What a wuss Daniel is! ;)

One of the Men's meetings was going to be held at Daniels house for some reason or the other. It had never happened before. I think the reason was because of the location. Most of the group lived clustered around a city. Daniel lived 20 or 30 miles away in a direction that no one else lived. It was not convenient for most of the group to get there.

Lonnie and I drove down together which was a story in itself. I called Lonnie and he asked who was driving. I told him he should come by my house and meet me, thinking we would take his car. He had a small, fuel efficient and trustworthy car, while my car was old, a gas guzzler, and you always wondered if you would make your destination or not.

I walk up to the prearranged meeting spot which was probably 8 blocks or so from my house. Who do I see but Lonnie standing on the corner. He thought I was driving, and he had parked his car somewhere and was standing there on the corner waiting for me. We took Lonnie's car since it was right there and we would have had to drive back to my house to change car's.

We arrive at Daniel's place which turns out to be a condominium. It is one of those places where all the units are attached and share common walls. It was kind of secluded, but not in a nice way. It was not secluded behind trees and greenery as if it was exclusive. From what I recall, it was secluded as if it was out in some industrial area, or perhaps the first units on a large open expanse of land. It felt desolate.

We go inside and the place is about as you would expect a condominium to be. Smallish, but nice. I think it had sliding glass doors to go into the back. It had 4 or 5 rooms and it was on the ground floor. There was a living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and at least one other room that was a study or workroom for Daniel. The meeting was going to be held there.

I think when we arrived George and Jeff might have been there. I know Jeff was there.

We entered the study room which was actually smallish for 4 grown men to be occupying. Daniel had some toy like musical instruments that were either in that room, or he brought them into the room. There was small xylophone I think, and I think a small drum. Small as in 8 inches high or so.

We are having some fun and playing these miniature instruments as we wait for the others to arrive. We were playing both instruments and enjoying ourselves. I don't know how loud that might have sounded, but it could not have been that loud. The drum was only 8 inches or so high and the xylophone or keyboard was small to.

You know what? Daniel was musical which was why these instruments were available. There were not decorative as in artwork decorative. Daniel played the guitar so he had real musical interest in the xylophone and / or drum.

There is a knocking at the door. I think I was free because Jeff and Daniel were playing the instruments. I got up to go answer the door, expecting it to be George or Steve or Tom arriving for the meeting.

I answer the door and there is a woman standing there. She is probably in her late 20's or early 30's. She asks if she can speak to Daniel. I had a momentary bit of confusion as I wondered what she was doing there, when I was expecting one of the men, but I did not think too much about it.

I went back and told Daniel he had a visitor, and sat down. Now that Daniel was gone, I would get a chance at some noise making. We all sat there unconcernedly playing around with the instruments.

Then Daniel comes back and tells us that was his neighbor. The woman was Daniel's upstairs neighbor, and she wanted him to stop making noise. I was shocked and outraged. The musical instruments were really small. The noise they made could not have been that loud. It did not seem loud to me in the room.

To think that the lady could hear it upstairs and be annoyed by it made me think she was only being trouble. A complainer trying to control others. The time was maybe 8 or so. It was not as if it was 12 o clock at night and there was a raucous party going on. We were serious men having a bit of fun before our serious meeting started.

I voiced my opinion. I said I thought she was a complainer and should be ignored. That brings a smile to my face now when I think of how the other men must have thought of me. I was being myself and and I honestly felt what I said. They were all very reticent and all very......confrontation avoiding. If there was a confrontation, no matter if they were 100% right, they would back up instead of dealing with the confrontation.

I think my confrontational attitude must have made them feel as if I did not belong. I did not back up like they did. In there eyes, I was probably on the obnoxious side. ;)

After Daniel relates what the woman said, he suggests we need to stop which is when I made clear my opinion we should go right ahead at 8 oclock in the evening and do what we pleased in the privacy of Daniel's home. I don't think this appealed to Daniel. Part of his personality as being a public relations person was to always give people what they wanted. Even if it inconvenienced him.

Daniel wanted to stop, and of course Jeff and Lonnie supported him. I thought it was foolish. Once you allow someone like that woman to control you or an aspect of your behavior, you will be forever changed.

Daniel was allowing a total stranger to control his behavior in the privacy of his own home. Daniel paid big money to live in a fancy condominium, yet he was not allowed to do the things that pleased him in his own home.

Those kinds of incidents and attitudes settle into the mind and stick. They change who you are. In my opinion, it was another event that was training Daniel to be a marshmallow that let anyone get away with anything.

Even to the point of allowing his friend and kung fu master to have sex with his wife.

Don't want to complain. Don't want to make waves. ;(