Three Cups on the Balcony

During her first month in the building, Ana often heard laughter from the balcony next door. Two elderly sisters drank tea there every afternoon. Ana wanted to introduce herself, but she worried that knocking would interrupt a private routine. She settled for waving whenever their eyes met.

One windy day, a small towel blew from the sisters' balcony onto hers. Ana carried it around to their door. They thanked her and invited her in, but she had a work call in five minutes. She declined, then spent the afternoon wondering whether she had sounded unfriendly.

The next day, she left a note explaining that she would love tea on Saturday if the invitation was still open. A reply appeared under her door within an hour: three cups, four o'clock. Ana smiled at the careful message and bought a packet of biscuits on her way home.

On Saturday, the sisters argued cheerfully over who had first noticed their new neighbour. One had thought Ana looked too busy to visit; the other had worried their conversation might disturb her. Ana admitted that she had been afraid of disturbing them. They laughed at the three separate worries that had kept them apart. The towel became a regular topic, and each sister claimed that she had hung it badly on purpose.