We have a downstairs neighbor whose hearing is not good and everytime construction was being done above us, she would call and ask why we were making so much noise. After the quarantine started last last year, she called twice to complain about all the noise our two cats were making, when, in fact, they were asleep on the
bed. She called a third time and before I could say anything she said that if the noise continued, she was going to report us to the police,and then hung up. A short while later I saw her in the lobby with the encargado and I blew up and let her have it. When I reminded her that she had threatened to report us to the police, she said she had done no such thing and I told her she was a liar. That was the end of the conversation. The encargado told me later that he understood why I had reacted as I had. I told an Argentine friend about the episode and he said unless you "mostrar los dientes" some people will continue to abuse you. I definitely believe in turning the other cheek, which we had been doing for quite a while, but there are times when you have your people in their place as Jesus did with the money changers in the temple or the problem will persists and you're not doing anyone, including the victimizer, a favor. And you know what, since then we haven't heard peep from from her about the cats or anything and she is friendly to us in passing.
