While Mary was away, I decided to move my clothes from her wardrobe to my room, but it didn't take me long, so I had to sit by the window for about an hour, waiting for my neighbour to arrive and listening to what was going on around me: all the English conversations gave me a pleasant feeling of something new and unusual.
At last I saw Mary walking hurriedly towards our house, and I sighed with relief: it is very boring to wait for someone.
The door opened, there was a commotion in the hallway, and then Mary came into the living room with a large bag in her hands.
– I'm home! I went to the supermarket to ask if you'd been in, but they said you hadn't» she said, setting the bags on the floor. – I bought everything!
– Oh, I think I really forgot to go in there! – I pretended to be embarrassed, but I was immensely surprised by Mary's enthusiasm: she had bought the groceries herself! How embarrassing! I had absolutely no intention of buying anything!
– That's what I thought, so I bought it all myself. Don't worry, you too: tomatoes, cucumbers and apples, only you have to give me the money for that.
– Thank you for your concern, Mary! – I exclaimed, but in my heart I sighed unhappily.
I took a hundred pounds sterling out of my purse and put it on the table.
– I won't have change» Mary said, surprised.
– Change? – I asked.
– Well, yes, it's a lot more than you owe me.
– How much do I owe you?
She smiled.
– Nine pounds! – Mary laughed merrily. – I'd forgotten that you came from Poland! Is everything so expensive there?
– Yes, very expensive» I said, though I had no idea if it was true.
I had never bought groceries and didn't even know how much they cost. And I had never had much to do with paper money; I just transferred money to bank accounts.
– I'll give it to you when you change it. – Mary grabbed the bags and headed for the kitchen.
I followed her.
– What's that empty box in the hallway? – She asked, taking the groceries out of the bag and putting them on the table.
– I was just going to tell you about it: my parents sent me a parcel with a very important medicine» I said, helping her take out the groceries.
– Medicine? – Mary froze for a second with a baguette in her hands. – Are you sick?
– Yeah, I told you I'm allergic to almost everything. So I take a special medicine, and it's really nasty.