Charlie and Eddie

today was a weird day. i walked downstairs from my apartment to find boxes lining the wall. the boxes belong to charlie and eddie, two men that live below me. charlie and eddie are both mentally handicapped. i have talked to both a bit. eddie is able to carry on a conversation fairly well. he is easily understood and always greets me with a "hey buddy, how's it going?" whereas charlie is very difficult to understand at times, but still gives me the "how ya doin" and lights up with a smile whenever i see him. charlie works at meijer and i will often see him there pushing around carts in the parking lot with a smile on his face. eddie often walks around town. he also has a job at meijer and often walks to and from work. actually, he walks an amazingly large amount. i've seen him walking around up to ten miles away from our apartments. it's funny to just hear the things charlie will get excited about or bring up in conversation. he always asks me if i have a girlfriend and warns me that if i ever get one, she will take all my money. he also rushed over a few days ago to show me his new teeth, which he quickly pulled out and held out to me. both of them are just friendly and kind to the core. the only complaint i have ever heard either of them register is about the rent going up (which is quite valid in my opinion). other than that, they always have something nice to say or a greeting for anyone who will look their way.
last summer i was cooking out and charlie took a liking to the smell of the burgers i was making. i had a few extra burgers, so i offered him some food. i piled up a plate with two burgers, some macaroni salad, chips and gave him a can of coke. he rushed up the stairs to receive the gift and thanked me, already digging in and decorating his face with ketchup. it was just a small thing, i thought.
today when i went down to wish him the best in his new place, charlie kept saying over and over again "i'm going to miss you, you're a good neighbor." he also reminded me of this time when i gave him the burgers and thanked me again for the food. as eddie approached, he gave me a hug and asked if i'd ever get the chance to come visit their new place or stop by meijer to see them. i made it a point to talk to these two gents or wave whenever i saw them, since it seemed obvious that a lot of people looked right past them or tried to, at least. i didn't realize, i guess, how much a small thing, or a few short conversations can mean to someone. it was humbling for sure to see how much a small act could mean to someone. i'm going to miss those guys. they taught me a lot.