Woman Saves Husband From Chatty Older Neighbor After “SOS” Text — but Folks Say It's Rude
Published Oct. 9 2023, 11:30 a.m. ET
If you’ve lived in an apartment, house, or any other residence for long enough, you may start discovering the convenience of bonding with the people who live in the same area. With time, neighbors can feel more like friends and, if you’re lucky, even family.
While many neighbors forge friendships after living in close quarters, others do not. Instead, some neighbors may even find the people in their neighborhood annoying and prefer avoiding them at all costs.
It’s safe to say one woman and her husband aren’t too fond of their older neighbor. On TikTok, the woman admitted that she and her hubby crafted a foolproof scheme to run away from the talkative senior citizen.
A woman made up an excuse for her husband to run away from a neighbor’s incessant talking.
Although we would all like to have neighbors who feel like family, especially when we move away from our families of origin, sometimes that’s just not the case. Like any budding friendship, both parties entering the friendship must be committed to getting to know one another and accepting each other’s differences.
In TikToker Caitlin Nickel’s (@caitlin.nickel) case, the significant difference between her and her husband, Gary, and their next-door neighbor, Richard, is that, unlike the Nickels, Richard likes to talk. A lot. According to Caitlin’s July 2023 TikTok, Richard could talk for “two hours” outside of his home if he could.
Caitlin didn’t say when she and her husband discovered a way to avoid Richard talking their ears off, but suffice it to say it happened soon after their first interaction with the older man. Nonetheless, Caitlin shared with her viewers how they managed to dodge talking to their neighbor all afternoon.
During her TikTok, Caitlin posted a screenshot of Gary’s text, which read “SOS Richard.” Caitlin said in the video that the signal meant it was time for her to find an excuse for Gary to leave Richard’s residence and go on with the rest of his day.
After jokingly referring to her husband and their neighbor as “best friends,” Caitlin explained that Richard frequently approaches Gary, which caused them to create the “SOS” alert. She then said she has to “basically make up a lie” for Gary to leave his and Richard’s conversation.
In the TikTok, Caitlin chose to use a classic bathroom excuse and used her daughter, Vivian, as the scapegoat. During the video, Caitlin walked outside and told Gary “Vivian clogged the toilet,” allowing Gary to say “See you later” to Richard and run away from the neighbor. The TikTok ended with Gary smiling on his way back to the house and making a heart gesture in Caitlin’s direction.
The couple received mixed reviews after showing how they avoid speaking to the “poor guy.”
Caitlin’s TikTok of her partner, Gary, going to great lengths to stop a conversation with their talkative neighbor went viral on TikTok and caused plenty of discussion in Caitlin’s comments. However, many responses scolded Caitlin and Gary for poking fun at a man who may or may not have any of his own friends.
Underneath Caitlin’s video, several commenters felt Caitlin and Gary weren’t aware of the fact that Richard could likely be lonely and in need of companionship. Many commenters noted how even though Richard annoys the couple, speaking to them daily could be the highlight of his day.
“Bless his heart, he’s older and probably so lonely,” one user wrote.
“This would literally break his heart if he ever saw this,” another chimed in. “Be kind to the elderly.”
“Awww so sad, I would hate if this were my dad or grandpa😓,” said a third disappointed commenter.
While many commenters were appalled by Caitlin and Gary’s behavior toward Richard, others could relate to them wanting to flee from his continuous banter. One TikTok user even admitted to being “married to a Richard” and could understand the couple’s pain.
In my opinion, Caitlin and Gary weren’t wrong for having a plan of action to avoid conversations they didn’t want to have. However, posting about it was very much giving mean girl behavior.
Fortunately, Caitlin shared in her comments section that neither she nor Gary meant any harm and that they “love” Richard at the end of the day.
