Garbage Day….the saga continues…

Two weeks ago while standing outside waiting for the garbage truck, one of my neighbors from down the street, a woman whom I’ve never really met, started walking up the street saying, “Девочка, Девочка!” Translated as “Girl, Girl”, I assumed she was talking to me as my other close neighbors are a man and an older woman. So she starts talking to me and immediately my mind begins to panic hoping I am able to understand her fast Russian. She was telling me how I needed to pay for the garbage services once a year, and how much it was, etc. She then, what I understood was to pay someone in another neighboring home, which I thought was the home she exited from. So I ran inside to get the money, and when I returned she had gone back down to her home. Now, a little confused, I thought about asking the man across the street who exactly I’m supposed to pay, but then I say that same lady talking to the driver of the garbage truck and it appeared she gave him something, so I thought- oh I pay him. Well the truck came up, I handed the guys in the back my garbage bag and then gave the money to the driver. Done deal. Well, it seems I am prone to mistakes and misunderstandings because the next garbage day, this same lady starts calling to me from down the street, and only until she got closer could I understand. She asked me if I paid, and I said yes. She asked me when, and I said that same day she told me about it. Then she asked who I paid, and I said the guy and pointed to the man in the garbage truck. At that, all my neighbors in ear shot started laughing. I could tell the guy across the street was trying not to, but found it too humorous. So then, my heart sank, and I felt like an idiot and I knew I messed up. She told me that I was to pay the woman at the house, so now I’m thinking the drive took the money and now I have to pay the lady too. I figured it’s my own fault- I need to be brave to ask more questions to know for sure. Well, she waited next to me until the truck came and she asked the driver if I paid him, and he thankfully said YES, and I could see he was smirking at the situation too. Anyway, she continued speaking to me about the situation, I think that he was going to sign that I paid or give the lady the money, something along those lines and when she was done asked if I understood. I said yes. I was too afraid to say not really. So I went into the house feeling two inches high, like the town idiot, and wondering if our neighbors come out on garbage day just to see what the silly American girl will do this week.