Wednesday, September 1, 2021

An old woman, an OCD woman & an odd woman: it’s curtains for Apachedug

Around noon Saturday after cleaning my apartment, I had some leftover pasta for lunch then went down to the lobby to see if the mail had arrived. 

I was pleased to see my 4th floor neighbor and friend Opal sitting outside in her folding chair on the front landing.  She had her mug of tea in one hand and a giant word-puzzle book in her lap.  I opened the door and murmured hello, she looked up and said hello back and asked if I was coming out.  I said yes for a couple minutes, let me grab a chair.  Opal went back to her giant puzzle book. 

I asked “New puzzle book?”  and without looking up she said “Yep.”  I asked what the deadline was on completing it, she said November. 

(Opal says if she didn’t give herself deadlines, nothing would ever get done.  Opal has some OCD issues.)  There was a highback chair beside hers, white cane with green satin cushions.  I asked “What’s this?” and tapped one of the chair’s legs with my foot.  Without looking up, Opal said “What do you think it is?”  I said “Well… it looks like a chair from the Ladies Tea Room on the Titanic.”   Opal looked up at me and laughed.  “Haha! Be nice, it belongs to Flora.  She was out here having tea with me earlier.”

I asked “How old do you suppose she is?”  Opal said “Oh, late 80s… 90.”  I said “Did she ever tell you how she and her sister used to ride their horse Listerine and gather wildflowers and look for wood faeries or something?  Then the Spanish Flu came along and ended all that.”  Opal said “She’s old alright!” 

I said “But if you do the math… the Spanish Flu was 1918.  And she’s running around before then?  That would make her like… 110?  115?  We’re being conned!”  Opal gestured at the glass behind me, and I turned to see Flora tap-tap-tapping on the pane.  I got up and opened the door for her, and Opal asked her if she was coming back outside.  She said no, she was going to lie down for awhile.  Opal said “Flora, Douglas here was telling me about your horse Listerine!  Is that true?” 

Flora lowered her head and shook it back and forth and cleared her throat.  She said “ I think Douglas is having some fun with you, sweetheart.”  Opal said “Oh really!”  Flora said “My horse’s name was Libertine.”

After Flora went back inside and I set her Titanic chair in the lobby, Opal asked what else was new.  I said “Well… I hung some new curtains in my bedroom last night.  New to me that is.  I bought ‘em 4 years ago from Wayfair but forgot I had them.  I found them in the back of my closet after I hurt myself and was looking for a first-aid kit.”

Opal said “How’d you hurt yourself?”  I said “Oh it was little.  Around 11pm I was hungry, so I thought I’d boil an egg.  After it was cooked, I tried to carry the egg from the stove to my sink with a spoon, and dropped it on my big toe.” 

Opal said “Ouch!  Did you find your first-aid kit?”  I said no, but after I found those curtains, I wasted no time washing that giant window and it’s large dusty blind.  And in the windowsill was a small aloe vera succulent, and I remembered my friend Kay’s mom using a piece of aloe vera plant on a burn, so I tried that and some ice and it helped.

Opal said “Who’s Kay?  Does she live here?”  I said “No, she lives in Hawaii.”  She said “How do you know someone who lives in Hawaii?”  I said “Um… thru the internet.”  She said “Why do I get the feeling you’re hiding something?” 

Ulp!  I didn’t want to tell Opal about Kay’s blog or mine, she has no idea I have one and I want to keep it that way.  If she saw how many times her name’s been mentioned here… I said “You’re silly, why are you so paranoid?”  Opal said “I know!  My daughter tells me the same thing!” 

We talked about her daughter’s recent move to Ohio and some other things, when Opal said “Look who’s coming” and motioned to the sidewalk in front of our building.  I looked out and saw a smaller woman headed in our direction.  I’ve seen her from a distance once or twice before, and truth be told, liked what I saw. 

She looked about sixty, give or take a year and had a pretty nice figure.  Her hair was white and clipped short, and she sported lavender framed glasses.  I said “Ah.  I’ve seen her before.  Didn’t she move into that unit down the hall from yours?  411?  When was that, a week ago?” 

