The Cold War Is Over!

Last night, I somehow made friends with the Russian woman next door. It turns out that she wasn't the person I saw a while back putting the cart under my stairs again. There are no less than three old Russian ladies living in apartments off that stairwell who all look the same to me (I can't tell white people apart), and it was a different one I caught with the cart. And then, the other day, I caught the third lady trying to put another cart under my stairs.

I was heading out to Trader Joe's last night when I saw my next door neighbor at the sidewalk coming home with a cart of groceries. She saw me and, amazingly, stopped her cart and took her bags out to bring them to her apartment -- thereby leaving the cart on the sidewalk and not on the walkway where it is in my way. I was touched, so I offered to carry her bags back for her. She, in turn, was similarly touched, and told me (the best she could, not knowing much English and me not knowing any Russian) that she bought headphones so she could listen to her TV without turning the volume up and bothering me! I can't believe it! How considerate of her! She also said she has a bad shoulder, so I told her to come get me anytime she needed help with her groceries and I'd be happy to carry them for her. And then I returned the cart to Trader Joe's, where the sample station was giving out delicious pumpkin bread.