Portuguese Sagas – Revenge

15th of October 2017

Revenge is sometimes the sweetest thing you can imagine. It makes you feel tall and confident. Or does it?

99% of my friends are Portuguese here in my land and I like most of the people I meet.

I have neighbours. Some of them are nice, others I don´t know too much, and there are those not so nice. Usually I try to ignore those who make my life miserable, but one Friday it went too far. I was going to do something about it. This was the time for revenge and I was looking forward to it. Not very nice, I know that, but my patience is not without limits.

I have serious health problems, and have been told for several years, that I need proper sleep during the night. When this was I had been in my apartment  for more than 4 years, and had not slept properly through one night, except for 10 days in August every year. That’s when the neighbours above me go on holiday.

I am not saying that those who live above me are bad people. They are just ignorant. This Friday I am talking about, they came home after midnight. There are 4 of them. When they get home it is showering time. It is time to slam down the blinds. It is time to stomp around the apartment, sometimes on high heels. It is time to walk up the stairs like an army. All this would be fine if there was any insolation in this condominium. Their shower is above my bedroom. I go to bed early, and wake up when they come home. Every day. This Friday it was even worse than usually.

I made up my mind.

Revenge!

I made a plan. I was going to wake up at 6, put up the blinders, pull them down again and up again. I was going to take a loooooooong shower. I was going to brush my teeth, again and again, letting the water run on full speed. I was going to wake them up!

I woke up. No sound. What time is it? It was half past 8. How come I slept so long? I overslept. No wonder, I had not been able to sleep until 3. I need to sleep sometimes, don´t I?

Well, I was not giving up; my revenge would be Sunday morning. I waited all day long, but no one came home this Saturday. Maybe the feast lasted the whole day. Late in the evening it struck me! They had gone on holiday! I would be able to sleep 10 nights, without any sound from upstairs. How great is that? I was in 7th heaven.

The following night I did not sleep very well, I was waiting for them to come home, and wake me up. Getting used to the peace and quiet, takes at least one night.

My revenge went out of the window, but my price was even better.

Peace and quiet. That was what I got, instead of my wonderful imagined revenge.

Hulda Björnsdóttir

Author: hulda98

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