Small World

I froze on the steps because the man was in the hall. I'd heard him come down the steps earlier - enough earlier - he should have been out, well out, that's why I was going out, so I wouldn't encounter him right here in the hall where I was encountering him. Something had gone badly awry with my running plans. The man was just standing in the hall and must've been for quite some time. He was regarding the table with intensity.

He was foreign and was sporting a moustache and looked absolutely nothing like this.

His moustache shit all over Vince's. The man looked at me. "Hello," I said and the man lifted a finger, the corners of his mouth and his eyebrows like I was just the person he wanted to see even though we'd never met. He extended his hand and told me his name. It was Fillippo or something. Something foreign. I wasn't really listening. Might have been Mario. He looked a bit like a Guy Fawkes mask. "You moved in upstairs?" I asked. He could just have been an intruder but I didn't think so.

"Yes!" He exclaimed pumping my hand. The way he'd said 'yes' suggested I must have a load of questions to ask him about the exciting development of him moving in upstairs and he'd be only too pleased to answer them all. I didn't and so I nodded. Fillippo was still pumping my hand and smiling. No, I had no further questions for him. One maybe. Why are you still shaking my hand? I saw that even though I'd brought a table home to separate the bicycle leaning areas he'd leant his bicycle on mine.

I would have gone mad about that if he wasn't there. "Okay," I said trying to bring our meeting to a conclusion.

"Dis table," he said pointing at the table while still looking at me.

"Yeah?" I asked. 'Dis table' wasn't a full question.

"S'mine."

"It's yours?"

"Si, s'mine. S'my table," the man was smiling broadly. I didn't know what was going on.

"Listen mate, I don't want any trouble," I told him. I shuffled backwards so my heels hit the bottom step. I wasn't going to get stabbed over a table. Might have to push him and leg it up the stairs. Luckily I'm good at that. The man didn't respond and went over to the table and bent over it as if checking it for level and then stood straight and tapped it.

"My table," he said wheeling around on his heels and crossing his arms and nodding. He was smiling and that was throwing me off.

"Take it," I told him. I lifted one leg and placed my toes on the bottom step.

"How it even come here?" The man asked.

"I... I found it at the.. the dump."

The man clicked his fingers and pointed at me. "De dump! S'mazing, dis my table from my old place."

"No way," I said.

"Si! Dis one."

"Well, small world, eh?"

"Si, small word." I'd said world. Not small word. "I can't even believe it."

"No, it's amazing," I agreed. If it had been his table it was pretty amazing. If he was lying it was pretty amazing also. Why bother? Why? "Why did you dump it?" I asked him. There was nothing wrong with the table.

"I no dump it," he said looking at me like I'd just completely misunderstood everything. "I no dump dat!" He stressed and that was all I could take.

"Well, nice to meet you Fillippo," I said bringing my toes off the step and heading for the door.

"Enrique."

"Enrique." I smiled and edged past him. "I'm just going out," I grimaced. I was talking to him like he was my mother because I was uncomfortable.

"S'like a..." Enrique said, he hadn't quite finished. He was one of those people who couldn't read signals. I opened the door and held it open and politely waited for him to finish.

"S'like a..." Enrique said pointing at the table. "A er..." he was growing frustrated with himself and that's when mad people snap. I'd opened the door further and looked back at Enrique with a patient smile. I lifted my eyebrows to encourage him to finish his thought. "A..." he was saying while  jabbing a finger at the table.

"A...?"

"Um," said Enrique. He was looking at me for help.

"A? I don't..."

"A thing, a..."

"Coincidence?" I said.

"No, a... ah!"

"S'wood, a thing..."

"Oh yeah, it is." I agreed and nodded but inside my head I was shaking it.

"A..."

"Bye," I said and stepped outside gently closing the door. I waited while my Garmin tried to lock onto a satellite and as I did the door opened.

"You can never throw away, dat thing," he said. He lifted his right hand and made a chopping motion and then a wishwishwishwish sound with his mouth. I looked at the Garmin, the fucking thing never locks on when I'm in a hurry.

c'mon c'mon c'mon

"A boomerang?" I said.

"Si!" Said Enrique.

I fake laughed. "I suppose-" I began but he'd closed the door. Charming, I would have thought if I thought words like that. I don't think words like that I just squinted at the closed door. I just started running even though the Garmin hadn't locked on and the record of the run was going to be compromised.