I’ve lived with different kinds of neighbours over the years — some were cool, some were tolerable, but there’s one particular disaster of a neighbour I can never forget. Honestly, if there was a Hall of Fame for terrible neighbours, this woman would have earned herself a VIP spot with ease.
It all happened back when my family was living in a compound with two duplexes sharing one gate. One of the duplexes was ours, and we rented out the other one to a couple — husband and wife. The husband was calm, quiet, and honestly didn’t bother anyone. But the wife? Ah! She was a full-time problem in human form.
The very first thing that made her unforgettable was her body odour. Now, I understand that everyone has their natural scent, but this was on another level. It wasn’t the type you notice faintly if you sit too close — it was the type that filled the air and made breathing feel like a risky activity. Anytime she came to our side of the house, I would instantly start feeling uncomfortable. There were moments I had to step outside just to get fresh air because it was that bad. For someone who was married and had regular visitors, I honestly couldn’t understand how she was so comfortable moving around with such a strong smell.
Her hygiene issues didn’t stop with her personal scent. The front of their house was always a complete mess. Overgrown grass, scattered items — it looked like an abandoned property most of the time. What made it worse was that they didn’t seem to care. They would walk past the mess every day like it was invisible. My mum, on the other hand, couldn’t stand seeing the compound look that way. So sometimes my mum would call her and talk to her about it which still doesnt even listen. So she would just send i and my siblings out to cut the grass and tidy up their side, just so the whole compound wouldn’t turn into a bush. It was frustrating, but at the same time, we couldn’t risk leaving it like that — especially knowing that snakes or other animals could easily show up.
Now, if you’re thinking, “Okay, maybe they’re just lazy,” you haven’t heard about their legendary gate behavior. There was one particular evening I’ll never forget. My mum had travelled so i was the only one at home. So i then stepped out to buy something down the street, and by the time I returned, the gate was locked from the inside. I knocked for almost 30 minutes, calling and knocking repeatedly, but they acted like they couldn’t hear anything. Meanwhile, they were very much inside — I could even hear their voices. It was already getting dark, and standing outside alone was uncomfortable. I was even already thinking of going to spend the night at my friend's house, but they didn’t seem to care. When they finally opened the gate, there was no apology, at all from her, she just said she didn't know that someone was at the gate,which i know was just mere lies. To be honest,i was pissed off but then i still kept my cool because i knew that if i had talked at point in time then it wouldn’t have come out right at all, and since they she was older, i didn't want to come off as someone who is disrespectful.
That whole experience taught me a lot about patience — and the importance of good hygiene and respectful boundaries. To this day, I still pray never to have neighbours like that again. It’s one thing to live with people you don’t really vibe with, but living with people who make your own home feel uncomfortable is something no one should have to experience.