Up to this moment Mme. Empathy had snubbed me if we passed
each other on the street. Therefore I
was stupefied by her smile. I felt like
a small rat stared down by a serpent. With a pearly sweet voice she began.
‘There seems to be a misunderstanding between us.’ What a great phrase to evade one’s
faults or wrong doings.
.‘…because you kept calling the police, I have paid a
fortune fixing the problem.’ She took on
a victim tone as if I was the mean trouble maker.
‘But we are neighbours and I
do not want you to be distressed.’ An Oscar
winning performance. All my sufferings
and the near death encounter, was it all just a dream?
‘…We can solve this
among ourselves. You need no lawsuit
against the restaurant so long as the noise is removed, right?’ Here comes the logic and bargaining. The thought of permanent silence lift the weight
off my shoulder.
Mme. Empathy was
gaining ground on me, but I remembered to mention one point. ‘Thank you, but I am still exposed to the noise of your
machines every night. I can’t say the
noise is removed at this stage.’
The smile on Mme. Empathy froze. Her eyes took on harsh colour. Why was I feeling apologetic? Probably from fear. Mme. Empathy slipped back into a considerate smile.
‘I blame Mme. Landlord who has gotten you in this mess. She does not even live here, but we do. You and I should live harmoniously, but that
woman has been giving you bad advice. We
don’t need her, you and I’
My God, Mme. Empathy was using a brainwashing technique
practiced by cults. First shifting blame
on me, making me feel guilty and then severing emotional bond with my
friends. No wonder Natalie had fallen
for this. Mrs. Empathy was also a
beautiful woman with a great body. Men
would stand no chance with her.
By instinct I turned around and ran away. The only way to save myself from brainwashing
process was to physically remove myself from the situation. To my horror, Mrs. Empathy came running after
me too. I picked up speed until I could
run no more. I did lose her in the end,
but I was scared that she knew where I lived.
However, that was the last time Mme. Empathy ever approached
me. My dear Mrs. Landlord was coming back
from her cancer treatment. She had
escaped death and was ready to resume the battle with me. I admit Mme. Empathy was way above my league, but Mme. Landlord was also formidable. To be
continued.
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