Doreen looked out into the night, not at all surprised that the scenery hadn’t changed. Ruby’s apartment was at the rear of the brownstone, so the view was limited. A public alley separated this row of homes from the next, and utility poles rose from the asphalt, carrying in their wires electricity, cable, and phone. Blue plastic wheeled trash cans and green recycle bins seemed to fill every nook and cranny, and cars were snugged into their allotted parking spaces like sardines in a can. The building across the way was dark save for some light streaming through a few windows, and with nothing more to see, Doreen went to return to the kitchen. Two steps later, she turned back around and watched as the sash she’d just opened slowly rattled its way closed.

“Hey, Ruby. There’s either something wrong with your window or this place is haunted. It closed all by itself.”

“Oh, the rope thingy broke, and I haven’t had time to get it fixed,” Ruby called from the kitchen. “There’s a popsicle stick on the sill. Use that.”

After propping the window open, Doreen returned to the kitchen just as Ruby added the sautéed chicken and peppers to a pot of bubbling tomato sauce. Watching as she stirred it around, Doreen said, “Well, I know I say this every time. I really do appreciate you always doing this.”

“I like to cook, and you don’t. It’s not a problem,” Ruby said, looking up. “Do me a favor and hold on to the bowls while I pour this in.”

Doreen did as asked, and within a few minutes, Ruby slid two casseroles of penne and chicken into the oven.

“Okay,” Ruby said, shutting the oven door. “Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes.”

“That works for me,” Doreen said, picking up her beer.

“Shall we?” Ruby said, motioning toward the living room.

Other than the bathroom and a narrow closet, the rest of Ruby’s home was an open space that was hardly spacious, but Ruby had made it work. Tucked into the front right corner was the kitchen, and with the addition of a small ready-to-assemble island and a slender baker’s rack, there was a place for two people to eat meals and a spot to hold pots and pans too large for any of the cabinets. Diagonally opposite was the bedroom, and with the platform bed having drawers underneath and a storage unit acting as a headboard, there were places for books, clothes, a tiny Bose music system, and a reading lamp. Two slender dressers offered the rest of the storage. Ruby had staged one next to the bed and the other between the closet and bathroom doors. Being so narrow, Doreen had doubted their usefulness, but she didn’t any longer. She’d been in the apartment dozens of times and had never seen clothes lying about, so there was indeed a place for everything.