Police Tape - do not pass

When we moved to our house two years ago, one of the first people I met was J-, age 90 something, who lived across the street. One of first things she asked me was if I were Jewish. She added quickly she did not really like Jews and was unhappy about how they had taken over the town. (I had read somewhere that my town was over 40% Jewish) I was taken aback. I had lived in the town at that point for over 15 years and was the first bonafide anti-Semite I'd met in the town and in many years.

J- was pleased we were not Jewish. She did not comprehend that we were a gay family. I'm sure that wouldn't have pleased her if it had registered. She was racist. She generally was unhappy with the neighbors, even the white non-Jews.

In my initial conversation with her, J- was very concerned that we maintain our property. She avowed she always had taken care of hers but added her nephew, who lived two houses away, was now her groundskeeper. She was especially concerned about autumn leaves which unraked led to suburban blight. I assured her I believed in raking but I already knew my raking standards would not pass muster.

J- warned me she called the police on a regular basis. Neighbors confirmed this. She was not a popular neighbor. She called the cops if she didn't like a fence, if she thought children played too loud and if leaves were not raked. She told me this and I witnessed the police at her house about once a month.

J- told me her family had previously owned much of the property on the street including the property I now own. Her grandparents had lived there in a bungalow (which was torn down to build my house she added). Her parents had lived next door and other family down the block and she and her husband had lived in her two family house until he died years ago. She stopped renting out the other floor because she didn't like the renting class.

J- would walk up to her nephew's house. She would sit and look out the window. She sometimes said hello.

There was a blizzard on Wednesday. Thursday, we were still shoveling out. I was home from work with the kids both days. From her front window, I saw J- inspecting the street's shoveling progress Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon.

The kids returned to school on Friday. I was off for Lincoln's Birthday. My partner took the kids to the bus stop, but came in to get our son gloves and said there were lots of cops outside.

J- was found dead on the sidewalk. At first, we though she had frozen to death. She was we were told slightly demented. Later, we found out she probably meant to walk to her nephew's house but went right instead of left. The medical examiner suggested to the nephew it was probably heart failure. The nephew was surprised she went out into the cold since she kept her house at 80 degrees and since she did not leave the house in the winter.

The neighborhood freaked out. The streets were blocked off by town cops who it seemed had all converged on the scene. The was a coroner and a medical examiner and an ambulance, quickly dismissed. A crime scene tape was stretched across the sidewalk. It was a moment out of CSI.

The woman lay on the sidewalk covered by a gray blanket for almost 4 hours. Cops took pictures. It was all documented. Thoroughly, I am sure.

After everyone was at school, and most of the cops had gone. I looked out the window. All that remained was one cop and cop car, the medical examiner's van and blue minivan. Then, the cop drove away. Next, I saw a gurney covered with a green blanket put J-'s body into the minivan. An unmarked, family-car kind of minivan. The men got in and drove away. The medical examiner's van pulled up to the nephew's house. The man entered for a minute and then left and drove away.

It was all so sad. A sad end to what I surmise was a sad, insular life. I am glad she did not freeze to death.