Thursday, December 11, 2008

Welcoming Apples and Oranges

First, she rang the doorbell. Twice.

When I didn't answer, she went to the back deck and pounded on my glass sliding doors. It was the sound of urgency that finally got me out from underneath a comforter and three cats.

I was taking a nap. So what if it was 6:30 PM? I'm in one of my write-nap-write-sleep-write work cycles. Most friends think I'm nuts to work this way and have no problem telling me so.

My neighbor wanted to know if I was sick. Since she's still struggling with English after arriving from Italy forty years ago, I decided not to get into semantics -- sick weird or sick sick? No, I told her, not sick. Just writing.

"Si! Si!" she said, beaming and nodding, while handing over four oranges and an apple.

I was grateful for the ring-and-run snacks, even though I was a bit thrown by the combination. It seemed off but I couldn't quite figure out how...let alone why.

So once again I thank God for my dear friend Maureen, who revealed the hidden message. Perhaps the seemingly incomparable things in my life are indeed coming together. Something to ponder while I peel and slice.