sweet

A few days ago, Libby and i walked to the ice cream shop down the street and, speaking in English started picking our favorite flavors on the others side of the glass. A woman that came up to my shoulders, with wavy, black hair, a flowered skirt and an apron walked into the shop and stood next to me in line. When she heard us speaking English, she leaned in so close I didn't know if I was to kiss her on the cheek or move away! We ordered our ice cream, the whole time I kept making funny eye contact and smiling at this woman, who did the same thing back.. both of us knowing the only words we knew in common were "faleminderit, and "Natën e mirë" (hello and good night).

While Libby was paying for her gelato, the lady and i kept pointing at the different pastries they sold in the shop and smiling and pointing at the ones we thought were good. She pointed to a cookie and said something like.. "amaro," shaking her head up and down. I got it. This one was her favorite.

Libby turned around and I smiled at the stranger again, beginning to walk out, when all of the sudden, she says something in Albanian. I turned around and there she was, standing with a cookie in her outstretched hand and this beautiful smile. She put the cookie in my palm and i, kind of dumbfounded, just kept saying 'faleminderit, faleminderit,' and then she walked out, mounted an old, Schwinn bicycle and rode away down the street.