Warts and All

Albertine Hemowitz of 34 North Nostradamus Avenue had begun to resent the women that lived in the flat upstairs from her, the way they left the front door open for shady guests of their late night parties, the tromping of said guests up and down the stairs past her door, noise that bled through the ceiling and kept her awake past her bedtime on work nights. Twice the woman had invited Albertine. Once she accepted so as to seem neighborly. She had a terrible time, stayed only an hour, 59 and a half minutes of which she found excruciating. She didn’t appreciate the same things her neighbors and their friends enjoyed, loud music, cigarettes, liquor and pot. She wasn’t a prude and wouldn’t think to judge others for what they did with their free time; she simply preferred to enjoy a quiet life. So when a second invitation arrived on her doorstep, she politely offered regrets. The women knew enough not to invite Albertine again.