Dedicated to Raanee because she's cute and blackmailed me smh. Kidding <3.

Title is a mantra. Live by it. Leave people alone.

Lemme start by saying something totally textbook: Man is a social animal.

That's the excuse most people give when I politely ask them to mind their own business. Polite being : "Could you please maybe just mind your own business?" and well, rude being "COULD YOU KINDLY JUST FUCK OFF AND LEAVE ME ALONE?"

As you can see, even my rude is polite. I deserve medals.

Anyway, man being a social animal doesn't give you an excuse to stick your overly large greasy nose into someone else's business (if you get the reference, shout SNIVELLUS). It says Man is a social animal  not Man is a meddling asshole who has rights to drabble in everybody's business.

Learn the difference. Being social means being accepting, not being a slaty ass nosy bish.

I live in an apartment. And here, as you can guess, everybody is way too social. Can't take one ducking step outside without people going "Oh my god, look who's finally come out of her room! Do you know us? How are your studies going?" etc etc with wide smiles showing me the palak they had for dinner last night and a glazed-over look in their eyes; a combination that never fails to creep me out. Because to me they're like spirits that haunt the whole place, popping out from behind every corner, faded and stuck in a never ending enquiry about others' business.

And it's the same answer from me each time. Sheepish smile, a heheheh for their benefit because they're oh so witty, and a "My studies are going good, Aunty/Uncle/random-person-I've-never-seen-before-but-knows-all-the-details-of-my-life."

Sometimes they get a "How are you?" in return, when I'm feeling generous.

But I'm just ranting away, whining to get it off my chest that this bothers me. It's not like I'm constantly stressed out about my studies and future, so you reminding me every time I try to take a breath is totall acceptable. Keep it up, clap clap.

Which is why...I usually tend to stay out of everyone's business. Taking concious effort to do so. No, I don't want to know about your mother-in-law's evil antics unless you're that close to me and I like having you around. And you like the person I am beneath the social grooming mask I wear outside the comfort of my own home and Wattpad.

But I digress. What I originally wanted to say is... something happened around here, the place I live in that has me very angry, upset and also sorrowful. I guess it's not just one simple incident, it's a lead up of many but yeah...

So my neighbour is a very sweet woman, and she's super nice to everyone. But due to reasons I don't wish to put up here for the sake of their privacy, she had to be rushed to the hospital. She will be okay, I guess, just...not mentally. It is a huge thing, what she's going through and I only wish her well.

But what I wanted to talk about are the other type of neighbours. The nosy neighbours. I know everyone has those.

We'll call this one particular woman Lady R. She's younger, has a small daughter herself, is a professor at some university and that, for some strange reason makes her infinitely better than everyone else in the apartment.

Now I've never had a problem with her before. I always did think she was too loud and too...just too much, but it was none of my business so I never let myself think about her as more than a passing, fleeting thought. Then I learned that she goes around bullying other women in the flat.

Not the outright, in your face bullying, although that too sometimes. This is the subtle, stab your back while smiling to your face sort of bullying. Her antics never worked at our house though because my mom...is not someone you mess with like that, especially by a young girl who hasn't seen the world as much as my mom has. Lady R does tell my mother that every ache or pain she complains about it because of old age and she should be very careful because there are so many diseases you can catch, bhaabi―

First of all,

Second of all, stfu. You are half her age and have high cholesterol, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, a fatty liver and a severe case of big nose syndrome. That must be why it's always stuck in other people's businesses!

BISH.

Whew. Sorry, I need to do that. Wow it feels good.

But anyway, this Lady R is known around the flat for being.... insensitive. We've had an incident, with a young absolutely amazing couple who lost their first baby and that was so bad in itself, but I was at boarding school then and wasn't hugely involved or affected. Because I saw her like only once during the time of pregnancy. When she lost the baby, I was super sad, but my mom was devastated. Anyway, so this young couple is only just recovering from that nasty blow, and one fine evening as all the kids were playing around in the park and all the women were sitting around talking, Lady R made some comment about this couple not knowing the hardships of parenting because they don't have kids.

Something like "you won't understand because you don't have any kids." In a scornful tone.

I mean, are you stupid? Do you not have an ounce of sensitivity in you?! Or do you get some sick pleasure out of it?

She made her cry! The poor thing went back home and sat down and cried after months, when she thought she was getting over it.

Why are people so MORONIC man?! Like wtf?! WHO DOES THIS?!

I gotta calm myself down I'm getting so worked up just writing this.

