The BNEs

There was a brown wooden fence that wrapped around my house in Austin, Texas. On one side, there sat a gate to my neighbor’s backyard. The gate was never locked. Each houses’ dogs would run back and forth through all the yards. Neighbors would walk back and forth to say hello, share a smile, and share some food. We called ourselves the “BNEs” (best neighbors ever.) We even have mugs that said it.

There was my house— which consisted of my dad, my mom, and I— and then next to us was Jason and Joanne, and next to them, sat Matt and Christie, and their son Landon. Across the street, lived Cathie, or we liked to call her our matriarch. We celebrated every large and small event together whether it was a birthday, promotion, graduation, or just a sunny day. And we spent almost every holiday together.

They taught me how to have “just cause” parties. One day, everyone was reminiscing on nostalgic cereals, so we decided to throw a spontaneous breakfast for dinner party. If someone had extra leftovers in the fridge, it called for a BNE hang out. When football season would roll around, neighbors would bounce from house to house getting drinks, more snacks, and catching the games throughout the day.

On days like that, the front doors would be left unlocked. Jason would always walk through the door with his famous rack of ribs that he had watched on the smoker the whole night before, like a mother watches a baby in its crib. Christie always brought her homemade sourdough or baked goods that would fill the house with the most warming of smells. We could rely on Cathie to bring the largest bowl of salad the world has ever seen. Yet there were never any leftovers. And Matt always came in with a bottle of fancy tequila in hand that he and my dad would sip on while they solved the world’s problems. Joanne brought the party. No matter the day, she had a smile with her that lit up the room.

I have not yet learned how to make sourdough, barbeque ribs, or tell good tequila from bad tequila. But the BNEs taught me how to celebrate “just cause.” There doesn’t need to be a formal occasion to make dinner for your friends or get takeout. I love filling my kitchen table with food and laughter thanks to the BNEs.