Today was the day I had to trade in my dirty sheets for new ones in the basement of Bâtiment C.
The room was the same as I remembered it: same radio playing, same three bins to deposit dirty linens in, same piles of new linens, same stoic-faced woman sitting at the table waiting to mark tallies when students came and left. She was knitting today - that, at least, was new.
She and I have an unspoken peace. When I see her in the hallways or in the parking lot, we always exchange greetings. I smile, she doesn't.
I approached the bins with some hesitancy this morning. Taie. Plat. Housse. Three words for three bins. Last month I had asked the woman's help in figuring out which sheet went where.
Today I was on the verge of asking her again just to be sure but decided at the last moment to try to figure it out myself. Pillowcase. Flat sheet. Fitted sheet.
It was easier than I thought and after I had finished, I looked at the woman. She stood up and went over to get my new sheets for me. Then something I've never seen before: a smile. She told me that I was learning quickly since I had remembered and seemed genuinely pleased by this. I told her I tried.
As I walked back to my room with my fresh sheets I wondered if she was right and that maybe I am learning more than I think. But I didn't have time to dwell on this as I grabbed my bag and headed off to catch the tram.
The room was the same as I remembered it: same radio playing, same three bins to deposit dirty linens in, same piles of new linens, same stoic-faced woman sitting at the table waiting to mark tallies when students came and left. She was knitting today - that, at least, was new.
She and I have an unspoken peace. When I see her in the hallways or in the parking lot, we always exchange greetings. I smile, she doesn't.
I approached the bins with some hesitancy this morning. Taie. Plat. Housse. Three words for three bins. Last month I had asked the woman's help in figuring out which sheet went where.
Today I was on the verge of asking her again just to be sure but decided at the last moment to try to figure it out myself. Pillowcase. Flat sheet. Fitted sheet.
It was easier than I thought and after I had finished, I looked at the woman. She stood up and went over to get my new sheets for me. Then something I've never seen before: a smile. She told me that I was learning quickly since I had remembered and seemed genuinely pleased by this. I told her I tried.
As I walked back to my room with my fresh sheets I wondered if she was right and that maybe I am learning more than I think. But I didn't have time to dwell on this as I grabbed my bag and headed off to catch the tram.
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