So this is just an example of what she does, Lady R. She goes around picking fights with almost everyone but my mom and one more person. She criticizes the other little kids, they're tiny ones, like 4 to 6 years old. She once got super mad because one of the little boys, I think he's seven, hugged her daughter, who's six or something, for a second after they won a game together.

I mean, wait, firstly, AWWWWWWWH ❤️❤️❤️.  Second of all, they're kids. She got mad because she's sexualizing an innocent act between two six year olds.

I dunno about you guys, but I thought it was a sick line of thought. And this. This is why we'll never progress as a country. Because people have such absurd mentalities and refuse to change them and that's like....UGH.

I actually feel bad for her daughter. She's never going to have any good guy friends because she won't be able to look at them that way. She's going to be raised like that, and I. Feel. Sorry. For the poor child.

Lady R has also asked my poor neighbour years ago, when she learned she was pregnant, why she would think about having a child at her age.

She's fucking 32 or 34 okay just fuck off and mind your own business.

And another time, she was so jealous that she said super mean stuff and it upset this pregnant woman and― WHO WILLINGLY UPSETS A PREGNANT WOMAN?! WHO THE ACTUAL FUDGE DOES THAT?! How can you even think of saying anything harsh or rude or upsetting around a person who's carrying a kid in their stomach?

That's only a few examples of her bishness.

My neighbour doesn't even like her anymore and prefers to stay far far away from this woman, but she does it subtly, not hurting anyone's feelings. Because she's like that.

Now today, as my neighbour rushed to the hospital early in the morning, she'd told only my mother what was happening. Our house help was home too. And the thing is, this same house help also works at Lady R's house and at my neighbour's too. She regulates timings between these three houses.

So my neighbour left for the hospital, we went about the morning all tensed up and shiz, calling every once in a while to check up on her.

The house help left for Lady R's house.

And minutes later, Lady R herself came rushing to our house, demanding to know what happened to my neighbour.

Well, good going, Miss House help. You couldn't keep your mouth shut even after we specifically told you not to tell anyone about this until the family in question decided to do so themselves?

But I don't really blame her, she's....uneducated and she doesn't know much expect making ends meet and gossipping to fill her time. That is her life. So I wasn't really surprised.

Mom was pretty mad though. Especially because upon learning everything, Lady R burst into tears, maybe because she feels bad or some shit, I dunno and rushed to the hospital.

But not before informing everyone else in the whole damn apartment about what happened.

And she rushed off towards the stressed out family to shower them with her sympathy and tears and shit when what they need is some space and some silence PLEASE. STOP PELTING THEM WITH YOUR SORROW AND MEASLY TEARS JUST FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR OWN IMAGE. Whether you look like a compassionate caring friend doesn't fudging matter right now, it's not ABOUT you! It's about them. Give. Them. SPACE.

But by the time she came back from the hospital, tears all dried and looking pleased with herself because, yeah she'd finished expressing her sympathies so now she could go back to her own life, the entire apartment knew about the situation. A situation not even the family in question have come to terms with themselves, a situation they should've been allowed to reveal to everyone at their own convenience, at their own time, whenever it is that they wanted and could.

But oh no. Your business is my business and we'll do what we want with it.

Fucking society. I CAN'T STAND IT.

Now my neighbour has to come back to sympathetic eyes following her everywhere, people expressing their worry and pity every chance they get even if they don't want to hear it. All they might want now is some space. And some time. With a few words, their right to some privacy has been completely ripped away. You don't think the husband and wife should be able to spend time with each other first and come to terms with whatever it was that happened, BIG OR SMALL? You don't think they should've been given time to explain to the rest of their family members and let them have a few fucking moments as a family before they even decided to tell the rest of the world??

They deserved that! Why would you take something like that away just for your own pleasure?! For a few seconds of measly GOSSIP?!

Society, WHY CAN'T YOU ALL JUST MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS?

That's my question. And a proper answer is something I know I'll never receive anytime soon.

                  ●●●●●●●●●

All the people I talked about here are based on real people and real incidents, but for the sake of privacy, I have tweaked a few details, left out a large amount of them.

Lady R, is real and if I had a chance I would've exposed her. I AM exposing her and people like her as much as I can through this rant.

And I had a point to convey and prove and this seemed like a very good time to do so. I hope I got through to anybody who reads this.

Also, I'm hungry and sleepy so bye.

I seriously love you guys though, all of you. You make my day so much better. You don't even know it.

I LOVE ALL YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️