"Hey, kids, since your day will be gone for a business trip for a year or even more, I think it is best we go live with your favourite uncle. What do you think?" Salome asked her kids.
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"Yeeeh, at least I will get to lick ice cream every day. Uncle James is really so caring; mom, let's go already." Sally and her brother Jerome shouted.
Salome hates to live in their big house whenever her husband is not around, so she uses it as an opportunity to go spend sometime with her siblings, as it helps her kids and her siblings to bond better. Her kids even prefer to live in their uncle's house than live in their own house, so they always supported the idea. At least their uncles are easygoing, whereas their dad is strict, and hardly before one experiences a fun time with him.
"Uncle James, uncle James. Mom, uncle James is here." Sally screamed as he came to pick them up from the airport.
"How have you guys been? I brought you some candies," Uncle James said as he handed over the candies.
"Thank you, uncle," Sally and Jerome said.
On reaching his apartment, they all noticed a strange man sitting in his car with tattoos all over him and looking really scary. "He is probably a cultist or Gangstar," Salome said to herself.
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"So, who is the scary guy we just passed? Seeing him made me feel uncomfortable." Salome asked her brother, trying to get details about the strange man; maybe that would help her feel better.
"Oh, Mike is our new neighbor. He just moved in a few months ago, and he has been labeled a gangster, and everyone in the neighborhood tries to avoid having anything to do with him even though there are no evidence to back this claims." James answered
"Wow, why not have your landlord do a background check before letting someone move in? Now I don't feel comfortable here, and I will have to always have my eyes on the kids since we don't know what he is capable of." Salome responded.
"You and the kids should just beware of him and try not to do anything to cross his path negatively, as I doubt he would do anything to hurt you if you don't." James warned
Immediately Salome rushed to meet the kids in their room so as to relay the message.
"I hope you guys saw the neighbor with tattoos? I don't want you guys anywhere near him; he seems dangerous, and I don't want you guys in harm's way." Their mom warned them to avoid him at all costs.
Mike, whom they are all scared of, made it a habit to buy candies for the kids whenever he goes out. At first, it was difficult to accept gifts from him, but he was consistent, and it convinced them he was genuinely seeking friendship and closeness, and slowly they started to get close, and through the kids, both the mom and uncle James started saying hi to Mike.
"Hey Mike. You busy, or you would like to join us?" Salome asked Mike as he was on his way to his apartment.
"You sure?" Mike asked, surprised and wondering what had come over her.
"Yeah, sure, we have been neighbors for a while now and have not gotten to know each other better. I think this will help us get over our fear of you." Salome said, laughing.
"No problem then." Mike said as he sat down to enjoy their company and not go back to his lonely apartment.
"So tell us about you, Mike. Anything you wish to share." Uncle James asked.
"Well, you know people with tattoos are stereotyped to be very bad people; everyone has a reason for having one. When you look at my tattoos, you will see they are pictures of people. I lost my entire family of 4, a mom, and 3 kids in a ghastly accident. The tattoos all over me are to remind me of them, and the dates on my hand represent the dates they all died, as only one child died at the spot. I used to feel lonely until your kids came around; at least they remind me of mine and keep the neighborhood buzzing." Mike said as he burst into tears.
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"We didn't know; it must have been really heavy on you, and people made it even heavier. I apologize on behalf of all of us." Salome said as she consoled him.
"We all need to understand that things are not always as they seem; we need to get to the root of a matter before we draw a conclusion." Mike responded
