Oct 5 2002

A note is pinned above our apartment mailboxes. In Sharpie black on spiral-bound notebook paper, it reads:

"RETURN THE PROPERTY YOU STOLE OR THE NEXT PERSON AT YOUR DOOR WILL BE THE COPS"

Below it, in blue ballpoint and a different hand, reads:

"WHOEVER PUT THIS ON #205 DOOR PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO WE CAN BOTH TALK TO THE POLICE"

My only mail today is a promotional offer for a server. As I turn down the hall, returning to my apartment, I notice how lemony fresh the corridor smells.