woman in the window

tonight, as i was pulling into the apartment’s garage , i looked up and saw the old woman who lives above the electric gate staring out her window. i see her every now and again, in the courtyard under the lemon tree, in the basement laundry room, and most often sitting at the window watching cars pull in and out of the garage. people can look very different depending on their context. she is always quite cheerful whenever we meet with our laundry baskets in the elevator or on the sidewalk with our grocery bags. but every time i see her sitting there, even today with a perfect dusky pink sunset reflecting off the window glass, she looks sad.