She laughed at something Bette said.  Then continued, “Anyway, the reason I’m telling you this story is to tell you we ran into your second floor neighbors.  Yeah, the ones who are rarely home.  Well, I think they’ve broken up, Bette.  No, I am not gossiping!  One of them was pulling some luggage out of the main door, just as we opened the door, and Shane helped him with those.  Shane offered to help him with carrying anything else, so both of them then went upstairs to the second-floor apartment, and brought down a couple more suitcases. They loaded all the suitcases, and a couple of boxes, into a van.”

She paused as Bette spoke, then continued, “He wasn’t really that talkative, and just kept rambling on about real estate prices, then about how some conductor’s kids had been arrested on drug charges.  I don’t know who he was referring to, but the way he talked about it sounded like the conductor was some kind of important figure in the classical music field….Yes, I know he’s a cellist.”

“Anyway, Angie and I stuck around the first floor area, helping to keep the main door open, so that they didn’t need to keep unlocking it every time they stepped out.  So, on the last trip, after they had loaded up the van, your other neighbor joined us, Angie and I, at the door.  Yes, the tenor.  He had a really sad look on his face.  He watched the van drive off, and then he thanked Shane for helping his partner. We didn’t know what to say to him, since neither of them said anything in particular about what had happened, and so we went on our way, and he went on to his place.  Sad, sad man, it looked to me.”

Kit was shaking her head as she remembered the incident, and then responded to something Bette said, “Yeah, we were sorry to see it happen, too.  No, I’m not sure how he is.  Do you think we should go drop by his place?  Really?  What should we say?  Invite him for Thanksgiving, in the next couple of weeks?  Are you sure?  I mean, are we having company over?  That’s what I mean.  I thought we were just going to have a “family night” kind of thing – you know, casual?”