Page 38 - Gilbert & Me_Neat

Day Five

Monday, April 13 , 2020
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Today is Easter Monday. I know that because yesterday was Palm Sunday, so it follows. I was
lazy today – didn’t get out of bed until around 7.40am, plodded into the bathroom, did what
needed to be done, threw on some shorts and said morning to Gilbert.

Coffee.

Decided to do some laundry for a number of reasons, most pressing was a lack of clean
underwear and a prevailing realisation that the laundry shop mightn’t be open anymore, or that I
might get arrested on the way to the laundry shop and no cop would believe a white man doesn’t
have his own washing machine. Plus, I didn’t want to risk them searching my dirty laundry. So,
today would be laundry day. I rigged up two drying lines – one over the bath where I would just
let wet freshly washed clothes hang, and the second in the spare bedroom, where semi dry
clothes could be left to dry completely.

Happy with those arrangements, I grabbed the laundry bag and selected items for washing.

Several hours later, I have wet t shirts, various underwear, socks and some sheets hanging up all
around the apartment, and some water on the kitchen floor. I’m also somewhat wet, though that’s
because I chose to do laundry during the hottest part of the morning, and I have no air
conditioner. At this point I’m seriously considering climbing into the shower while I hang up the
laundry over the bathtub which is also the shower. I’m exhausted.

Dinner is New England Chowder Soup, which is actually quite tasty as it contains fish and
cooked vegetables which I have missed a lot since the only real restaurant in Kings Park shut
several weeks ago, and few slices of bread. Feeling a lot better, although still a little anxious
about the financial state of affairs, I decide to go out onto my balcony and check on the few
specimens of plants I have in various pots. They need water, so I water them.

The balcony is a great feature of my apartment. While it might not have a great view of the
world, I can see people walking below, I can see buildings next to the Caribbean (so I know I’m
close to the Caribbean, which is almost as good as being next to the Caribbean, as far as I’m
concerned) and I’m dry up here when it rains. It is quite big too – I have five chairs on it as well
as my collection of green things. I have rigged up a solar lamp, which spills a warm yellow light
when the sun goes down, and an LED rope light which I sometimes turn on when I have
company for ‘Drinks on the Beer Balcony’.