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Friday, May 8, 2009

Octopus Man

Today I decided to do some cleaning. I tackled my room and the kitchen first. It's gorgeous out today in Boston, so my cleaning gear amounted to little besides a pair of shorts and my bikini top. After all, I'm home alone.

I took several loads of trash and recycling out to the side yard, singing as I did. But on the last trip as I reached back for the door handle it stuck. I had hit the lock. I was locked out.

I walked to the front yard and tried the front door. No luck. I rang Apartment One because all three apartments are connected through the back hallway. Jay and Mona were both at work.

I circled the house searching for a foot hold knowing that Jay would forgive me if I climbed into a window. Nothing.

I gave up on getting back in since it was so gorgeous out anyway. Plus, I was starving, and now I had a perfect excuse for giving up productivity. I could sit, drinking an ice coffee and eating an avocado and bacon sandwich from Java Jo's at least until someone came home from work to let me in.
I checked my pockets and sighed. No money, obviously. Who brings their wallet to take out the trash?

I started to laugh because from now on, I probably would.

"Hey!" called out a group of men walking towards me. I recognized at least two of them as the guys who live next door, they often sit on the front porch smoking cigarettes and playing guitar late into the evening.

As we exchanged "what's up?s" I tried to look as though I usually hang out in a bathing suit on the sidewalk. Then I gave up. "Hey guys, I'm totally locked out."

"We could try to break in.." one suggested happily. As I agreed to let them try, I got the impression that nothing could have made their day better.

"You're on the second floor, right?" asked another of them.

"They say I climb like a monkey, but I'm more like an octopus," he pronounced sincerely.
"Monkey Boy!" one of them shouted gleefully. Having never watched an Octopus climb anything, I just smiled and told him I believed him. He grinned and followed me to my back yard.

As I watched incredulously he shimmied up to Jay's back porch and then kept going til he reached mine.

He entered the apartment and came down the back stairs. He opened the door with a wide smile, lit cigarette still in hand, not even a bit sweaty or out of breath.

He was right. He was way more like an octopus.

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