Everyone Talks about Diana

Diana wasn’t the first neighbor I met when we moved here in 1983. But she moved in shortly after we did. That’s because her house hadn’t been built yet. When we first drove up to Stevens Creek Lane there were only 8 homes built, 4 of which were the models. Diana arrived a couple of years later, a single mom with 2 preteens, a boy and a girl.

Country Hills! New Homes!, the sign said. Andy and I exited from the 60 freeway going east on Nogales where the signs were placed several places as we drove up the hill. We were exhausted from looking at houses to buy. We both worked in L.A. and we knew “Ya have to go further east for anything cheaper than 85k”.  It was going to be our first home purchase thanks to the help of his mom and dad living in Connecticut, both older parents, unable to travel due to his mom’s health condition.

We got to a street called UHMAR. It was spelled Amar and that’s how we pronounced it. I kept thinking it felt far from the 60 but the hills were nice. There were tons of trees up on the hill looking down on the new houses. We visited the sales office and found out every built house including the models were sold HOWEVER! The yellow single story on the opposite corner was still available because the buyer bailed on the purchase even after they partially ordered the flooring and carpet and countertops. We lived in a tiny apartment in Hawthorne and these places looked like Ozzie and Harriet to us. We looked at the carpet and tile that was already there and found them satisfactory. We decided we loved it that very day. The view from the back of the house without any window covering was amazing. By late afternoon, each room looked out on city lights all the way the to the Puente Hills Mall. The sales lady said these first few homes were the “view homes” and slightly more in price. There were lovely little trees and flowers already planted all the way around. We were thrilled.

The commute for both of us to work was going to be painful. But you do as one does in L.A. when you’re young.

The place felt gigantic even though it was the smallest of the choices. We didn’t have kids. I was 31. At this point we had been infertile for a few years.  

While we moved in and shortly during the first few months, all the other houses took shape. Each day it felt as though our three-street cul-de-sac filled in really fast. People began moving in. Many had small kids. The American Dream.

Fast forward 4 years later. Sadly, due to working and driving back and forth to the Miracle Mile district in L.A. to the airline reservation office, my days off were busy with chores and eating out at the TURKEY HOUSE! Yes, this new neighborhood had a restaurant that served complete Thanksgiving meals every day. It was fantastic. I digress. I barely saw or introduced myself to any of my neighbors. There was one guy though. Rick. He lived next door in one of the biggest houses and had a great big smile, always tan and was usually by himself.

Rick, Andy, and I became acquainted although we all worked, so it was, “Hey, how ya doin?” “Great. Did you notice, AHMAR is almost finished up to LEMON. Soon, you’ll be able to drive all the way to MT SAC! JEEPERS.”

So at this 4-year mark living on Stevens Creek I had had 2 job promotions (same location). Things were going well and It was about May of 1988 that I began feeling verrry tired. I began sleeping more sound than normal and was always starving! Yes. A miracle occurred. I was pregnant and I had put it out of my mind that this was possible. I had been pretty active and healthy so the pregnancy even at the ripe old age of 35 went well. I was skinny my whole life and now I ate everything in sight and let the weight just happen. We were very happy about becoming parents. The only sad thing is that all the grandparents of this baby had now passed away. That’s life—Sinatra sings it.

Alright—so what does all this have to do with Diana for Pete’s sake?? The previous story was for entertainment purposes. But this is when I met her.

When I was about 6 to 7 months along I was walking to the mailbox and a woman looking to be a similar age had just parked to get her mail. She was also the same size belly as me. My first words to her were, “Oh my gosh, you are pregnant too! When are you due?” She laughed and started talking. And talking. ANNNND talking. I laughed too. We had just met and I was hearing her life story. So why not listen, I had just met someone having a baby within a month of mine on my street!

Diana was born in Hawaii and had been adopted. Her family was extremely wealthy. So wealthy, they made provisions for her that she would be set for life when they passed. I was never sure of the amount of her estate but her home was paid for in cash, a new pool was built as soon as she moved in, a new car was provided, and her 2 kids had a trust. She had a living grandmother somewhere close by that the kids visited sometimes. That was about it. She had been a waitress but when her trust came due, she never had to work again.

