Strange how
two words can change a morning. First
it was pretty miserable. Woke up way too
early with itchy mosquito bites from overnight.
Wanted to get started washing the
sweat stiffened clothes that I’ve been
wearing for two weeks straight. When
you do everything by hand, it’s a laborious process, best performed before the
heat of the day sets in.
I opened and closed the appropriate valves in my water
system.. and nothing. I did it again,
thinking maybe I’ve forgotten the process during my travels. Again nothing. When I was out on the balcony turning the
valves, I spotted my neighbor. “Su
gelir?” I asked. Water, is it coming?
“Gelmir,” was the answer. It doesn’t
come. Bad news, since we have water
every other day, and today is supposed to be a water day.
I doused myself with mosquito repellant, had some
breakfast and settled down for some
non-productive web surfing. After
about half an hour, there was a knock on
my door. When I looked out, there was
only my neighbor, cleaning her doorway.
I opened the door anyway, and she said the magic words.. “Su gelir,” water is coming.
When I ran out to my balcony to turn the valves, and I
noticed a strange blue rope hanging from the apartment above me. It was attached to a string that had become
tangled up on my clothesline. I
untangled it,setting it free. Soon it
was moving, and up from the ground below came a big bucket of
blackberries. I was instantly jealous.
Then the bucket paused in front of me.
Was it an accident? Did the
upstairs neighbor need to rein in the
rope? Was it stuck? Or was it an invitation to help myself? I couldn't guess so I gave it a little boost, sending it
up to the 5th floor above me.
I was so excited by news of the water coming, and the sight
of the blackberries, that I nearly blew up my apartment . When I
went in to light the water heater for my shower, I did the usual. Open the little door on the water heater, light
a piece of paper , and stick it
in the door.. suddenly a whoosh and
flames burst out of the door singeing all the hair off my right hand and arm
and blowing soot and ashes all over the bathroom. I still don’t know if the gas valve was
left open by a guest.. or if I opened it
before lighting the paper.. which is a
recipe for disaster. At any rate, now I can have a shower, do laundry, and clean up the ash covered bathroom.
