I’ve been helping my neighbour feed her cats and water her one (1) plant while she’s away.
Neighbour as in she lives just two doors away from our building and one time when we had big scary insect problems in our apartment, we called her for help. She didn’t come to our rescue but did offer her cats because and I quote “Momo is good hunter”.
Neighbour as in some times when I hear loud noises coming from upstairs, I text her to ask if she could hear it too. Neighbour as in when there’s leftover beer from entertaining guests, she offers it to me because she doesn’t drink. Neighbour as in when there’s a power cut, we ask if she wanted to have dinner somewhere together while we wait for the lights to come back on.
Is this what it feels like to live in a time before we were all so guarded, wary, and suspicious?
We never expected to make friends with any neighbours. High-rise living in KL has made us sceptical about having any sort of interaction with people who live in the same building, let alone on the same street.
Modern living definitely plays a role in our anti-social behaviours and this is true anywhere. Malta is not exempt but people here do live closer to the ground. You’re more likely to see people out and about, and towering stickle-brick buildings aren’t as common.
Our friendship with our neighbour only happened because we found her lost cat in our apartment. We’d seen a cat from two doors down hanging out on the balcony, so when we stumbled upon Momo in our building, Nine had a hunch it was the same one. She swiftly rushed over, going door-to-door looking for Momo’s owner.
It was a chance encounter but I would attribute that to us living somewhere where it was possible to notice your neighbour’s balconies and take an interest in their lives.
We became instant friends after. Our neighbour even gave Nine the title “Momo lifesaver” whenever she introduced her to others. Now, whenever Mimi goes out of town, we look after her cats.
As I stand in her kitchen, watching the cats eat, I can’t help but feel like our life in Malta is something out of a movie. After all, I can’t recall a time when I was this involved with a neighbour.
mostly earnest 