Bear, in car, has a powwow with the folks who live where he used to.

"Hi! Do you want some tomatoes? I bought too many."
It was my new across the street neighbor. Her name is Brandy, and her boyfriend, Mike, is Bear's nephew. It turned out that when she tried to give the tomatoes to Bear, he told her to offer them to me. So I guess that's rapprochement of a kind.
   It should be no surprise that I have been spying on my neighbors—they're in my face, after all. I know they bathe in the river (as I used to). I know they have no electricity or bathroom. I know they arrange their lawn chairs meticulously every time they leave. I know they have friends who stop by to chat. Including Bear when he picks up his mail. And I know they are nice to their dogs, making sure to leave them in shade with water and walking them on leash now and then.