RE-CYCLING

Took five bags of re-cycling down today after TD said he’s coming round. The lift stopped floor below mine short older woman tall younger man got in.
I said, ‘hello.’
She said, ‘where you going what floor?’
‘Ground.’
He said, ‘Tird.’
‘What floor?’
‘Tird, yeh?’
She seemed uncertain where to put her fingers I said, ‘third,’ he leaned over said, ‘let me help,’ pressed ‘3’.
‘Oh I’m going to six,’ she said and he pressed that one too.
We stood not talking I looked at the bags I held and noticed the smell of weed then the spliff tucked in his hand.
He said to me, ‘it look nice out I wondering what it like out.’
‘Cold and windy,’ I said, ‘is that what you mean?’
The lift stopped she got out we all said, ‘bye.’
He and I looked at each other for a second then he said, ‘I thinking what would happen if England got tree month a sun and that all.’
I thought for a moment said, ‘I don’t know it’s never happened far as I know,’ and laughed louder than him.
The lift stopped he said, ‘anyway...’ we said, ‘bye.’

RE-CYCLED

Items: 35 glass, 21 tin, no paper.
When finished I went stood waiting for the lift with a woman had a pushchair her phone rang I paced up and down thinking the man I’d seen parking his car in the garage and unloading his shopping into a trolley might join us.
The lift arrived a woman with a pushchair two children didn’t get out I went to the outer door held it open then the inner for the man to come in round the corner the two women and kids were in the lift not enough room for me and him I said, ‘I’ll wait, send it down will you?’
‘Been shopping?’ I said to the man with shopping trolley and holding in his right hand a pre-packed pillow.
‘Yes, it’s Wednesday’s work.’
Pause.
‘It’s cold out still.’
‘It was the first day of Spring yesterday,’ he said.
‘It was Springlike on Sunday but it didn’t last very long.’
Pause - lift near the top.
‘It’s good they’ve put a gate on the car park now,’ he said.
‘Yeh, must stop people who don’t live here parking in it.’
‘Yes it does.’
‘So what you got, a card?’
‘Yes doesn’t always work though, the other day it didn’t I thought I was going to be stuck there.’
‘Oh, that must’ve been annoying.’
‘Well it was alright because a kiddie came along said, “shall I have a go?” and it worked when he did it he said, “you have do do it fast,” I’d done it too slow.’
We got in the lift he got out a few floors up.