Posted on by admin

These are the people…

The highlight of my week working in homecare has to be on Thursday afternoons when this Senegalese nanny I work with yells at the cat (in very aggressive French) to stay away from me and out of the room I am working in. If I ever really feel like someone in this life has my back, it’s when I am with this woman. (Although my theory is that the cat drives her nuts and she can’t wait until allergic-me shows up every week just so she has an excuse to yell at him. But still…). She also always asks me if I need to use the bathroom before she starts to give the kids a bath as I am getting ready to leave. It’s extremely thoughtful. And she says THANK YOU, GOD! to me in English every time I return to work after being sick. As if I had some terminal disease and she is extremely grateful that I survived.

HAVE GOOD WEEKEND (you too!) and DO YOU NEED BATHROOM (yes, please!) is the extent of our conversations on most days. We only speak a few words in the same language. Last summer she took an extended vacation and returned from her home country with something beautiful and handmade for me. I was floored. And then touched. When I showed it off to a friend with great excitement he asked what it was and I didn’t know. I was embarrassed to ask. Whatever it is I love it and will keep it forever.

People like her are one step away from Friends of Friends. Something like People you See Regularly and Adore but Don’t Really Know Them at All. Like the doorman who gestures towards the elevator while he is still calling up so I can get a head start and avoid being late every Wednesday afternoon. Or the lady in the tea shop who stopped by the grocery on her way to work to pick up lemons herself one morning after I asked for an “Earl Grey with lemon” three Tuesdays in a row. (I kept forgetting that that chain doesn’t stock lemons). Or like the senior who drinks coffee on the bench outside the cafe that used to tell me every morning that he loved me when I walked by to go to the train. Well, that’s a morale booster! He says it to a lot of people, but still, it’s always nice to hear. The sassy usher at City Center with the fantastic bun who I now recognize after so many years of Fall for Dance. The guys that work at the laundromat that used to save my favorite laundry cart for me on Saturday mornings.

It’s impossible to feel lonely in this city.

Would any of these people show up at my funeral? No. But who needs that when they show up in my life every day.

When you move or your routine changes, you miss these people. But you might not know them enough to have said good-bye. My schedule will change this summer and I won’t have that 15″ on Tuesday morning to stop for tea anymore. I will stop coming in to ask for lemon. Maybe the lady will notice and say “that girl doesn’t come in for her lemon anymore.” Or maybe she won’t. Maybe in July I will have a day off and go up for a cup of tea and she will say “OH! How have you been? It’s been a while.” Maybe she won’t work there anymore. Maybe she will have gone back to school to be an accountant or is home taking care of her mother. Maybe she will never think of me again. But I will never forget the lemon. Nor will I forget the I LOVE YOU! Or the mysterious gift from Senegal. Or the unusually enthusiastic conductor on the A train who exclaims, every Monday morning, “Welcome back from the weekend!” I have never even seen his face.

Last year, my Thursday afternoon client got confused about when the nanny was supposed to be returning from her visit home.  We were all worried for several days when she didn’t come back to work when expected and before we realized it was just a misunderstanding of dates. When she appeared the following week all I could think was THANK YOU, GOD!

I realize this is the grown-up version of Sesame Street’s “Who are the People in your Neighborhood” sketches. Enjoy that earworm.

65 Replies to “These are the people…”

  1. Amazing post and 100% accurate to city life. I used to try and explain to my friends in back home in small town America that living in the city is basically the same, except you don’t know the intimate details of everyone’s lives.

    Reply

  4. It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I want to suggest you few interesting things or tips. Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article. I desire to read even more things about it!

    Reply

  12. If you want to use the photo it would also be good to check with the artist beforehand in case it is subject to copyright. Best wishes. Aaren Reggis Sela

    Reply

  16. Hi! I understand this is somewhat off-topic however I needed to
    ask. Does managing a well-established website
    like yours take a massive amount work? I’m brand new to blogging but I do write in my journal
    everyday. I’d like to start a blog so I can share my personal experience and feelings online.
    Please let me know if you have any recommendations or tips for new aspiring bloggers.
    Appreciate it!

    Feel free to visit my page :: college ruled composition notebook bulk

    Reply

  17. We’re a small group of volunteers and starting a whole new scheme in your community.
    Your site offered us with valuable information to be effective on.
    You’ve done a formidable job and our whole community will be grateful to you personally.

    Feel free to surf to my homepage KrystinSNuon

    Reply

  47. You made some decent points there. I looked on the internet for the problem and located most individuals will go along with along with your website. Brock Huereca

    Reply

  53. Asking questions are in fact good thing if you are not understanding anything entirely, except this paragraph provides fastidious understanding even. Luis Cordoba

    Reply

  57. Marvel’in “Kaptan Amerika: Kahramanların Savaşı” fiminde Steve Rogers’ı, insanlığı savunma yolunda görevlerine devam eden Yenilmez’lerin yenilenmiş ekibinin öncüsü olarak görüyoruz. Yenilmezler’in dahil olduğu bir olay kötü sonuçlanınca, siyasi güçler Yenilmezler’in bir otorite tarafından izlediği ve yönlendirildiği bir sistem kurulması için baskı yaparlar. Bu vaziyet Yenilmezler’in fikir ayrılığına düşerek iki gruba ayrılmasına kapı aralar. Bunlardan biri Steve Rogers’ın önderliğinde, Yenilmezler’in devlet baskısı olmaksızın özgür bir biçimde insanlığı savunmaya devam etmesini müdafaa eden grup, diğer tarafta ise Tony Stark’ın şaşırtıcı bir biçimde devlet kontrolünü ve müdahalesini destekleyen ikinci gruptur. Akula. Aubrey Kirkness

    Reply

  59. I was very pleased to uncover this great site. I need to to thank you for ones time for this fantastic read!! I definitely appreciated every bit of it and I have you bookmarked to look at new information on your blog.

    Reply

  62. 20. yy’ın en önemli kadın yazarlarından biri olan ve kendi yaşamı da romanları kadar çarpıcı geçen Woolf’un yaşamı etrafında dönen bu ilginç çalışma, kesinlikle kaçırılmaması gereken bir film. Johnie Disalvi

    Reply

  63. Mali yönden sıkıntılı bir süreçten geçen Nicolas Cage, ekonomik durumunu düzeltmek için hayranı olan Meksikalı bir milyarderin doğum günün para karşılığında katılmayı kabul eder. Ancak Cage’in doğum günü partisine gideceği milyarderin aynı zamanda uyuşturucu baronu olduğundan ve Meksika başkan adayının kızını kaçırdığından haberi yoktur. CIA’in kendisi ile iletişime geçmesinin ardından Cage, kaçırılan kızı kurtarmak için zorlu bir mücadeleye girişir. Abram Mercury

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *