It's 1980 and we have just moved to Talavera de la Reina, Extremadura. We're living in this long apartment which even has a maid's quarter. I might end up there after doing my wifely duties such as polishing the wooden floors!
Opposite the elevator door lives a cheery lady from Leon. Each time she hears my footsteps or the elevator door she miraculously appears in her doorway. She calls out something, and waves her hands with great enthusiasm, then giggles loudly.
"Buenos dias. I thought it was the plumber!"
"Buenas tardes. I thought it was the baker!"
"Hola. Que sorpresa! I thought it was my daughter!"
"Where are you going?"
"Where were you?"
"What did you buy?"
I always smile and then fumble for answers all the while being aware of the verb endings and how important it is to get adjectives and gender to agree. Many times I think she's just being nosy and meddlesome, but she does seem nice.
One day, I come out of the elevator and, as usual, there is the lady from Leon opening her door.
"Oh, it's YOU! What a surprise!" She tends to talk in shrieks.
I smile and try to walk away in the direction of my apartment door.
"Come, come with me!" The lady from Leon beckons me inside her apartment.
I had never been in it before and was curious to see what it looked like. The beautiful parquet floors are what stood out. They gleamed and they shone. The furniture was ornate, as if out of a Victorian novel. There was the smell of chlorine and amonia. Everything was immaculately clean.
The lady from Leon is grinning widely as she starts singing and her feet start tapping.
"Come! Join me!" She produces two rags. Places one under her feet and offers me the other. Come! Let's dance! This is how I polish the floors!"
We dance and slip and slide, and soon I'm shrieking and giggling, just like the Lady from Leon.