We live in the middle of Satélite, a well-off neighbourhood in the north of the city that is characterised by tranquility. But appearances are deceiving. You realize that when you look a little closer. There are security men running around and there are cameras here and there, which gives an enórm safe feeling. Well, this is probably a neighborhood that every Dutch city has. It is fine living there; there is not much going on on the surface, but that does not mean that everyone is well friends.

We live in a tiny little street with one address: ours. On the side of other streets are indiscriminately distributed a kind of trash cans in the form of baskets. In front of our own house there is no, so we have to walk about thirty meters in front of it.

Cat poop

And so I walk a bunch of full garbage bags to one of those hive. The heaviest is full of cat gritt and feces, plus some dog turds. We have a small garden and sometimes they don't want to wait until we walk them out.

Next to us -with the front door so on the street that is at right angles to this - a lady is busy with the grass watering. I wish her a most friendly buenas noches, she growls back and promptly rips out the heaviest garbage bag. And the street is dotted with dog and cat poop.

furiously

The lady looks at me furiously. I apologize and promise her to clean up the mess right away. First, put the rest of the garbage in the basket and then back to our house to get a fresh garbage bag, right? She stays furious. “Clean up now, “she commands me seething. Of course: first just get a new garbage bag and wipe and tin. I mean, to bring it my bare hands to the hive, it seems like something like that. In addition, it is a hive: it's not that it has a dense bottom. The lady's not smiling. She doesn't see the humor in it. I find it a pity; besides being rancid I find this accident quite funny.

The neighbors

Tania's already feeling the mood when I walk in and get this stuff. This neighbor is not her favorite. That's why she's proposing to help me anyway. The woman who spoke to me turns out to be the neighbor's housekeeper, and she's already informed her boss. “Her “hive is always full, with our garbage, she cries complainant and pointing. And now this poop right outside her door? What does that mean?

I am a bit surprised and say once again that this was an accident and that she must have seen it: the bag tore out. Could happen. Qualitatively pretty bad garbage bags, that's true. It should not be of any benefit. The neighbor begins to teach Tania in an annoying tone. That's her hive. She forbids us from using these.

As I said: the hives are indiscriminately here and there. Appropriate that is a kind of unwritten and unspoken rule, apparently. I don't know. At least we promise never to use the hive again. But the two ladies are not satisfied yet and continue to spread their annoyances without any sense of humor. Jaahaa. Now we know.

Once back home, Tania is furious. Of course, there is a history attached to this. Tania has lived here for three years now and this was the second time she even spoke to the neighbor; the first time was also a complaint and also noksig. The woman is quite on herself and shows her angry face only when there is something to complain. Moreover, she complained that first time at the time Tania received clients, so the timing was lousy. Tania is still high. Complaining may, but rather one on one. My Spanish is not enough to follow the full conversation, but it was by no means friendly. Little unreasonable neighbor crap for nothing, I think.

The cleaning lady

However, what irritates Tania is the cleaning lady. ,, Always I wish her a good day, never reacts she. And she never said anything about the garbage. And now put the fire on the boss's side. What a sanctimonious tart”, followed by a pretty impressive canonnade. I don't know this side of Tania yet. If I wasn't in love yet, I am now. Que pasion!

Soon we decide to go shopping anyway. Tania starts the car furiously, while the housekeeper is again busy with the grass on the side of the road. It would be disappointing if Tania just rides off angry now, I remember. As far as I'm concerned, a statement can be made. I mean, you don't have to get all over you. The cleaning lady's a jerk, it's just like that.

proud

And then it happens. Tania drives a few meters, stops where the cleaning lady is and opens her window. ,, How very nice that you solved this situation so much and thought along to solve such a huge problem in a nice way. What a good person you are. So kind, fantastic!”, she spits in her face full of sarcasm. She closes her window, accelerates and frustrates a rhythm on the horn. That rhythm is code and means the little poetic 'chinga de madre', or 'screw your mother'. Every Mexican knows.

Tania apologizes. I'm giving her a hug in love. Nearly a year of dating. Four months of living together. Never been so proud of her.

The garbage escalation