The Couple Across the Street

Penny for your thoughts.

Lily.

Lily?

What?

The next rest stops in thirty minutes.

Did you want to scrounge up some lunch there or --

Ah!

Is everyone okay?

Stay in the car, sweetheart. Okay?

Oh, no.

What happened?

Looks like it's been here for hours.

Poor thing.

Oh, no. Is it okay?

I told you to stay in the car.

I think I've got something in the trunk I could use.

You're not gonna kill it.

I know, sweetheart.

Sometimes you just have to focus

on the things you can control.

Let it drown everything else out.

I want you to take your seat belt and then pull it slowly,

and then clip it in.

Focus on your breathing.

I am safe.

I am present.

I am strong.

Are you okay?

Yeah. I'm fine. I'm fine.

I...

You did what you had to do.

You always do. That's why we love you.

This just feels right, you know?

It'll feel better when my bed gets here.

You get the winks and I get the sass?

Hey, you've been all-time super lawyer

for the last few years.

Mhmm.

So you may not have noticed all the winks

she gives you too.

She's not a client to win over.

She loves you, and she's desperate to connect with you.

Give it some time.

I guess.

Thank you for doing this.

I think it's gonna be really great for us.

Mm?

Mom, what?

Careful.

Delivery, Mr. Lawson?

Do you know where my online lesson plans are?

Yes. Important documents came with us.

Trunk of the car.

Okay. Okay. Uh, and my work laptop.

Ah, there it is.

Sorry, I'm stressing.

Didn't know working from home could be this stressful.

Everybody. Everybody knows that.

But, but what if the kids don't like me?

Hey!

Whoa whoa whoa whoa.

-Take it easy, Ma'am. -Nate?

It's Amy. Right? Amy? It's okay, Amy.

My name's Tom. Tom Sullivan. My wife Rachel and I,

-we live next door. -Okay.

So we were knocking, heard you inside,

someone inside, so I thought I'd come around and...

It's fine.

What the?

Nate, it's fine.

This is Tom. He lives next door.

Oh. Well, it's all right then.

Hey, neighbor, I'm Nate.

Casserole. I, my wife, Rachel, made a casserole,

and I think she's still at the front.

I think we should go and see if she's still there.

Yeah, come on through.

Okay.

We've gotta get used to the isolation out here.

Oh, I know what you mean.

There are mornings we look out the back of the woods

and we feel like we're in the middle of nowhere.

Do you spend much time in town?

Um, no, no, not really. Not really our speed. Hm?

We're much happier keeping to ourselves.

Our grandson used to come up a bit,

but aside from that...

Why don't I get us a drink?

I don't have much to offer, but I'll see what I can find.

How are the farmers markets?

Couldn't tell you. We grow.

Grow just about everything we need in here.

Ah, we hear that.

Amy has the startings of an herb garden,

and I think we're gonna get vegetables in the ground soon.

I spent all of my time at a big law firm,

so the plan is to start a small part-time practice,

just be around a bit more.

So really this is all of my fault.

Cheers.

That's how it should be, grow your stuff,

take care of your own backyard.

No one poking around and

interfering with rules and regulations.

Not a fan of the government, I take it?

No, sir.

So where'd you all come in from?

This time? Chicago.

Whereabouts?

Do you know Olds Town?

Yes, sir.

North Lawndale.

That's a big change from Brooklyn.

Yeah, you're not uh...

How did you know I was from Brooklyn?

I don't think I have an accent.

Oh, did I say Brooklyn?

I didn't...

And before you said my name.

I'm sorry. He does this.

Thomas!

He doesn't mean anything by it.

Doesn't mean anything by what?

What, what is he doing?

Tom served in the military, and before that,

he was involved in counterintelligence.

He still does background checks on people.

On who?

Everyone.

He usually finds an outlet with true crime podcasts,

online chat groups.

When new folks come to town...

Hey, make sure we're not drug dealers.

I appreciate that.

So did we uh, pass your test?

Yeah, all good.

A few holes here and there.

Why don't we leave these nice people to themselves?

Sorry again. I mean no offense.

Tell you what, we're hosting a barbecue on Saturday.

We could use a couple of true crime stories

to liven things up.

We'd love to come. Thank you. For... thank you.

We should really get going now.

It was lovely to meet you.

And we're really looking forward to finally

having some good neighbors. Come on, hon.

No, no. We know our way out.

You just had to invite them.

I think they're fun.

Looking forward to good neighbors.

What's wrong with their other neighbors?

What's wrong with their old neighbors?

It's fine. Come on, this is getting cold.

I wanna try this casserole out.

Hi!

Here.

Thank you, darling.

Mm hm.

Lily, you having fun socializing

with the other kids?

Yeah. Getting on great with all the other kids my age.

Hey. They'll uh, need babysitters one day.

Great. So just another five or so years of this treatment.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

Hm. I didn't think they'd come.

Okay. I guess we're doing this.

That's the spirit.

And I can trade crypto just about anywhere.

So we moved out here after the first boom.

Besides, my crystals resonate better in the woods.

Absolutely.

Keep it simple.

How are you? Good. Oh, this is a pretty bracelet.

Preppers?

Tom and Rachel.

They're doomsday preppers.

People say that Tom was a good guy.

He was ex-service before moving out here

to work in the prison for a little bit.

But with everything he's seen out there,

he didn't last long.

What's the trouble, you know?

You can't escape the monster inside, right?

It's like he's preparing for someone to invade.

I worry about him, but I also worry about Rachel.

It does feel like she enables him.

I've seen her roaming the border

of our properties at night.

Your earrings are great. Who got them for you?

My dad.

Will you excuse me?

I think Your dad has a good taste in jewelry.

What's the occasion?

-Lily. -Mom.

Your dad would like some help on the grill.

Hey, remember.

Just people.

Just try to put yourself in their shoes once in a while.

Got it. Sure, Mom. I'll give him a hand.