Oh won't you please be my neighbor

Okay here is a random story, but it makes me question the caliber of my neighbors. The apartment I share a paper thin wall with is a one bedroom housing three guys (mid twenties). Okay, three guys sharing a one bedroom is not unusual in NYC since the price of apartments often makes people share a studio. I awoke around midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning to the slamming of a door. Since my bed is pushed up against the share wall (and the fact that our walls transmit sound better than a cell phone) I was able to piece together what was happening on the other side of the wall. Evidently, the girlfriend of one of the guys “got with” one of the other roommates. The boyfriend just found out about the affair and he went on a rampage. At first it was a bunch of yelling and slamming door, then it turned to fist fights! Yeah, when it was just yelling, I was temped to go over and knock to tell them to be quiet. When they started beating the crap out of each other, I decided to stay put in order to avoid any tangential fury.

Well the boyfriend was beating up the roommate before handing out bitch slaps to the girlfriend. I am hearing shouting from the guys, smacks of the fist, wrestling shuffles, furniture breaking/moving, the girl screaming and crying hysterically, smacks across the face, etc. At one point I thought about crawling into my bathtub because it would be safest there in case one of them pulled out a gun. After the dust settled, the third roommate (bystander) was the voice of reason and made them stop (or made the boyfriend stop beating the other roommate). He kept shouting, “stop man, he is hurt, he is bleeding and shit, and his arm is funny, we need to go to the hospital, I’m telling you man he is f-ed up, where is the hospital”. The third roommate and the affair roommate left for the hospital. The boyfriend then went to the sobbing (loud sobbing) girlfriend and said soothing things to her. I couldn’t tell what he said (probably, I do this because I love you, etc) but it was softer and more soothing sounding. Anyway, those two eventually picked up and went to the hospital (I assume since she got part of the wrath).

I was able to get back to sleep (after deadbolt and chain my door and shove a chair under the knob) eventually. No word from them in the morning while I was getting ready. It poses the question; in NYC how well do you really want to know your neighbors?