your packages all last winter. I try to be a good neighbor. That works both ways.
The tea bags have stopped. That was all I wanted.
I put it into his mailbox.
Daniel never replied.
And no tea bag ever landed on my balcony again.
That could have been the ending.
For a while, I thought it was.
Then I Learned About His Mother
Then, about six weeks later, Mrs. Okafor from 2C stopped by.
During our conversation, she mentioned Daniel.
“He carried my groceries upstairs last week.”
“Did he?”
“Three trips.”
“That was kind.”
She hesitated.
“His mother is very ill.”
I looked at her.
Apparently, Daniel had moved into our building specifically to be closer to his mother.
He visited her nearly every day.
Her health had deteriorated quickly.
After Mrs. Okafor left, I sat alone for a while.
His mother’s illness didn’t excuse what he’d done.
Grief
