I had moved shelves to the new place but left papers and magazines they had once held strewn about the floors in the old place. H-Town and The Prophet wanted to bag the papers.
"I was just going to take them out when some recycling bin or garbage can became free," I said. Tomorrow was to be garbage day, and then I would be able to refill the containers.
They wanted to bag them now to make it easier to take the stuff out. I didn't think this was necessary, but I said okay.
But then leaving the old house tonight, I saw the neighbors' garbage and recycling containers standing at the curb. Did any of them sleep in the front rooms of their houses? Would any hear a slight rattle of cans?
I went back inside and brought out some recycling bags. The neighbor across the street had filled his recycling bin half way. I filled it the rest of the way, upgrading his waste by adding Outside magazines to his mere beer cans.
A second neighbor had garbage and recycling bins nearly empty. I filled these as well.
From down the street there were gunshots. I figured I'd better move fast lest someone imagine some connection between the shots and the Mad Recycler on their own block.
Returning to a third neighbor with still more bags, I saw the neighbor at the second house actually standing at her recycling bin, looking at the papers I had added to it. This was after midnight.
I whispered loudly, "I'm adding stuff to everyone's recycling bins."
"What?" she said. I repeated myself.
"I wanted to put this in," she said, hefting a cardboard box full of more stuff.
"Well here," I said. I dropped my stuff, went to her, took her box, and dumped it into the third neighbor's bin. I think fast like that sometimes because I play those computer games where you move things around to solve puzzles.
I then dumped my stuff on top of it, swung the lid shut, and said, "That's cool, right?"
"Fine," she said, turning and going back to her house.
Sheesh lady, just trying to spread a little love here.
Good thing I'm leaving.
Continue . . .
Summary only...
