We were close; both physically - we lived about 100 metres apart, as we do otherwise. A small, petite woman with short black hair, a mischievous smile and a special glow in her eyes, she was always a welcome and interesting interlocutor. She knew how to make those around her happy. She had this gift within her and she expressed it in many ways. She especially loved to surprise people, and she never ran out of ideas. It happened that I unexpectedly found a bouquet of flowers at the front door, another time a small, deliciously made ikebana, and before the holidays Easter bunnies and sweets for our children. Where's it from? I wondered at first. Who should I thank for this? When I finally thought of Mrs Lojzka and asked her directly about it, her ear-to-ear smile said it all.
Mrs Lojzka spent a lot of her time tending to the surroundings of the house; pruning the shrubs, mowing the lawn, growing her own vegetables and tending the many beautiful flowers with special love. So I was not surprised to see her one spring afternoon taking a wheelbarrow full of plant waste past our hedge to the nearby bio-waste dump. Dressed in a brown work coat, she approaches me and freezes at the sound of my voice.
"Good afternoon, Mrs Lojzka! How's it going?"
"Oh, you see. You never run out of work."
"That's right," I agree, but at the same time I get an idea: "After you've put your rubbish out, I invite you to come and have a coffee with us!"
"No!" she politely refuses, "I'll come back another time. I'll come back another time. Adieu!"
And she was off. She probably didn't notice my astonishment and amazement. I was used to making announcements in business life, but not among friends; I really didn't understand it. I accepted bizarre behaviour her neighbours as her personal style and eventually forgot about this event.
Mrs Lojzka also knew how to surprise with her written products. Her relatives, neighbours and friends enjoyed the sincere and humorous greetings she sent us on holidays and the speeches she made on various jubilee celebrations. Yes, she really knew how to speak to the hearts of those around her. Her expressions of thoughtfulness towards others continued for many years, until a serious illness struck and Mrs Lojzka passed away. Forever.
Two years later. A quiet summer evening, when I am alone with myself and enjoy the peacefulness of the night. And lo and behold, a neighbour comes to life in my mind, and almost at the same time, a flash: Lojzka's strangeness in announcing it was not strangeness at all, but her extraordinary thoughtfulness. She understood the time in which an individual lives as his intimate space, to be respected. This was what Mrs Lojzka had done all her life, and she expected others to do the same.
She has passed on to me a legacy of sorts: if you are going to visit someone, respect their time and make an appointment!
Thank you, Mrs Lojzka! For everything!
Bojan Rus, 5. 5. 2025
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