Neighbors
By Nikki Dolson, first published in Vautrin
A middle-aged black woman gets a mysterious email related to a couple who once lived in her neighborhood and ruined her life.
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Plot Summary
A woman named Val checks her email one night and discovers an email that reads "I'm sorry this happened. You deserve so much better -A." The "A" makes Val think of a woman named Anika who was once her neighbor, before she got divorced to her husband Thomas. Anika moved into the neighborhood with her husband Adam. They could not have kids, but they were very involved in the neighborhood and Anika would help with book clubs and school bake sales. Val viewed the couple as perfect.
Adam and Anika were investors, and they convinced many people in the neighborhood to invest on their projects. Anika asked Val and her husband, but Val declined. Val was in her mid thirties, and she and Thomas had money saved for IVF so they could have another child. Val does not want to risk losing this money or having it get tied up.
A week after getting the first email, Val receives another email that says "She betrayed me too -A." This makes Val realize it is Adam who is emailing her. Attached to the email is a news clip from Portland, Oregon in which Anika is in the background. Val reveals that the night that she and Thomas separated, Anika had called, crying about how Adam had taken their money and gone. Val told Thomas this, and said it was good that they did not invest with Adam because they needed the money for when Val would be pregnant. Thomas is acting strange, and he reveals that he was having an affair with Anika, and she had convinced him to invest fifteen thousand dollars.
Anika had sworn that she did not know where Adam went or where the money was, and she soon moved away. The neighborhood fell apart, and many people had to sell their houses. Val emails Adam asking where he is, but all he says is that Anika specifically targeted Val because she thought Val had it easy. He also says that Anika has all of the money, and that he is going to get caught soon.
Val flies to Portland to confront Anika. She is working in a bookstore, and she is surprised to see Val. Anika wants to speak with Val privately, so the two woman go upstairs. Anika reveals that her mother was a maid. Val asks why Anika targeted her, and Anika offers to give back the money she lost. She suddenly comes up behind Val and holds her hand over her mouth and nose, rendering her unconscious. When Val gains consciousness, she is on the floor. Anika says that Val disgusted her. She pulls out a saw, and says that she will not let anyone ruin her new start and steal from her like she stole from Val.
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