Opal said “It was two weeks ago and it’s 410.  And let me tell you, she is one odd lady!  You should live on my side of the floor, she was doing her wash the other day and was singing in there!”

I said “What’s wrong with that?  I sing in the shower all the time.  I do John Denver, Eric Burdon, Bob Dylan—“   Opal stopped me.  “She SINGS.  High falsetto.  Not an entire opera, but it was pretty loud!”

Hmm.  I didn’t say anything, just watched as she got closer to the building.  I saw two plastic grocery bags hanging from her one hand, one bag from the other. 

Opal said “Well, I’m going to take my stuff upstairs and get something to eat.  Are you coming?”   I said “You go ahead, I think I’m going to wait on our new neighbor and get the door for her.”  Opal rolled her eyes and headed inside.

When our new neighbor got closer to the entrance, I said “Hi, how are you?”  She said “Fine…”  I said “My name’s Doug, I live on the fourth floor.  My friend Opal said you’re the new tenant in 410?  I—I just thought I’d say hi and get the door for you.”  

She tilted her head slightly and said “Well thank you.”  I offered to take her bags and she handed me one.  She said “My name is Meira.  My family and friends call me Mishie.”

Wha?  I said “Well, it’s nice to meet you… Meersha—Meerie.  Meira.”

As we walked thru the inner lobby doors and turned left towards the elevator (where Opal was still waiting for it to arrive), Meira sort of fell in step behind me.  And then suddenly, without warning—she broke into song.  I swear to God Almighty, I am not making this up.

Ah! Sweet mystery of life
At last I've found thee…
Ah! I know at last the secret of it all…

My head and shoulders jerked so suddenly I think I gave myself whiplash.  Her notes weren’t as high as Jeanette MacDonald, but they were high enough—and pitch perfect.  I looked ahead at Opal, who would not look in our direction.  She just stood there, staring hard at the elevator doors and willing them to open before we got there.

The elevator doors opened just as we approached, and we all stepped inside.  I turned to Meira and said “Bravissimo”.  She tilted her head and said “Thank you, sir.”

I don’t know why, but my face felt hot enough to fry an egg on! 

The three of us rode in silence to the fourth floor.  When the doors opened, Opal looked at me, shook her head and stepped off without saying a word.  I said “Have a nice day Opal” and she waved goodbye without turning around.  Meira got off next and I handed her her bag, and said “It was nice meeting you.”  She said “As it was you.”

I admit it, I’m intrigued.

31 comments:

  1. You certainly know how to weave a story. I was spellbound. Now, I love music, and that is a pretty song. If she sounded good, then, yes, bravissimo. I like your drapes. They look nice and fresh.

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    1. Thank you Gigi, I know it was a lot for one blog. :^) I haven't seen Opal or this new person since Saturday, so there may be more to come.

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  2. What an interesting interlude, Dug. You probably see more people in your apartment than we see in our neighborhood. Unless they are next door neighbors, we generally just wave as we pass by in the car. DH does talk to some walking by when he's out working on the lawn, but that's about it. This new person may prove to be an interesting neighbor.

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    1. Thanks Rian and you're very right about all the people here--well, it's 104 units and there's a lot of coming & going (and moving in & out) so there's always new people it seems. And I admit I'm curious about Miera :)

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  3. What an adventure! Hope the toe is okay, and the numerical odds to injure a toe with an egg dropping on it must be researched!
    You're so kind to the gals in the complex. I'm willing to bet your opera neighbor used to be an opera singer. Keep us posted. (I had a 103-year-old hospice patient who sang in New York as a young woman. She turned down continuing a great career for the love of a man and family. She LOVED hearing and singing along with that young performer Jackie Evancho. My patient knew the words to every classical tune.) Linda in Kansas

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    1. My goodness... that's a pretty romantic story Linda. Now you have me more curious about this lady. She only sang 3 verses, but you could tell she had a good voice. Thanks for sharing, Linda :)

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  4. Your curtains look both elegant and modern. Very nice! You are a master at character sketches, Doug. I come away feeling I met them all in person. I love Meira and her gifted voice. You have a vibrant community in your building. Looking forward to more updates.

