It’s close to midnight. I hear the dog barking. Not continuously but a couple of barks every five minutes or so. Her shutters are open but, I think, her windows are shut.

She had two dogs. One was very old. About 14, I think. It meant that you had to hold your breath every time you got into the lift if they had been in it. It was truly dreadful and my sense of smell is atrocious! The dog died. It was then that we started exchanging pleasantries. I had asked about the old dog and she told me it had died. So now, when we meet we say hello. She’s about 70 or late 60s at least. She doesn’t walk so brilliantly but she looks healthy enough, if a bit overweight.

Her dogs never make any noise. But the one is dead now. The (living) dog has been barking all evening. It’s not really annoying since it’s not that easy to hear.

I take mine for a walk. I meet P, my neighbour, the one we spent New Year’s Eve with. We talk. It’s quite funny really. She talks in Italian and I talk in English. I understand everything she says and she me. I think it’s more strange that I DO understand everything. In other situations I understand nothing and yet, here she is talking about her work, life in general, the crisis and ……….. the neighbour with the now-barking dog.

She’s worried. The dog never barks (which I confirm). And yet it’s been barking all evening. She’s been to the woman’s flat and rung the bell but there is no one there. Or, rather, no one answers. Or, rather, no one CAN answer. She’s wondering if she could call the Police or something. She (we, together, in our Italian/English mix) decide she will speak to the door lady tomorrow morning.

I go back upstairs and tell F. He becomes worried (Note to self: Do NOT tell him things which he can worry about. Keep it to yourself). I explain that I’m a bit worried. I think of FfC who had some brain attack and was paralysed. She tried to get out of bed and fell on the floor. She was unable to move. She was unable to reach her telephone to call anyone. She stayed like that for three days! Then she was in hospital for about 5 months!!

I tell F about that. (Note to self: Do NOT tell him things that makes him even more worried). He is more worried. We go to bed. I say that P will talk to the door lady tomorrow. We both think ‘But what if she really is ill and doesn’t last until tomorrow?’.

F can’t sleep. He is too worried. I tell him to call the Police. He doesn’t. What if she’s just out late? It’s unusual for her. She’s always home. But you never know.

So, what to do, what to do?

Answers on a postcard or in the comments, please.