from them. I have a “nod and a smile” relationship with the residents of two other apartments, one of whom gifted us with a welcome basket when we moved in. I appreciated the gesture greatly, and we’ve been invited to their gatherings and we, in turn, invite them to ours. Other than that, they are in the third category, as is my neighbor two doors away. One of the apartments on my floor has three adorable children—3, 8 and 10 years old. Since our grandchildren are all grown, the kids down the hall have kind of taken their place. We give them small gifts at Christmas and they stop by occasionally, just to say hello. Immediately next door to our apartment is a wonderful neighbor, Amy, and her two (now teenaged) children. She moved in about eight years ago and we immediately became good friends. We are old enough to be Amy’s parents, but it doesn’t matter to us or to her. Amy has a great personality and an infectious laugh. When Hurricane Sandy knocked out our power and we couldn’t go out because we’re on the 11th floor, and we had no elevator service, Amy had a dinner party and invited all her friends from the building, including us. We all emptied our refrigerators, brought flashlights, candles, wine and either food we cooked at home or items to cook in her house. Luckily we all have gas stoves, which worked! It was a great party and helped us to forget our problems. Fast forward to March 10, 2020. I fell onto my face on the cement sidewalk just six days before we were asked to shelter in place. I went to the hospital where they cleaned and bandaged my wounds, did a CAT scan, gave me a tetanus shot and sent me home. My entire face from my forehead down was injured. In a few days, my nose, chin and forehead swelled up, I had two black eyes, and my cheeks were green and purple. Strange though, nothing hurt, but I wouldn’t leave the house looking the way I did! Amy rang the bell to borrow something and went into shock when she saw me. She was practically crying. From that day until now, two months later, she has gone shopping for us at food stores, the bakery, the pharmacy, and even to the bank and post office. There isn’t a day that I don’t hear from her, asking what I need or want. Before we were given the six-feet-apart edict, we invited Amy and
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