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    1. Florence, you're very kind thank you! It's especially appreciated as I worried I shared too much personal stuff the minute I posted this, so thanks again. If I get anything more, I'll share it :^)

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  5. Doug, there is a delightful book in the wall of your building. I'm glad they don't know you blog but I am sure glad you do. Love your stories and character portraits. This new one sounds really interesting. Ask her if she knows any John Denver and maybe you two can rock the laundry room.

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    1. Hahaha! Thank you Patti! Well now that I think about it, there's that awesome duet with John Denver & Cass Elliott (Mama Cass) on youtube, haha. Very sweet what you said Patti. :^)

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  6. I agree with Patti, you could write a book or even a sitcom about life in your apartment house! You have a real talent at telling a story. I can see it now: "Doug's Life" a series about life in a city apartment building!

    Oh, and I love those curtains!

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    1. Bonnie you always write the nicest things, thanks so much! Yeah there is a lot of stories here, haha--I didn't set out to share the whole thing with Flora & Opal on Saturday, but when Miera came along and sang those 3 verses--it was too much not to share! Thank you again Bonnie :)

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  7. Love this story and your sense of humor (and of the ridiculous)! I too am intrigued by this lady. My dad used to sing that song about the sweet mystery of life--but not in a falsetto. ;)

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    1. Thank you Margaret--I haven't run into Miera since Saturday, but I haven't stopped thinking about it (obviously). Hey I'm trying to learn that song now too! :^)

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  8. Oh my gosh... you had me laughing with Opal's reaction to Meira's singing. In this story, you have three great characters in addition to yourself of course:)

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    1. Haha, thanks Sue! I tried to convey Opal's look--I haven't talked to her since this all happened but I'm anxious to hear what she thinks :^)

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  9. Wow! I think I'd get whiplash too.
    Laughing at you carrying an egg in a spoon. I take the whole pot to the sink and gently pour out the boiling water along with the egg, then I scoop the egg into a slotted spoon to get it out of the sink.

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    1. haha--River, that's how i usually handle boiled eggs but I already had ice water in the sink from rinsing out ice trays), I should've said that! :)

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    2. That wouldn't have hurt the egg at all, but cooled it down enough to handle.

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  10. Thanks for the slice of a day in the life of Doug. It was quite entertaining to read!

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  11. Morning Doug, such an interesting post! Your writing is so descriptive I can imagine everything.
    Your new curtains are gorgeous. Hope your toe is feeling better. Opal sounds like quite the character.
    Looking forward to your next post!
    Robin

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  12. You have such a way with words. I felt like I could pick out Mishie from a crowd just from your description. And I laughed out loud at your latest mishap. :-)

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    1. Thanks so much DJan, I worried some before writing all this it was too ridiculous to share, but Mishie's song (well, only 3 verses) cinched it. :^)

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  13. Ahhhh... The sweet mysteries of the life of Doug.
    I had such fun reading this post and even more fun when I saw my name. I'm so happy you had some aloe to help you with your burn. We all use it at our house. I loved this post. I felt like I was standing right there listening to you and Opal talking. And now I shall look forward to hearing more about Mishie.

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    1. Haha, thanks Kay, I was hoping you'd see this! I know it's silly stuff, but at least it gave me something to write about. :^)

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  14. What a life you lead! Sweet mystery of life indeed. Makes me wonder what I've got in the back of my closet that I've forgotten about...alas, there are no singers nearby to serenade me.

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    1. Haha thanks Debby, but trust me my life is boring as they come! It's not everyday new curtains or wannabe opera divas come along :^)

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  15. Oh well, when life gets too dull, you can always plunk your own self down in Flora's white cane chair with the green satin cushions and see what happens. Be sure to post the results.

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    1. Haha thanks Debby! :^) You just reminded me, I haven't seen any of these ladies in over a week!

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