A Good Neighborhood

by Therese Anne Fowler

We’ll say no one can be known by only what’s visible. We’ll say most of us hide what troubles and confuses us, displaying instead the facets we hope others will approve of, the parts we hope others will like.

“You know what Frost says: ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’”

What, she wondered, made a neighborhood good? To her parents, good seemed to mean there were mainly other people like themselves. So: white, privileged, very concerned with appearances (her mom) or perceptions (Brad).