💬 The neighbour who never returns an empty bowl, and the boiled egg that arrived yesterday

Our neighbour on the second floor never returns a bowl empty. Last Ramzan I sent her some haleem in a steel bowl and it came back the same evening with four sugar cookies in it. At Eid I sent sheer khurma and got a small jar of lemon pickle back. Now I can't return anything empty either. Last month she sent dosa batter in an old Horlicks bottle and I had nothing ready, so I fried onion pakoda at 9 at night with the last of the besan. My husband asked why I was making snacks so late. I told him it was official business. Two days later the bottle came back with some curry leaves in it. I counted on the fridge calendar, it's 14 bowls and one bottle since March. She's 63 and still climbs the stairs herself every time. Nobody really says thank you, we just say "oh, you shouldn't have" and close the door. My mother always said never send a bowl back empty, so she'd be happy. Yesterday the bowl came back with one boiled egg in it and no note. I'm still laughing about it. What do I even send back for a boiled egg? Does anyone else have a neighbour like this?

Send back two boiled eggs. Or one egg with a little salt and pepper twisted in paper, so she knows you got the joke. After 14 bowls I think she's testing you now. Please tell us what you send.

"Official business" made me laugh. 14 bowls since March is better than most friendships. Maybe make egg curry and send that back, so the egg goes home in a new form.

Ha, a boiled egg is hard to beat. In our old lane in Malakpet an aunty once sent a bowl back with just one green chilli in it. My mother worried about it the whole day and finally sent it back with a small piece of jaggery.