During the following summer, while he was picking up his mail in the lobby, Ron met Marie, a new tenant moving into the apartment directly above his, into apartment 4. He was instantly frozen with delight and ferocity when she came gliding through the lobby door. Marie was a vibrant and shining woman, to Ron she was the apex of emotion and desire, never had he been so struck by another’s presence. She was a slim woman with fair skin, light freckles on her nose, and auburn hair that was drawn back in a pony tail. She had refined features which made her appear ‘expensive’ to Ron, but her mild demeanor told otherwise.
As he stood there with mail in hand, she walked in with a basket full of folded clothes, smiled, and said hello. He was speechless and fully aware that his mouth was propped open with astonishment, though he could do nothing about it. He managed a cordial greeting, then she introduced herself. Sweat felt as though it was about to drip from his hand as he extended it for a handshake. He hadn’t thought it through well, and placed the hand back at his side when he realized that both of hers were occupied with the laundry basket.
Several seconds passed before Ronald became aware of his gawky posture and in an effort to rectify the awkwardness of their meeting he magnanimously offered to help her carry a few things inside. Marie agreed, stating that she would need help with her desk and box spring. Ron knew that keeping his hands busy with this task would help to allay his nervous and trepid thoughts about her, allowing him to carry on a decent conversation, much in the same way that occupying his mind with math helped him curb a bouncing knee or tapping pencil.
Moving the desk was effortless, while they moved it across the lobby floor Ron imagined that rather than moving a desk together, the two of them were sitting across from one another at a small table, at a small coffee shop, in Italy. He managed to carry the box spring into her apartment on his own and proceeded to pick items out of the trailer and move them in until there were no items left to pick. This was his chivalrous way of letting her know that he was smitten by her, this was Ron’s way of buying Marie flowers.
