A Friend, Indeed, and a Neighbor, in Deed.
Recently, a friend of mine, who will know who she is when she reads this post, came by for an unannounced visit. I was expecting to celebrate a birthday in a couple of days, and so she came in advance with a gift envelope.
When she arrived, I was not at home. Someone opened the streetside gate, and she walked onto the premises. She accessed the front door, came into the lobby, then climbed the stairs and slipped the envelope under my apartment door—or so she thought.
Innocent Mishaps
As soon as I arrived home, I received a phone call. “Where are you?“ It was my friend.
“What do you mean by, ‘Where are you?’ Clearly, you are speaking to me on my house number,“ I replied.
“But I was just there. I rang your doorbell and got no answer, and I pushed an envelope under your door.“
“I am looking at the front door right now, and I don’t see any envelope underneath it,“ I said.
“Oh my gosh!” she replied, and to put it mildly.
“What’s the matter?“ I asked.
She seemed frustrated, as she repeated her claim of putting the envelope under the door with a gift card enclosed.
“I am sorry. You may have pushed it under the wrong door. I’ll speak to my downstairs neighbor to see if he has an envelope he didn’t expect,“ I said.
“Is she living in Number four? That’s where you put it,“ I heard another voice say. I realized my friend may have been accompanied by someone I didn’t know, when she visited.
“What number is your place?” she asked.
“Certainly not four,“ I replied. My answer was vague because I was still pondering why she didn’t give me a heads up she was coming.
“I believe I put it under four,” she said, sounding defeated.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it will turn up. I appreciate your efforts,” I replied.
“You’re welcome. I’m tired. I’ve been doing a lot today and it’s been raining all day. Later,” she said, and hung up the phone.
Lessons Learned
I then contacted my neighbor downstairs, by text. He said he wasn’t home. But late that evening, he brought the envelope—my birthday gift—upstairs. I thanked him for it and for being a good neighbor. His honest gesture restored my belief that decent friends and neighbors still exist. It has also made me less judgmental of others. I actually felt a tinge of guilt that I judged my friend for showing up unannounced at my door—or so she thought—when she was only being considerate. What if there was something weighing on her mind she wanted to talk about? I still would not have been available at the time; and the misplacement of the envelope could have happened to any of us with the best of intentions.
I called and thanked my friend for thinking of me in anticipation of my birthday. I appreciate all of my friends and my good neighbors.