I was convinced my neighbor was talking to someone at 2 a.m. Then I found out who he was talking to
For about five nights in a row, I kept hearing the same thing from the apartment next to mine.
A quiet voice.
Usually around 2 a.m.
At first, I ignored it. People have weird schedules, and honestly, I didn't want to be the nosy neighbor listening through the walls.
But then I started noticing the pattern.
A few whispers.
A long pause.
Then something like, “No. That's not it.”
Another pause.
“Come on. One more time.”
It sounded like someone having a very serious conversation with another person.
So naturally, my brain decided the most reasonable explanation was that my neighbor was secretly dealing with some kind of relationship drama at two in the morning.
The next morning, I casually asked him if everything was okay.
He just looked at me and said, “Yeah. Why?”
I told him I'd been hearing him talking late at night.
He stared at me for a second.
Then said, “Oh. That.”
And immediately changed the subject.
That did absolutely nothing to calm my imagination.
A couple of nights later, I woke up again and heard the voice.
This time, I could make out the words more clearly.
“Come on…”
“Do it…”
“Yes! That's it!”
I finally gave up on sleeping.
I walked into the hallway and knocked on his door.
He opened it looking completely exhausted.
I asked, “Who are you talking to every night?”
He didn't answer.
He just slowly opened the door wider.
Inside, his living room was completely dark except for the light from the television.
And sitting in front of it was his dog.
The dog was staring intensely at the screen.
My neighbor pointed at him and said, completely seriously:
“He's learning chess.”
I honestly thought he was joking.
He wasn't.
Apparently, he had discovered that his dog became extremely interested whenever chess videos were playing on TV. So every night, he would sit there moving a toy around the floor while narrating the game like he was training a professional athlete.
“Knight to C4.”
Pause.
“Excellent decision.”
The dog stared at him.
My neighbor nodded.
“I agree.”
I had to sit down because I was laughing so hard.
The funniest part?
The dog actually seemed to understand that the game was over whenever my neighbor said, “Good match.”
He would immediately get up, grab his toy, and walk away.
Now I don't hear mysterious conversations through the wall anymore.
Instead, every few nights, I hear my neighbor shouting things like:
“THAT WAS A TERRIBLE MOVE!”
And then a dog barking once.
Apparently, the dog has started winning.
I'm not sure what that says about either of them.