– Why are you home today? – I asked, sitting down by the window so I wouldn't interfere with my friend's cooking.

The whole house smelled of roasting meat.

– I took a day off because I wasn't feeling well, probably because of the weather» Mary said, and then turned to me with her arms at her sides. – By the way, mamselle, don't you eat anything at all? The tomatoes, cucumbers and apples are all there: I count them every morning!

«Well, why does she do that? Is she bored with her life?» – I thought wistfully.

– I'm eating! – I could only say, wondering what clever excuse I could come up with.

– Yeah, I can see you eating! – Mary grumbled unhappily.

– I am eating» I said again, but more insistently. – It's just in small portions, so you think…

– I don't believe it.

I was taken aback.

– Well, that's your business! I'm not going to prove you wrong! – I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest.

Mary turned away and started fiddling with the frying pan.

– Did you take offence? – I asked anxiously, not knowing how to interpret her behaviour.

– No, I'm watching a soap opera» Mary said. – It's my favourite. It's the third time I've watched it.

I wasn't surprised to see my laptop by the sink.

– I watched it a couple of years ago, too» I said, glad to be able to change the subject.

– You did? Who's your favourite character? – Mary asked, turning to me. Her eyes were shining.

– Sally» I answered, walking over to my friend.

– Sally? – She exclaimed and wrinkled her nose. – Why? She's so slippery!

– What kind of slippery? – I asked with a smile.

– Slippery: you never know what's on her mind. Why do you like her?

– She's a strong person. Sally does mean things sometimes, but she doesn't take stupid advice like Jane.

«God, what rubbish we're talking about!» – A note of amusement went through my head.

– Does she do mean things sometimes? All she knows is that she does them at every turn! And by the way, Jane is my favourite character: she's the only kind girl in the show» said Mary seriously.

– Yeah, and that's why she set Sally up on the trip to Detroit» I grinned.

– It was an accident! It wasn't her fault that Sam was head over heels in love with her!

– But that didn't give her the right to turn him against Sally.

– No matter what you say, I'm gonna stick to my point: Jane's a smart girl, and Sally's a snake!

– Okay, chill out, it's just a show» I laughed when I saw how Mary had become agitated by our pointless argument.

– Yeah… Look, if you're not too lazy, take out the rubbish» Mary asked. – You're weird… Sally… Hmm.

But I didn't say anything, took a large black bag out of the bin, closed it with special straps and carried it outside: the bin was about two dozen metres from our house. I knew how and where to put the rubbish: Mary had taught me how.

– Nice T-shirt! – said a red-haired teenager next door with freckles all over his face as I walked home. Bill, I think he's a schoolguy.

– Thanks! – I said.

– Aren't you cold? – He asked, smiling.

– I was taking out the rubbish» I said, and smiled back.

People seemed nice and funny to me now.

At home I decided to read a smart book, and I took the first volume of Chateaubriand's The Genius of Christianity out of the Smiths' personal library. I wanted to read his reflections for general development: I had never thought about God and whether I should go to church or not, but Chateaubriand in the first Chapters praised Christianity so highly that I felt interested in this religion. Catholicism reigns in Poland, and my parents often went to services at some church, but I grew up an atheist. Although, no, I had my own thoughts about the universe.