiling tightly. 

For a moment, Logan felt a twinge of guilt at the idea that she may have made the other woman self-conscious, albeit unintentionally. It was clear from the way Erin's voice softened that something bad had happened, and while Logan was curious, she wasn't about to pry and force information out of her. This wasn't her office, and Erin wasn't a client.  Instead, Logan managed a sympathetic nod and let the moment pass.  "Do you live close to the park?" she asked, to make conversation. "I do; I love being able to just walk here and enjoy the day."

Hayden took Logan’s laugh at the mention of Elsa, as good sign. Most people either really enjoyed the girl’s company or found her a pest. There was absolutely no in-between. “How bad’s your cooking? On a scale of one to ten?” he asked, prior to slumping his shoulders at the mentions of how his cousin was doing. Contemplating on what to say, his eyes focus on his dogs and he knitted in his eyebrows. “She is a sweet girl. God knows what I’d do without her. But…she’s recently gotten into something of a pickle at work. They want her to find a therapist, and she’s not having an easy time finding one she trusts.” Not going into more detail, Hayden shrugged; it really wasn’t his business to tell. But maybe Logan knew somebody willing to be of assistance? 

Logan winced when Hayden asked about her cooking skills, knowing she was about to admit something embarrassing. "Honestly? Probably like a negative four," she said, crossing her arms around herself. Before Hayden spoke again, Logan noted the way he cast his gaze to the side, like he was lost in thought. She listened intently and nodded every now and then to show she was listening.  It was a shame to hear that his cousin was struggling, especially as Logan had enjoyed her presence in her home so much.  Her weight shifted from one foot to the other as she considered whether it would be acceptable to offer advice.  Of course, it might be a conflict of interest to counsel the girl herself, but she did have coworkers. "I - ah, I work as a therapist, actually, and I've got a few coworkers who are accepting new clients.  If you're interested, I could give you their information," she said finally, hoping she wasn't coming off too strong.