The Couple Next Door

                                                          The Couple Next Door

What do you do during a blizzard in NYC? Watch the news, make some banana muffins, and find some things to keep busy while snowed in. I recently moved into a new apartment about five months ago and although I consider myself a friendly person I had not really made friends or had much conversations with the residents in my building except for an elderly couple who live on my floor.  I live on the 10th floor which is the top floor with lovely views of Manhattan and Queens. After the snow had stopped I opened my door to the balcony to take in the sight of the freshly fallen snow and I heard some banging on a window a few apartments from mine.  I walked over and an elderly couple named Sarah and Daniel were waving to me.  I have encountered them many times in the elevator and on their daily walks to our local supermarket but seeing their smiles behind casement windows with lace curtains pulled to the side was a new experience.  They opened the window and told me to come inside for a cup of coffee so I took them up on the offer especially since I had just made a batch of homemade muffins and in need of a little company.  I grabbed four muffins and put them on  a paper plate lined with a doily and went to apartment 1001 and rang their bell.  When they opened the door they each greeted me with a  hug and a kiss, and I could hear Italian opera softly playing in the background. As I stepped from the foyer into the living room it was if I was transplanted to a different era. The apartment was furnished with art deco pieces of red velvet couches and matching chairs.  There were chandeliers hanging above the dining room furniture and many family photos in antique frames. I immediately was served a cup of coffee in a delicate cup with a saucer along with a platter of cookies and some beautifully wrapped chocolates.  I gave her my muffins and Sarah put them on the platter as well.  As we sipped our coffee and ate some sweets we talked effortlessly as if we were familiar friends.  I became mesmerized by the stories of how they met and of their sixty year  marriage.  Sarah was original from Scotland but went to Argentina as a young woman to work as a nanny where she met Daniel who was a chief in a restaurant.  They met, fell in love, and then immigrated to American where they started their own restaurant in Kew Gardens, NY.  They ran the restaurant until Daniel sold it at seventy-four years of age.  He then became a cab driver and worked until his mid-eighties.  They also shared stories of their children and some history about the building we live in. Sarah and Daniel have been living in the building for fifty-six years and have seen many changes indeed, The apartment building is one hundred years old and use to be a very fancy hotel that celebrities use to stay in while in NYC.  The apartments have balconies, fireplaces, beautiful terrazzo flooring, and elevators with bronze doors. Sarah talked about the movie stars she meet and that frequented their restaurant and about dances that were held in the hotel. As I drank my coffee I was so fully present absorbing  every word that the scenes unfolded vividly in my mind.What felt like I had only been there for a few minutes was actually over an hour.  As I was getting ready to leave Sarah pulled me aside and said tomorrow is a very special day for Daniel. Daniel was turning 90, and she asked if I would join in his birthday celebration. I of course gladly accepted the invitation. What seemed like a very boring day turned into a very memorable experience.