John & Victor are Alisha’s landlord, so we’ve gotten to know them because of her. They share a cute little duplex at the end of our street. Occasionally, you will see all three of them sitting in the front yard enjoying a glass of wine and Alisha’s veggie soup. They will wave and invite you to join them. Victor has worked in the LA garment industry for a while, and last May 4th he was working for Vans. To say he has a shoe obsession would be a gross understatement. He has a shoe closet most women would die for. I would. Unlike most homeowners, they don’t share the history of their home, they share their shoe closet which they transformed from a spare bedroom into a glorious little piece of shoe heaven.

John and Alex both grew up in the era of Star Wars, which seems to captivate the imagination of men age 40-50ish. That seems to be their obsession.

How to be Neighborly: The force is strong in this neighborhood. It binds us together.

On May 4^th, Alex received a text from John: “Are you home? Can we drop by for a minute?” Yes, we were home. Ten minutes later, John and Victor arrive on our doorstep… and with great grandeur presented Alex with a box. “We heard it was your birthday. May the 4^th be with you…” they say to Alex, and I look at all three of them in confusion. Alex is TOTALLY clear on the message. “Summer, May the 4^th… may the force… get it?” I tell him “no.” But then he opens the box, and it all becomes clear. Inside are two collector’s edition Star Wars Vans with the original movie poster printed on the shoe. Now that’s a great neighbor.

 May the 4th be with you….