It is 10am.

This morning I got up at 7.30 to try to go to Lincoln Center and get free tickets to see the New York City Ballet perform "Romeo and Juliet". The line wound around the block and I didn't get them. But when I went to the bathroom this morning to brush my teeth, I noticed a girl come out of her room and go into the shower rooms. I notice this specific girl a lot because, one, she lives on my floor, and two, we used to work at the Gap together. Since living in the same building with her, I've begun to notice what an odd drive she has. It's as though she's always determined to do whatever she's doing. Just determined.

So this particular morning, I noticed her go into the shower room. As I began to brush my teeth, she came into the bathroom and began to brush hers. I finished brushing mine, and I believe that it was in the middle of my mouthwash gargling that I realized she'd probably turned the water in the shower on to let it get warm, but I happen to know that this girl brushes her teeth forever and that the showers don't need that much time to get warm. In fact, in the time that it took me to brush my teeth, gargle mouthwash, pee, and wash my hands, she brushed her teeth. Somewhere in that time, I decided that if she hadn't left before I did, that I would go into the bathroom and turn her shower off. Sure enough, I washed my hands and she was still brushing away, finally beginning to finish up. So I went into the shower room, where, sure enough, the shower was running--and it was turned on to as hot as you can turn those knobs--and I turned it off. As I opened the door to leave, guess who is walking in. I said "Excuse me" and left.

I went back to my room and wondered what our next interaction would be like. What if we found ourselves both waiting for the elevators at the same time. Would she ask me if I'd turned the water off? What would I say?

I didn't see her until I came back from my unsuccessful ballet trek. I saw her walking down the hallway in my direction, and I averted my eyes when we passed.

I wonder what she did when she came in and the shower that had been running when she left was now off. I wonder what she thought I'd been doing in there, as there was absolutely no reason for me to be in that room. I wonder how long it took her to connect my presence with the mysterious stoppage of her water. Most of all, I wonder if she thinks I'm crazy. I probably am.