After a few weeks, though, I decided that I would have to take action.Home values were already in the dumps and they wouldn't get any betterwith this ...ind of nonsense on our block; it had to stop. That's when Idecided that I was going to introduce myself to the neighbors and kindlyask them to be more considerate of the other neighbors.It was a Friday after work when I decided to approach their house. I hadseen one of the men who lived in the house pacing on the porch earlier,so I knew at least. ? When shereturned about five minutes later she was dressed for the outdoors in skijacket, snow boots, a stocking cap and gloves.?She took the leather leash handle in one of her gloved hands. Turningtoward the glass windows looking out onto the snow-covered patio, she led himby the leash, sliding open the door, then stepping out onto the freezing patiostone and into the ankle deep snow.?Along the edge of the covered swimming pool in the dark, theywalked.? Not once did she turn to see howhe was. But instead, she felt a soft caress to her cheek and unseen lips meeting her own, lips she knew.“Alexis,” she whispered as she opened her eyes, looking upon the smile meant only for her.“Sophia, I promised I would be here with you.” They shared another sapphic kiss and then held each other tight for a moment neither wished would end. They eventually separated, if only to wipe away each other’s joyful tears. “I knew you would make it. See? You’re stronger than you think,” Alexis said.Sophia. Looking back as an adult minus my childhood naivety I nowcomprehend all the innuendos and subtle mickey taking I received from mypeers and adults alike, not to mention the unexplainable hostility fromcertain quarters.Within that new found hindsight which comes with maturity of adulthood Ihad to dispense with the delusion that my mother had no idea of myinclinations. In my own defence I only knew her in the first six years ofmy life before she was cruelly snatched away from me by a drunk.