said Mrs. Ross. “Now, run and get me some more coffee.” She snuggled against the pillows, hugged private enjoyment from the fact that Don Jaime had sent the doctor. He always did. Still … it was a warm gesture.O O OThe next morning—Monday—Serena appeared with the breakfast tray: coffee in a pale green cup, the pill sitting in its own little yellow bowl like a magenta seed in a blossom. She raised the shades to their sick-room half-mast, helped her employer sit up, swooped the tray onto the waiting lap.A dollop of coffee sloshed onto the saucer.Mrs. Ross frowned at the spilled coffee, frowned even deeper at the pill, waited for the morning’s seasoning of death and destruction.“It is a beautiful day,” said Serena.Mrs. Ross looked up, wondered: What now? Serena was smiling.“The eggs are very fresh,” said Serena. “The Señora Gonzales had some extra that she permitted me to buy.”She’s trying to distract me, thought Mrs. Ross. She’s put something in the food.“I will make your favorite tamales for lunch,”
