Promptuarium: CHOOSING

Tessa Dangora lives in the apartment above me, we’ve been neighbors for about six years.

We are not the sort of neighbors who chat in the stairwell or wave when we drive by each other in the parking lot. She keeps to herself and I guess you could say the same about me.

Sometimes I can hear Tessa walking around her place and sometimes during the Summer when we all have our windows open I can hear her radio- she likes classical music and sometimes I catch the scent of freshly baked bread.

Just before Summer started I passed Tessa in the hallway, I was walking my dog and Tessa was carrying a bag of groceries. She stopped and looked at my dog first and then at me.

She seemed to be searching for something to say. ” I didn’t know you had a dog. ”

” His name is Caliban ” I told her.

” I don’t have any pets. ” Tessa touched her cheek with one long bony finger. ” It would be nice to have a pet. Do dogs make good pets?”

” I think so. ” I said.

Just then a sleek black and white cat zipped by us and leapt up the stairs to Tessa’s

door.

” Oh what a pretty cat. ” I said, ” I wonder who it belongs too?”

Tessa smiled and her eyes raced up the stairs to her door. ” It doesn’t belong to anyone, but it does have a very loving pet. ”

From upstairs a sweet voice with teeth called down to us, ” I’m glad you’re home Tessa. Can you open the door please?”

Tessa looked at Caliban and smiled. ” Dogs make good pets. They’re patient, loyal, really they are lovely. Maybe I should get one.”

As she made her way up the stairs Tessa told me to have a nice evening and then I turned to open my door.

” Tessa and the Cat don’t like us Mom- you know that right?”

I told Caliban I did.