Everyone gives salad as a housewarming gift, right?

A couple of days after her brilliant toilet-flooding plan to officially meet her mysterious stranger, Danielle had freshly-snaked plumbing but was no closer to knowing his name. So when there was an unexpected knock, she jumped out of her chair, checked her hair in the mirror, and opened the door.

But of course it wasn’t him. It was a blonde woman holding a bowl full of salad.

“Hi, I’m Lesley. I noticed you were new to the building, so I wanted to stop by and welcome you.”

“Your place is really … cute,” said Lesley although she clearly didn’t mean it. “Very … eclectic. Or boho chic. That’s a thing, right?”

Again, the two women stood in silence, awkwardly. Lesley stepped toward Danielle and offered her the salad bowl. “Here, I brought you this. It’s sort of my specialty.”

“Oh, and you can keep the bowl. It’s a Joseph Joseph and it comes with a serving fork and spoon too. You can put all kinds of things in it. Fruit salad. Pasta salad. And regular salad of course.”

For the third time in five minutes, they were both at a loss for something more to say. Finally, Danielle spoke up.

Lesley thought for a moment before saying, “Are you talking about the guy who lives one floor down? Though he’s definitely not shy. Really chatty, actually. And I caught him staring down my blouse on the elevator one day.”

“No, that’s not him. Oh well. Thanks anyway.”

Though it was against her better judgment, Danielle had to ask. “Crowing yoga?”

“Yeah, well. I’m REALLY busy with, you know … other stuff. Anyway, thanks again for the salad and bowl. Oh, is it dishwasher safe?”

“I’m sure,” said Danielle right before dumping the salad in the trash.

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