eksaseyes 13

You just can't reason with drunk people.

2.40am. I've just returned home and the neighbours are outside in their backyard partying noisily.

So i go downstairs, smile over the fence and request they turn off their stereo. It's a fair enough ask. Midnight is the usual (legal?) cut-off time for suburban noise disturbance. They've had nearly 3 hours extra.

I am calm and reasonable and naively i expected them to be the happy, "yeah whatever," peace-and-goodwill-to-everyone type of drunks who, with a slurry apology, would shut off their music.

Silly me. The host fails to understand what i'm asking.
"We never have parties. It's my girlfriend's farewell." (as if this, and their previously clean party record, is some kind of waiver).
"It's saturday night. Why do you need to go to sleep? It's SATURDAY night. You don't have to do anything tomorrow."
Meaning HE doesn't have to get up and do anything tomorrow. He has no concept of anything outside his own tiny little world. He wants to stay up and party on Saturday night (as do his dozen or so friends) Ergo, everyone in the world wants to party all saturday night. (Except boring old me who only wants to party til 2.30 am.)

He tells me i should be satisfied that they've turned the music down. He points in the direction of the music source as if to prove it.
It doesn't sound any different. I don't believe him. Perhaps i should have accepted his compromise and left it there. But i feel there's already been enuf compromise: it's 2.45 am.

And i try to explain again that any volume of music will keep me and the other neighbours awake. Plus he can't complain - they've had over 2 hours extra music time since midnight. I am not asking them to stop partying. I am still being reasonable. But i can feel my face starting to set and i am no longer smiling. Dammit. I am tired and failing to see the humour any more.

Suddenly he's switched to anger. That's excessive alcohol for you.
"OK. Go. Call the police then!"

Police? Who said anything about police?
Not me. We can work this out between us like civilised fellow human beings.
(Can't we??)

We can't because one of us is off his face (hint - it's not me). So are his friends. One of them, a short blond girl, is taking it very badly and trying to verbally abuse me, but one of her less unreasonable friends has his hand clamped across her mouth. I'm sort of disappointed. The curious me wanted to hear what sort of crap she'd come out with. But i guess i know, because the host has some abuse of his own waiting, and several guests are now leaving, talking loudly about how i've killed all the fun and ruined the evening. Apparently you can't have a party without music. I don't even try suggesting they all head down the the crowded, pumping local pub where clearly they'll be able to make as much noise as they like and go crazy til dawn. Because they can't be reasoned with. It's as if they all have tunnel vision and literal or lateral options are inconceivable.

At the same time, a tiny part of me is also sinking - am i a miserable kill-joy?

When i realise we've reached an impasse, i skeptically agree to go upstairs and see if the reduced volume is tolerable. I am still calm as i slowly turn and walk away , but my heart is beating a little fast, from his unexpected unreasonableness and outright aggression.
To my back he yells something like "yeah-fuck-off-you-stupid-bitch".

Should i have kept walking? The old me probably would have. (The old me probably wouldn't have even started this.) But no more doormat. This me turns and asks pardon what did you say?!
A response of more blather that i can't recall. He never has the guts to abuse me to my face. Just more macho posturing as he again he dares me to go away and call the police.

So again, i turn and slowly, calmly walk away, up the stairs.
And he starts singing. Louder and louder, some sad classic ballad that they are now clapping along with. He sings quite well; i enjoy being serenaded up my stairs and am smiling, humming and stepping in rhythm. I'm almost tempted to run back down and start singing along with them.

But i know when enough's enough. I hear his message. We will turn off our stereo, but we can still make enough noise to piss you off.

When i'm home inside i hear bottles breaking and hope that they don't realise my car is parked right on the other side of the fence. But they've already forgotten me now and and are back in their little party land.
...........

Today i watched them bounce down the street, a happy party, out for more fun somewhere. They're clearly unharmed by my interruption last night, so it seems i didn't kill their fun and ruin their night at all.