The Little Girls Make an Appearance

I signed the lease this morning.  I spoke to the rental agent about installing some securing measures in the home, including an alarm system, and he agreed.  Upon my second visit to the neighborhood, I felt a bit better about living in the house.  Not because the neighborhood improved overnight or anything,  but because I have become determined to make it work.  Despite the questionable neighborhood, the house itself is great.  A two-story, turn-of-the-century home with a “parlor” in the front and a big yard for Lulu in the back.  As my mom and I were moving things into the house, three little girls from the neighborhood came by to say hello.  I guess, they weren’t really little—they are junior high school students—but they aren’t weathered and hardened like most of the adults in the neighborhood, which gives them a certain youth and innocence that I find charming.  They said how happy they were that someone was moving into the house (apparently, it has been empty for some time now) and they wanted to meet Lulu and talk about their respective pets.  I can’t exactly say why, but after talking to the Little Girls (which will be their collective name henceforth), I felt a certain amount of relief.  Perhaps not the same kind of relief I would feel if just one adult in this neighborhood would acknowledge my presence, but relief nonetheless.   I also knew that if the Little Girls were on my side, they would alert me to any strange activity around my home, since they were out playing in the streets all day until the street lights came on.  Perhaps I will be able to find my place in this neighborhood yet.