The five cent piece quandry....

I share a foyer/staircase with the next door apartment. I don’t see ‘em much but they seem nice people – more importantly they’re quiet. That’s a huge bonus. For the last three weeks, as I come and go, I have been watching a 5 cent piece outside their door. Why? Because it fascinates me that they haven’t picked it up. Yes, I know it’s only 5 cents and you need a gazillion 5 cents pieces to buy anything worthwhile – sort of like those useless bloody French centimes or when I was living in London, those dumb arsed half pennies. Do they still have them? As chambermaids in London we used to collect the left over ones from people’s rooms after they left ‘cause tourists had no idea what to do with them. We’d put them in a large jar and when we thought we have enough to buy several bottles of plonk (wine) we used to go into the local bottlo (liquor store) and dump the lot on the counter much to the vexation of the proprietor who had to count them.

Anyway…back to the 5 cent piece – see exhibit A – also look at the crapacious cream tiles that are so hard to clean. I understand that they use them as a generic, all purpose colour to fit in with everyone but I truly believe you are either born to be a cream person or you get cream thrust upon you and it drives you mad. I'm the latter. I need colour. So – the 5 cents piece - why it interests me is it started up at their front door. They would have had to step over it constantly when they left. Why wouldn’t you pick it up? The 5 cent piece then proceeded to go back and forward in front of the door for weeks. It’s almost like it wants people to notice it. Now the five cent piece is sitting slightly away from the door but directly in the path the neighbors have to take. They have to see it. Part of me thinks ‘pick the bloody thing up’. Do they pick stuff up on the floor at home? Another part of me would miss the adventurous 5 cent piece. And no, there’s no point me picking it up. It’s a study in human nature and humans fascinate me so.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
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