A Stroke of Kindness

I was running late to work this morning and as I raced downstairs to my car, I was stopped by my neighbor who doesn't really speak any English. We've had a couple small interactions and she seems very nice, but neither of us understand each other enough to really have a conversation. Anyway, for the past few weeks, I have left my bike outside in one of my parking spaces. She was gesturing to my bike and holding a set of little keys, like the kind you might use to unlock a storage locker. I thought that perhaps she was using this little run-in as a way to tell me that I could store my bike in one of the storage lockers that I'd seen around the corner. She kept muttering in Japanese and I was worried that I'd be late for work. I tried to say something about moving it at five o'clock when I get home, as I didn't have the time to this morning. But she was persistent and kept waving the little keys at me and pointing at my bike. Fine, I will follow you, I thought. I will probably be late for work, but there is no real way for me to leave now without being inconsiderate. So I did. And I watched as she knelt beside my bike and pointed to the lock attached to it. In Japan, almost everyone has the same bike. I got mine at a grocery store, but you can buy them easily around town. The come with a built-in bell, basket, light, and lock, which is conveniently screwed into the bike and locks one of the tires. Last week, there were a few days of really heavy winds. I couldn't open my windows without papers flying around and I noticed that the wind had knocked over my bike a couple times. The lock she was pointing at was different than the one I had purchased it with. And then the keys. She inserted one of her little non-storage-locker keys into the lock to show me that they went together. And then I realized that when my bike had fallen, it must have smashed the lock. But someone fixed it. I tried to ask who did it, and she used gestures to say that one of the kids in the neighborhood had repaired it, though I'm still not too sure. All I know is that I am so thankful to live in such a friendly, beautiful country. I also came home with four bags full of edamame, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants from my school today. They literally give me more homegrown vegetables every day. I wish I could express how grateful I am for everyone's generosity, but perhaps I don't really know how...I've never felt this kind of sincerity so consistently before. I only hope I can repay them in some way in the future.