Neighbors discover silver lining in these storm clouds

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Updated: July 14, 2011 2:15AM

Nothing about Monday seemed routine or normal. As I finished my preparation rituals in the morning, the lights flickered on and off, with the fan and the air conditioner humming and stopping. After a battle of indecision, the power settled in the off position.

I looked out the window and it seemed overcast, but not severe. The wind, however, whipped through the area fiercely. On my way to work I saw downed trees, downed branches, a downed outhouse (I’d hate to be the one who had to clean that up), a recycling bin in the middle of the road, and several mailboxes ripped off their posts. All in all, a pretty strong signature from a storm that lasted maybe 20 minutes.

So much of the news during a violent storm is focused on the aftermath. There was plenty of news coverage regarding the loss of power to thousands of Aurora residents, in the sweltering heat.

But some neighbors in the Orchard Village apartment complex at Indian Trail and Randall Road turned a negative into a positive with an unlikely, impromptu barbecue.

My wife Meg and I love our apartment complex, but one major drawback is that our neighbors don’t socialize. We’re on our third year at the place and we barely know anyone. A quick glance and a speedy hello seems to be as social as things get.

When I pulled up to our apartment late Monday afternoon, I wondered how I would do any work with no power, no Wi-Fi and a dwindling charge on my phone. Then I saw my wife outside sharing a beer with our neighbors.

“I found friends!” she said, enthusiastically.

The party began when one of the neighbors knocked on another neighbor’s door, and people slowly trickled out into the courtyard on a hot but dry summer afternoon. The sun beat down on us outside, but inside quickly became even hotter with no air conditioning.

We received introductions the whole way around. It only took 2½ years and a power outage, but people began talking.

Meg just finished her last nursing class earlier that day, so I dropped her off to celebrate with classmates. On a hunch, I bought more beer before coming home. I pulled up wondering if we’d have power, or if our neighbors returned to their indoor lives.

As I walked up, they had a grill out, and even more people were in the courtyard. We feasted with a meal that included our choice of steak, brats or chicken, as well as pasta or potato salads. We wanted to eat well before our food went bad.

As the grill fired up, and the meat cooked, the lights returned and the air conditioners hummed back into power. The return to modern conveniences did not dampen our evening plans, however. We kept socializing into the night.

A few years and a power outage later, it’s good to know who we share a building with.

Matt Brennan is a correspondent for The Beacon-News.