Mr. Construction used to live in the apartment right next to me. He was the typical bachelor. He vacuumed a couple of times a year, microwaved stuff when he decided to stay in, and did his laundry every couple of weeks.

But a couple of months ago, a woman and young girl moved in with him, and then last month they moved across the hall to the (larger) apartment where Party Girl used to live. But that’s the least of the changes in his living situation. Mrs. Construction does laundry every single night, and every other night their smoke alarm goes off as she cooks a home-made dinner.

Sometimes the laundry thing is annoying. The laundry room shares a wall with my living room, so the 11pm spin cycle leaves something to be desired. But mostly it’s hard to be annoyed when I think of Mr. Construction and how confused he must be by all this domestic activity.