Folding a Neighbor’s Laundry

Dear Diary:

My laundry had been occupying two big dryers in the building’s basement laundry room all afternoon while I ran errands and juggled conference calls. But instead of finding it piled in a heap on a bench, as usually happens when another tenant is impatient for dryer space, I saw an older woman serenely folding my towels, sheets and underwear.

“Excuse me, is that my laundry you’re folding?” I asked, stupidly; because of course it was. “I’m very late picking it up and I’m sorry if you had to wait for the dryer.”

Layla (for that was her name) smiled and said, “I am waiting for my own laundry to dry and thought I would fold yours. I enjoy folding.”

She had already folded half of the load beautifully â€" even the corners of the fitted sheets had a crisp, military precision. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started folding alongside her, mimicking how she snapped the towels and smoothed the pillowcases.

Layla is Brazilian and a professional housekeeper who has worked in my building, on East 52nd Street in the Turtle Bay area, for 13 years. I had never met her before.

“I think the world would be a better place if everyone was just a little nicer to each other, don’t you?” Layla said.

I do, indeed. Thank you, Layla.

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