"Ladies, may I remind you," said Eduardo, coming across with arms raised as though to chase ducks from the porch, "eating is not permitted at the compuer stations."

    Telma Ervanaria took another bite. "It's a café, isn't it?" she said.

    "No, it's not," said Eduardo, who would tell you that black was white, "it's an Internet café. Is a table just a table?"

    Telma Ervanaria stared at him. She didn't like the way hair grew out of his nose, in curls. "Yes," she said. "It is."

    "That's where you go wrong. A table over there," he said, pointing, "is a table. A table in a school is a desk. A table beside a pulpit is an altar, and this table here is a computer station. No eating allowed."

P. 197

¶ 9:54 PM