This is a story about a guy that lives in a two story walk up apartment building (wait a sec, I also live in a two story walk up... weird). One day this guy ( I'll call him "the guy") came home from a long days work loaded down with four bags of groceries... well only two bags of groceries actually, the heaviest two bags were from the liquor store. But to be fair the guy picks up wine occasionally for his building manager so the liquor wasn't all his (sure...). After struggling to get through the door and retrieve his mail (bills) the guy makes his way up the first flight of stairs to his suite which is on the second floor. Out of the corner of his eye he catches a glimpse of someone lurking at the top of the next flight of stairs with something that looks a lot like a queen size mattress. Not wishing to make eye contact the guy looks straight ahead and quickens his pace down the hall when he hears behind him, " There's a strong looking fellow." He moves a bit farther and then hears, "You don't want to help me ?" To which the guy replies rather hastily and with tone, "Not really." Remember here that it had been a long day and he just wanted to get home but he dropped his bags and turned around to help what turned out to be a damsel in distress.
He did not know the woman who was probably in her mid fifties. Somehow she had managed to drag the mattress up the first two flights of stairs by herself. Visibly annoyed the guy says, "What? did somebody just leave you here ?" She explains that the company that she bought the mattress from dropped it out front of the building but would not help her bring it up to her apartment. Begrudgingly the guy uses his powerful muscles to haul it up the remaining two flights of stairs and the woman says,"I'll take it from here."
The guy reclaims his bags his bags and heads for his apartment and as soon as he arrives in his door he feels terrible about his behavior. Since he has to deliver wine to the building manager anyway he decides to find out from him what suite she lives in so he can write a letter of apology, feeling too embarrassed to meet face to face. After purchasing a card the guy writes in it an explanation of how he works in construction and there are always delivery people coming by with appliances, carpet, woodwork etc. looking for a hand. Over the years it has simply become a knee jerk reaction to the constant barrage of these people to react with attitude and he is sorry for his actions. But the apology only seems half true and an excuse. As he goes to deliver the letter he runs into the lady at the mailboxes and makes his amends in person. The guy had once read in his horoscope that he is loyal, humorous but can be over- sensitive and wonders if he could be over-reacting.
The next day when the guy goes to a grocery store for lunch he sees the woman working at a till close to where he was paying for his food. Thinking," What are the odds?" he starts gazing out the window trying not to make eye contact again. When him and his workmate leave the store the workmate says to the guy," That lady said to me that you are neighbours and you helped her move a mattress." It seems there are no hard feelings after all and it kind of becomes a joke between the guy and and his workmate whenever they go to this particular store and say," There's my/your neighbour."
The guy was thinking about the whole situation and was reminded of a time when he had come home with a heavy leather chair. He was very grateful when a neighbour offered to give him a hand. The guy came to two realizations; 1. Unless it's a piano, lend a hand. 2. If that had been a hot, fabulous babe rather than a middle-aged woman he would have been all over that mattress like a fat kid on a Smartie.
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