considered that.
“Most people would’ve held a grudge.”
“Grudges are expensive.”
“How expensive?”
“More than towels.”
He laughed.
Daniel Moved Away
Later that summer, Daniel told me he was moving.
Without his mother nearby, there wasn’t much reason for him to remain in our building.
He’d found somewhere smaller and closer to work.
“A place I can actually settle into,” he said.
I knew he remembered our conversation.
On moving day, I helped him carry a lamp and two bags of bedding downstairs.
At the curb, he extended his hand.
I shook it.
“Whoever moves into 4B,” Daniel said, “you should warn them about the woman downstairs.”
“I will.”
He smiled.
“What will you say?”
“That she’s reasonable.”
I paused.
“As long as they are.”
Daniel laughed.
Then he left.
The New Tenant
There’s a new tenant in 4B now.
A woman in her thirties.
Friendly.
Slightly overwhelmed.
When she
