The Note on the Dryer
A free A2-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Ada assumes her neighbor is careless about the shared laundry room until she learns about his night shift.
Ada lives on the third floor of an old apartment building. The building has one shared laundry room in the basement. Every Tuesday, she does her laundry there.
Lately, a stranger's clothes are in the dryer when Ada arrives. Each time, there is a small note on top. The notes say, "Sorry, I'm always late. Please just move them to a basket."
At first, Ada feels a little annoyed. She thinks the man is careless with his time. She moves his clothes to a basket without a word.
One Tuesday, Ada arrives early and meets him. His name is Jovan, and he lives on the first floor. "I'm sorry about the notes," he says. "I work the night shift at the hospital."
"Oh," Ada says. "I didn't know that."
"I finish work at seven in the morning," Jovan explains. "I start my laundry before my shift. But I can't come back in time."
Ada smiles. "That makes sense now," she says. "I thought you just forgot about your clothes."
"No, I think about them all night," Jovan says. They both laugh.
After that day, Ada changes her Tuesday routine. She waits until Jovan gets home from his night shift. They fold their laundry together and talk about their week.
Now the notes on the dryer say something different. "Thanks for waiting," they say. "See you next Tuesday."
