A new neighbor. Just what he didn’t want.

The last few people who lived next door had been insufferable. First, there was the couple who argued all day and then had loud, obnoxious sex at night. After them came an old man who would steal James’s packages and file random false reports about him. And the most recent one? A drug dealer who seemed chill—until he broke into James’s apartment and stole his TV.

For months, the place had blissfully remained empty, but now someone new had moved in. James hadn’t seen them yet, only heard the noise of boxes being shuffled and furniture dragged.

After about two weeks, everything seemed fine. The new neighbors were surprisingly quiet, except for the occasional sound of a child crying at night. James still had no idea who lived next door—but that was about to change.

Stepping out of his apartment dressed in a black and blue suit, James was preparing for a meeting at work later in the day. His eyes were glued to his phone, so he didn’t notice the little girl running toward him until they collided. She stumbled backward but didn’t fall and seemed unhurt. She looked up at him with wide, curious eyes.

“Where are your parents?” he asked.

“My daddy is dead,” she replied matter-of-factly. The bluntness of her words hit him like a slap. Kids really didn’t have filters.

“My mommy is in our apartment. I came outside because I wanted to play,” she continued. James sighed, glancing down at the small child. There was no way he could just leave her there.

“What apartment do you live in?” he asked. She pointed to the door right next to his. Well, James thought, now’s as good a time as any to meet the new neighbors.