Nellie called me on New Year's Day. Although New Year is a big deal for Russians, however, there was no "Snovim Godom!" (Happy New Year) greeting from the other end of the phone line. Instead, after she fumbled for my name as usual, she launched right into an account of how a mutual friend had cut her hand on a broken mirror in her handbag. Making appropriately distressed noises as I tried to figure out why Nellie was telling me this with such urgency, I realized that she wanted to know if I had a small mirror myself. "I might have one, maybe. I'll have to look. Do you want me to bring it for Diana to replace the one she broke?"
"No, no, no!" Nellie was nearly frantic. "Do you have it in your purse? A little makeup mirror that you use when you're out somewhere?"
"Oh, no. I don't carry one in my purse." I was a bit bewildered.
"You don't have one that could break and cut your hand too?" Finally I understood her concern...at least to a point.There was no need to worry, I assured her. There was no danger of my cutting my hand on a small mirror in my purse.
Nellie let out a huge sigh of relief. "Okay. Goodbye."
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