I had just sat down to read a book when there was a knock at the door.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrYHemj6tx
The knock surprised me, as I wasn't expecting anyone. I had only been staying in the apartment for a handful of weeks, and since I had secured a modest job as a librarian I hadn't thought much of meeting the neighbors. Well, I thought, it can't hurt, can it?
I opened the door and saw a beautiful woman with short, curly blonde hair. "Hello," she said in a soft, catty voice. "I heard there was a new resident here. I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Queenie."
"Oh, hello," I replied, slightly stunned. "I'm Zarayna. Most people call me Rayn, though. Would you like to come in?"
"Actually, I was going to invite you over. I'm just across the hall." She motioned to a slightly opened door. "If you're not busy, that is. I don't want to intrude."
Again stunned, I said, "Oh, no you're not intruding at all. Er - would you mind waiting a few moments while I change?" I was in my dressing gown, and of course didn't think it appropriate to go visiting in it, even if it was only across the hallway.
"Not at all," Queenie chimed, apparently surprised that I need ask.
A few minutes later I was in Queenie's kitchen. A wonderful smell pervaded the room. "I'm making strudels," she said. "Would you like one?"
"Yes, please," I said, still astounded at her kindness.
No sooner had I answered had she put one on a plate and set it on the table, as if anticipating my answer. Biting into it, I found that it was perfectly flaky and delicious. "This is wonderful!" I exclaimed. "You made this yourself?"
"It's my own recipe," she responded. "A slight variation from the traditional. Don't ask me what it is though, it's a secret," she added with a wink.
As we worked through our own strudels, we exchanged bouts of small talk, hoping to get to know each other better. She was surprisingly easy to talk to. At first I wasn't very open about myself, but she did not pry for answers - rather, she gave some of her own. I learned that she and her sister had lived on their own since their mother had died, with only each other to look after them. I learned that her passions included fashion and cooking - she designed her own clothes and, as she had hinted before, modified existing recipes to her own tastes or created her own unique recipes. I soon felt as though I had known her for much longer than an hour.
When the conversation seemed to taper off, I stood and said, "Thank you so much, Queenie. You were so kind to me today. It was a true pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, it was nothing. You should come back sometime and meet Tina. On Saturday, perhaps?"
Nodding enthusiastically, I said, "That would be wonderful. I won't be at the library then. Thank you."
Back in my own room, I picked up my book again, but I was far too excited to read it. Everything was going so well. I had a place to live, I had a job, and I had a friend, with the possibility of another in five days. Perhaps I really could be happy here and there was no cause for worry. After all, if you worry you suffer twice.
Little did I know that the excitement wouldn't wait until Saturday to begin.
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