Targeted Individual Story Time #1 (neighbor shenanigans)

Summary

The speaker shares a personal story about an unsettling experience with a neighbor in their previous building. The neighbor frequently asked for various items, which the speaker initially provided, ignoring their intuition due to religious beliefs. The neighbor's behavior escalated, leading to discomfort and realization of manipulation attempts. The speaker eventually confronted the neighbor and ended contact. Later, they saw him begging for money despite receiving government support, which led the speaker to reflect on manipulative behaviors of some beggars. The story highlights themes of intuition, boundaries, and manipulation.

Takeaways

• 😀 The narrator recounts a story of interactions with a suspicious neighbor in their previous apartment building.
• 🚪 The neighbor, who lived on the seventh floor, often knocked on the narrator’s door asking for various items such as sugar, meat, and cleaning tools.
• 📞 The neighbor also asked to use the narrator's phone, revealing that he was receiving government assistance, including disability payments and housing support.
• ☕ The narrator refused an offer of coffee from the neighbor, sensing something was off about the interaction.
• 😕 The neighbor claimed to have seen the narrator outside at a time when they were certain they were at home, causing the narrator to question their own memory.
• 🧠 Over time, the narrator realized the neighbor’s behavior was manipulative, designed to erode their boundaries and self-confidence.
• ✝️ The narrator attributes part of their willingness to help the neighbor to a period when they were practicing Christianity, which they felt made them more vulnerable to exploitation.
• 😠 The breaking point came when the neighbor made an inappropriate comment, prompting the narrator to confront him and tell him never to return.
• 🚶 After moving away, the narrator encountered the same neighbor begging for money, despite knowing that he was already receiving financial assistance.
• 🙏 The narrator reflects on how many street beggars manipulate people emotionally by invoking religious sentiments, specifically using phrases like 'God bless you' to evoke guilt and shame.

Q & A

What was the initial reason the neighbor knocked on the speaker's door?

The neighbor from the seventh floor came to ask for sugar.

How did the speaker react when the neighbor first asked for sugar?

The speaker gave the neighbor sugar without any issue.

What other items did the neighbor ask for in subsequent visits?

The neighbor asked for meat, cleaning tools (like a mop), and also to use the speaker’s phone.

How did the speaker discover the neighbor was receiving disability payments?

The neighbor used the speaker’s phone to make a call, and during the conversation, the speaker overheard the neighbor discussing that he was receiving disability payments and his rent was being paid by the government.

What offer did the speaker refuse from the neighbor?

The neighbor offered instant coffee, but the speaker refused, feeling an internal instinct not to take it.

What made the speaker question their sanity during the encounters with the neighbor?

The neighbor mentioned seeing the speaker out with someone at a time when the speaker knew they had been asleep in their apartment, making the speaker question themselves.

Why did the speaker continue to help the neighbor despite feeling uncomfortable?

The speaker had recently gotten into Christianity and believed in not judging others, which led them to suppress their intuition and give the neighbor the benefit of the doubt.

What was the turning point that made the speaker confront the neighbor?

The neighbor made an inappropriate comment as he was leaving one day, which triggered the speaker to finally realize something was wrong and confront him.

What was the speaker's final interaction with the neighbor?

The speaker angrily told the neighbor to stay away and never come back after reaching a breaking point.

What did the speaker observe about the neighbor after moving away?

The speaker saw the neighbor begging for money outside a convenience store, despite knowing he was receiving disability payments and had his housing paid for.