3/12/10

A/N: I thought of this last night, I believe. Ocean's Thirteen is on right now, and I believe I have missed Mr. Sands. Which disappoints me beyond measure. But it will be on again tomorrow, along with the L&O:SVU episode "Design".

Also, Hector looks like Mr. Sands, so please, imagine him! Also, I just gave the neighbor a name because I was tired of calling her, "the girl" and "the teen" and "she".

I hope you like it! Also, if I upload a second story with a character named "Hector" it's not necessarily the same story nor a continuous. I sometimes use the same names in my stories. Please enjoy and review. Thank you!

----

It was a lovely day. So much lovelier than it had been lately, such as the day before when there was a horrible storm and knocked out thirty percent of the city's electricity, including water, heat, lights and television. That left people stranded, moping and whining and scared. Most of them had never experienced a black-out, which made the only man in the neighborhood whom kept his cool seem like an alien.

Hector Padmore, an English man from, well, England, had lived in the town for almost six years. But it seemed like much longer. Living alone in his large black and white house that sat between a yellow house occupied by a couple with five children, and a grey house with dark blue shingles that an elderly woman lived in. This quiet place seemed to be an ideal neighborhood to live. That is, if it wasn't so drab.

Hector really did hate the town. Not so much as the hate people had for gum stuck to the bottom of their shoes or when you get a stain on your favorite shirt, but more like the hate when you don't feel at home and you're unknown to the world. He sat in his house in silence, reclining in his dark brown rocking chair and staring at the opposite wall. It seemed nothing made him happy, though his house was quiet and cool, it wasn't quite ... home.

Sighing heavily, he shifted his eyes to the white blinds blocking out the sunshine, providing a warm glow to the room. He leaned forward and pushed himself forward, stepping towards the window on his left. As he approached it, he pulled two of the plastic blinds apart and stared out. It seemed a nice day enough. If only it were storming again. Everyone would be inside and quiet, no screaming and laughing. Nothing. It would be nice and ...

But that was not happening today. The bright blue sky was giving opportunity for everything fun. The clouds crawled across the sky, showing no sign of growing bigger and blacker, nor crossing in front of the sun to block it out.

The man turned his blue eyes toward the sounds next door. Three small boys and a small girl ran around the green yard, through the sprinkler and around the trampoline. They shrieked and laughed, jumping over buckets and plastic trowels. Running around in board shorts and a sparkling pink one-piece. He frowned a bit, feeling it a waste of time to do such activities. Weren't they disturbing the other neighbors?

He'd never had kids and never really planned on it either. Never married, barely dated, he was considered a lonely person. Deemed the title of official bachelor of the neighborhood by the people in the houses around him, he kept even more to himself than normally. His eyes turned to the woman lying on the trampoline, her head turned towards his house, her eyes closed. Lying on her stomach, she had her right arm pulled up to her chest and the other arm to her side. Sunbathing. In a green and pink bikini. On a trampoline. Around three brothers? A selfish thought of the girl.

The woman sighed, shaking her head and turning it up. Her eyes opened and she squinted, looking over towards the house. She was silent as she saw the familiar pale face in the window, staring at her. She slid her sunglasses down over her eyes, looking closer to see that he was, indeed, looking at her. Feeling a bit disgusted and perhaps visually violated, she sat up with her hands close to her chest and grabbed the towel near her feet. Wrapping it around her, she hopped off of the trampoline and, grabbing her book, trotted off towards the house. For years she had never felt really safe around that men.

She was sure he was harmless, but it still creeped her out.

Hector huffed, turning away and letting the blinds drop close. Walking back to his chair, he took his place sitting and stared at the wall again. She had seen him. But did it really matter? He wasn't spying. He was observing. Observing the life of normal and happy people in their natural environment. Sighing and shaking his head, he turned his eyes to the window. Did anything really matter? As he began to recline, he heard the soft knocking from the front door. Who could it be? Who would venture out of their way on this lovely day to come to his house? It had to be a mistake. When he didn't answer, surely they would take the hint and go away.

Not even fifteen seconds passed before the knocking came again, this time louder and a bit more impatient. Just a few more seconds, they could wait. This time ten seconds passed before there was a loud banging. Then five seconds before it sounded as if the person would break down the door.

Wishing they would just go away, the man stood and trudged out of his room, down the hallway and towards the front door. It was a mistake. Them visiting him was a mistake. This house was a mistake. Life was a mistake.

He was a mistake.

-----

"Mom! He was spying!" the girl began, walking around her kitchen towards her mother.

"Sweetie, I'm sure he wasn't spying."

"Yes! He was!"

"Honey, he's a harmless neighbor. And he's single -- "

"Oh, great. Now he's single and spying? Great."

"That's not what I meant, hon. I'm sure he was just wondering what all of the noise was."

"So he was staring at me?!"

"Please, calm down."

"No, I won't."

"He'll hear you, then. Is that what you want?"

"I want him to leave! To move out!"

"Sweetie, just because he stared at you doesn't mean he's a creep! I mean, come on, you let other guys stare at you .... and you can't get angry, parading around in miniskirts and ... bikinis."

"Arrgh," the girl growled, angry and upset, "You think I want a thirty-something pervert staring at me?!"

"No, I think you just like attention, hon. If you think that he was staring, go over and talk to him."

"So he can hurt me?!"

"No. So you can explain this misunderstand -- "

"Misunderstand?!" She laughed in disbelief.

"He's harmless, babe. Please, calm down -- have a glass of lemonade -- and just relax. I can talk with him if you'd like. Just stop screaming. You're worrying your sister."

The black-haired girl turned her head when her mother motioned behind her to see the younger girl standing in the doorway, peeking inside. Her large, round eyes were peering at her older sister, whom sighed and looked down.

"Are you all right, Virgie?"

The girl sighed, looking over, "Yeah, I'm fine now mom ... "

"Good," she smiled, "then now you can help me make dinner."

Gritting her teeth as her mother walked away, Virgie glared. She had been duped by her mother. Had her younger sister been in on it -- had she been paid off with sweets and cash by her mom? The little traitor.

"Come on, Virgie. Dinner won't make itself."

Dang it.