Chapter 3

I decided to interview the neighbors of the 29 and the 30 year-olds since they lived in the same neighborhood. Their names respectively are Will Brenton and Charles Brantley. The neighborhood they lived in is a well-to-do community. I drove down the streets and looked up their addresses.

Will lived in a two-story sky-blue house with white trim and a wraparound porch. A well manicured lawn surrounded the house. Well taken care of shrubs and trees surrounded the house. The beautiful house seemed to welcome me.

To interview the neighbors I decided to pose as a poll taker. I walked up to the neigbor to the right's house and knocked on the door.

“Hello, I am Lesley and I am taking a survey on the overall satisfaction of this neighborhood. Can you tell me a little about your neighbors?”

“Well, Mr. Brenton, my next door neighbor is a very nice guy. Always says hello to me. He keeps his house to great standards. He works everyday at his job. He keeps a nice appearance. He has two cats who are delights. They usually stay in the house. I am very happy living here.”

“Thank you, for helping me out. Have a nice day.”

I then went to the other next door neighbor and got similar response. I will definitely keep Mr. Will Brenton in mind.

I drove down the next block, turned right and went down two streets and turned to the left. Mr. Charles Brantley's house was on the left. It too, is a beautiful stately house. It consisted of two-stories. The house is a lovely shade of dove grey with forest green trim. The windows had shutters of the same green. There was a small porch with wrought iron posts also painted in forest green. The lawn is also well manicured. The greenery surrounding the house is well cared for.

I decided to use the same ruse to get some information my his next door neighbors. I figured I would go to the left first this time. I walked up to the door and rang the bell.

“Hello, I represent the neighborhood satisfaction survey. My name is Lesley. Do you mind if I ask a few questions about your neighbors?”

“No problem. What would you like to know?”

“Can you tell me a little bit about Mr. Brantley?”

“Sure. It was such a tragedy when his wife died last year. She was such a sweet lady and he was so devoted to her. He pulled into his shell right after it. He is starting to come out of the depression now and back to his old self. He is friendly, loves to chat with his neighbors. As you can see he takes care of his house and property. He has a beautiful Siamese cat who he dotes on. He checks on his elderly neighbors to make sure they are all right. I am extremely satisfied living here.

“Thank you, for taking the time to answer my survey. Have a great day.”

I went to the other next door neighbor and got similar responses. I would definitely keep Mr. Charles Brantley on the short list. It was going to be hard to choose the right guy.

I drove back to my room and looked up Marc Foster with Google. I found some very helpful information. He lived in an older section of the town. It was in nice part of town. He and his ex-wife were pillars in their community. He had two grown kids, a son and daughter. I decided to go interview his neighbors and see what is what. I don't know if I want an older husband, but I will have to see what develops.

I drove to his neighborhood and looked up his residence. It was a single story ranch house. It was white with black trim. There was no porch. The lawn is well tended. The shrubs and trees could use a little trimming. It was a nice house, but I was not sure if it is what I want. Oh, well, let me see what I find out.

His house had only one next door neighbor. So I approached the neighbor's house. Yes, I was going to use a similar ruse to find out about Mr. Marc Foster. I rang the bell and waited.

“Hello my name is Lesley and I am taking a poll on how satisfied you are with your neighbors. Do you mind answering it?”

“Sure.”

“How is Mr. Foster as a neighbor?”

“He is a great guy. I did not like his ex-wife though. She thought her crap didn't stink. He is a down to earth guy. He works everyday. He donates to many charities. He is concerned about keeping a safe community.”

“Thank you for answering the poll. Have a nice day.”

I would keep him in consideration too. I guess the next step is to meet them and see what develops.