15 Degrees

I just had the unfortunate luck of coming into the building as my landlord and neighbor were waiting for the elevator and so I had no choice but to join them in the cramped 1962 lift as they tried to talk to me in Slovak up the five stories. I only understood two words, “me” and “good” , and as we were getting out, I wondered if that meant the landlord wanted to come into my flat, to the squalor I call comfortable, and show me once again where the cheese grader is located and then count the forks to make sure I hadn’t heisted any (which I had and it’s still sitting on my desk at work covered in old salad dressing and cheese – perhaps not long into becoming one with the trashcan). Instead, they just wanted to come in and make sure my windows were closed.

They’ve been closed since I moved in in December. But today, for the first time, the sun came out, the temperature skyrocketed to 15 degrees and the windows should have been wide open, allowing spring and everything else good and fresh, to come in and get rid of the winter. But, I was out enjoying the day, basking in a T-shirt and sandals with no socks (for an hour anyway) and so they remained closed and I remain in the good graces of my landlord for another few days.

But how long do the windows have to stay closed for?