Two Words

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 5^th 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.