Tonight

Tonight when walking Romeo on Kanatha Street I saw a colander and pizza pan being thrown out. Lovely Rita came out to chat, "I lived across the street on the top floor when I was born," she said, pointing.

"Of course I don't remember. Then my father built this house and then built the apartments next door in 1967 for my brothers and sisters. Now I'm selling my house and will move next door."

I fell in love with the 1950's small aluminum colander and picked it up out of the trash pile. "That's old, that was my mother's but it's missing a handle," she said. As she said that I spotted a pizza pan. "This is so well loved," I said noticing the score marks from slicing.

"I'd remind my brother to come over and slice the pizza," she said. "We'd have it every Saturday after mass. And Saint Theresa's still my parish."

Then we said goodbye and turned the corner. I put the colander on my head. It fit nicely. "How do I look?" I asked my husband. "It's my new martian yarmulke."

"Romeo and I are walking ahead of you, we don't know you," my husband replied.

I spotted my reflection in a parked car window. "The feet look like horns!" I laughed.

On the way home we stopped at the market and I saw my favorite former student and neighbor Heidi who is now a beautiful 30-year-old adult. She was with her nephew who is seven now and 3 times the height he was last time I saw him. Heidi has started her own cosmetics business and is still cooking in restaurants. We hugged.

I returned to the car with my groceries. As we turned down the street my husband spotted a blazing tiki torch burning on the 2nd floor wooden porch opposite Nancy's house. I know the landlord, so when we got home I phoned him to prevent disaster.