This afternoon, after pointing towards the freshly-made doughnuts she had left for me, my housemate's mother told me via Google Translate on her phone that this was her last batch of sweets as she was leaving for good two days from now. The news came as a surprise to me, and I felt quite sad. I have become used to her cheerful presence in the house even though we can barely communicate as she doesn't speak English.
When I moved in seven months ago, I assumed she was visiting her son, and would possibly return home to Romania for Christmas. The holidays came and went but she remained. I didn't mind because her presence was barely any bother, and she soon started sharing the fruits of her baking with me. She also cleaned the house with unnatural thoroughness, so I had little reason to complain. Before lockdown, I didn't see much of her as I would be at uni from morning to evening nearly six days a week. I would joke to my friends that she must think I am a dolt because she had caught me n a number of occasions struggling to operate some pretty straightforward kitchen appliances, and had stepped in to help.
When we locked down, I started seeing much more of her as she was always in the house and never went anywhere. She continued to ply me with her baking goods and I started returning the favour. She has a sweet tooth so it was easy to shop for her. She also loves strawberries which made returning the favour even easier.
Her imminent departure has made me realise the importance of non-verbal communication. A warm demeanour and smiles can work wonders, even when no words are exchanged. In fact, I would tell my friends that one of the reasons I was fond of her is I didn't have to make small talk with her. I will miss seeing her around the house. After she told me she was leaving, I toyed with the idea of getting farewell sweets for her. I had just been to the shops this morning, and it was raining so I was initially disinclined to do so. But, I knew I would regret it later if I didn't get anything for her. Rituals and gestures are important signalling vehicles, as much as lay cynics like me would like to believe they are not.
The next few years are going to bring many upheavals, many life changes, many farewells. Not to overstate the significance of this one, but this is possibly the first one in my life.
When I moved in seven months ago, I assumed she was visiting her son, and would possibly return home to Romania for Christmas. The holidays came and went but she remained. I didn't mind because her presence was barely any bother, and she soon started sharing the fruits of her baking with me. She also cleaned the house with unnatural thoroughness, so I had little reason to complain. Before lockdown, I didn't see much of her as I would be at uni from morning to evening nearly six days a week. I would joke to my friends that she must think I am a dolt because she had caught me n a number of occasions struggling to operate some pretty straightforward kitchen appliances, and had stepped in to help.
When we locked down, I started seeing much more of her as she was always in the house and never went anywhere. She continued to ply me with her baking goods and I started returning the favour. She has a sweet tooth so it was easy to shop for her. She also loves strawberries which made returning the favour even easier.
Her imminent departure has made me realise the importance of non-verbal communication. A warm demeanour and smiles can work wonders, even when no words are exchanged. In fact, I would tell my friends that one of the reasons I was fond of her is I didn't have to make small talk with her. I will miss seeing her around the house. After she told me she was leaving, I toyed with the idea of getting farewell sweets for her. I had just been to the shops this morning, and it was raining so I was initially disinclined to do so. But, I knew I would regret it later if I didn't get anything for her. Rituals and gestures are important signalling vehicles, as much as lay cynics like me would like to believe they are not.
The next few years are going to bring many upheavals, many life changes, many farewells. Not to overstate the significance of this one, but this is possibly the first one in my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment