His yelling was quickly becoming the neighborhood spectacle, lights began to blaze alive down the length of the street, fathers stood in their doorways with watchful gazes, their kids little faces pressed against their bedroom windows for a peek at the amusement that was unfolding in the street. There goes my quiet year... I leaned forward, both hands resting on my cane, and a very disapproving glare on my face. "AIDAN!" My voice had always been unusually quiet, I'd never been able to get a good yell even if I was furious, and so my yell; while very angry, sounded more concerned than it really ought to have. "You don't have problems. You ARE a problem." I spit the words now, my temper reaching its tipping point.

I hadn't even seen the look on Amy's face in response to the comment Aidan had made, instead all I heard was her door slamming violently. "The one with the damn RED flowers. See those, R.E.D. Pretty sure you can at least make that much out, yes?" With a despairing look towards Aidan, I shook my head, my thin lips pinched together in a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. All these decades and the fool still couldn't give up the alcohol. I knew my peaceful time here would be coming to a grinding hault with the presence of Aidan, he never let things just settle, or be quiet in any regard. He was a tornado, touching down in a torrent of howls and destruction. But despite all that, I was the fool that welcomed him, each and every damn time. So perhaps I shouldn't blame him? I am without guilt, and for that very reason I find myself relaxing to his presence; albiet with some doubt.

The look on Aidan's face was enough to know at least the yelling had ceased. Now the darker part of his mood was beginning to leak through the cracks of humor and vulgarity that consumed him in waves when he drank. His words caused me to smile faintly, though it was not the sort of smile you give when you're happy...it was more of an "I understand" sort of smile, the kind you give someone you've not really forgiven yet, but don't want to carry on the argument anyhow. I turned to follow him, glancing over at another of the neighbors, I waved towards them to signal they could all go crawl back to their beds, the show was over.

The cracking sound of the sunglasses hitting the sidewalk was audible now in the silence, it sounded out of place and alarming after all the yelling. "I'll have you know, being old pays off. You should see the stuff I get from these peons." The sound of Aidans laughter makes me chuckle softly. Then he brings up Amy again and my chuckle turns into a full hearted laugh. "No, I wasn't interested in that woman. She's as dull as a rock. I do in fact know that her lawn care man is 'getting some of that' as you put it." I laugh again, easily keeping pace with his drunk wandering. "You are a problem. I'm not apologizing for that. Especially because you called me a gopher, and I fucking hate gophers.'" With that, I slowed down and jabbed Aidan in the shoulder with my cane, directing him towards the proper house. "Left you drunkard, LEFT!"

My porch was an open space, large and covered over. Two sizable pillars stood before the threshold, a large white door that stood open; I'd forgotten to close it when I'd come out. The front lawn was quite small, though very green. At the base of the house was a garden full of various flowers, mostly of reds and blues that were so vibrant they stood out even in the darkness. "I can't believe you thought I'd have yellow flowers...and a HUMAN wife. I hate yellow, and I'd likely snap her neck the first time she told me to take out the trash."