Backstory-I live in a small house on a quiet street near a village centre (not rural though). It's a private road, which I always took to mean you can't randomly park your car on it unless you live there or are visiting?
Please correct me if it means something other than that.
I get along fine with all my neighbours, no issues usually. I pretty much keep to myself but we exchange friendly hellos and have a chat if we bump into one another or are in our gardens, and as the street goes around in a sort of curve, I see my neighbours behind too
Both my NDNs and the neighbours behind, for every conversation we've had in the last few months, have brought up the topic of XXX.
I know who they mean-there's a man who lives somewhere further away from the village centre and walks down our street to get to the village, and then back again, usually with a bag of shopping. I see him most days so I assume he does it every day.
He looks a bit different, perhaps has some mental health issues or LD, walks a bit odd compared to most people, always wears something a bit like a shellsuit but not quite, trousers always pulled up high ,and we've seen him wearing odd trainers before. He always has a big cheesy grin on his face as he walks, and says a friendly hello very brightly if you greet him. I get no bad feeling from him at all. He gives the impression he doesn't want to stop and talk, always just smiles and carries on. He may also have no MH issues or LD and just likes to dress like that, so what?
One neighbour has said they are getting fed up of him walking this way, It's just as quick to walk to the centre of the village various other ways and why can't he do that. Another has said they're going to have a word with him 'as It's a private road'. Another has said they know where he lives and are going to start hanging about outside his house to teach him to leave this street alone, or try to 'wind him up' when they next see him.
I feel sorry for him. I have asked him how he is before, but he just grins at me and carries on walking,I'm not sure he knows what I mean or perhaps just wants to go about his day.
I don't think he is not 'allowed' to walk up this street just because It's classed as a private road, he isn't in a car. I did actually say that to neighbour once but they said 'Nobody else walks up this street' which is fair, they don't that I know of, it's not a known through route to anywhere, it just happens to be a different way to get from the main road to the village. I really don't want anyone having a go at him as he seems quite vulnerable. I don't like them calling him XXX either! I think we should be a bit kinder in this day and age!
I'm not very confrontational but It's making me look negatively at my neighbours for being judgmental, he's not doing any harm. Should I say something further to them or leave alone as I don't want bad relations. WWYD?
Thread title edited by MNHQ to remove disablist term