Her name was Diana Banks, the same last name given to each teen. She was divorced. I didn’t get much info other than the baby she was carrying was just “some guy she’d had a brief encounter with”.  Details of a person’s life normally come out via conversations over time. Not with Diana. Right away I could tell there was something different about her. Later in casual chats near the mailbox, I would learn additional bits of info about her. This is when TMI came to mind. Way too much information. Was this a “condition”? Later I would learn it was. I don’t know how it came about but at some future date, Stacy her female daughter, who was as sweet as apple pie would fill me in. They had had case workers. There were reports of Diana as mentally challenged. Stacy showed me one report that described her as high functioning but low IQ or simple. So this felt sad. Some people have challenges and it’s hard to be unkind with this kind of knowledge.

In the early years, there were a lot of good times around getting to know her as her baby and mine were growing up together. Twyla and Rebecca were “first friends”. We took so many pictures of them, holidays, Halloween, birthdays, etc. They went to different schools (Rebecca was in private schools through Jr. High) but these two were “neighborhood” friends. Stacy routinely brought Twyla over to play with Bec in our yard. Stacy would talk about her life but everything revolved around this new baby and Stacy sort of became a babysitter and second fiddle. Stacy also showed some development challenges herself and she was epileptic as well. The teenage son (don’t remember his name) was a juvenile delinquent and was always pranking the neighbors. We didn’t care for him. After he moved away, I never heard Diana talk about him again. And I didn’t ask.  

There was also some bad. What began to happen was also very sad. Diana’s next-door neighbors, on the left of Diana’s house, Maureen and Sergio, became good friends with Andy and me. We went over there and vice versa and we laughed and talked a lot. Both men smoked. The women didn’t. They were wonderful. I still miss Maureen (she moved out around 2000).

Maureen began hearing Diana, as well as many of us, horrendous cussing and yelling and sometimes screaming from Diana towards Twyla. This was in the grade school years. Twyla, sadly, in this case, is 100% normal mentally. So, she clashed with her mom. No one ever figured out why such anger, but it was constant, and we didn’t know what to do. Twyla was not physically harmed. She was well taken care of. These are the types of kids that go through life falling through the cracks; a parent not bad enough to be reported kind of thing.

Fast forward to Jr. High years. Diana had an idea. She would make Twyla into a Hollywood star! She gave her dancing lessons. She soon pushed her into auditions, and they were constantly running around L.A. with Diana taking the role of a stage mom. Oh, those were the days. This went on for years. There was lots of bragging about it. There were headshots made. We all remained not too impressed. But then Twyla got a couple of commercials and what you’d call a crowd scene. She did have “one line” on a TV show. But mostly everything else was extra-type parts. But you’d think an Academy Award was close at hand.

 Nothing ever really panned out for Twyla after many years. By her college years, Twyla Banks is still listed on IMDB because of her SAG/AFTRA membership. Anyone can list themselves on IMDB. (I’ll wait while you google.)

SO! There you have it. Over the years though, because Diana wouldn’t stop talking during ANY and ALL conversations, people began to avoid her. She is smart enough to realize it and mentions it occasionally. “People avoid me sometimes.” However, this does not make her especially sad. She usually laughs too much. She talks too loud but there are no hearing issues. She does and says inappropriate things but she is well aware of life for the most part. Her social skills are clumsy. She does have a quality that Stacy had which is, that she can be very kind and helpful. So helpful that she thrives on being the neighborhood KNOW-IT-ALL. It’s just a way of compensating for loneliness. She rarely has visitors including Twyla. I have never seen Stacy visit. Those 2 have their own sad stories I don’t need to elaborate on.

Some of the quirky movements she does is swing her arms a lot while talking and her stance is a bit off. She carries her hairbrush with her everywhere. When she rang my bell yesterday to announce her TREE MAN was coming by and she told him we wanted an estimate, she had her hairbrush in hand and brushed before Andy answered. Diana has the thickest fullest hair I’ve ever seen. It has not thinned like mine. I think she has more hair than ever on her head! It must be hot having hair that thick. She has always kept it as long as it was the day I met her. And very short bangs (usually). If she didn’t have bangs I fear she might look like Cousin It~

There are more stories about her but as gossipy as she is, I probably suffer from that characteristic too so I’m trying not to go too far. I believe we must be careful and at least try to respect every neighbor as best we can. None of us are perfect. Even though we try to be kind, most of us STILL avoid her. Guilty as charged your honor!

These are the facts as reported by Detective Marsha Leigh on Stevens Creek Lane. I am an original owner here and I have a LOT of stories about it.

This street does not go through!