Those damn frogs. Cold, slimy little creatures. Ludmilla hated every single one of them. Especially the ones she occasionally had to swallow. And life, from time to time, forced her to do just that.
She sipped on her prickly pear smoothie from her favorite mug while watching her neighbor from her usual observation point: the bedroom window. María José was lecturing Perla at length about where she was allowed to relieve herself. As if that stupid ball of fluff could understand a word of her owner’s ramblings. And besides, anyone could see that the old woman wasn’t actually bothered by her pet’s habits. This whole training act was more for the residents of the complex—so that no one could say María José wasn’t doing everything possible to instill good manners in Perla.
“Juannita!” Ludmilla called out, without taking her eyes off her subject of observation for even a second.
“Right away, ma’am!” came the immediate response from a distant voice.
The housekeeper appeared at the doorway of the upstairs room within moments.
“I’m here, ma’am. What can I do for you?”
“Go and invite María José to lunch! And don’t let her refuse!”
“Understood. Do you need anything else?”
“Just that you stop standing there and get moving already!”
Juannita glided silently down the stairs. Not even the sound of the terrace door opening could be heard.
María José was visibly surprised by the unusual invitation. The former pastry chef lifted her gaze toward Ludmilla’s upstairs window. She knew her neighbor was watching her reaction from there. Smiling, she nodded in Ludmilla’s assumed direction and then turned to Juannita. As a token of gratitude, she offered a slight bow to the housekeeper.
Ludmilla had always eaten lunch at one o’clock. That was the custom in her parents’ house, and she had stuck to it ever since. No matter what happened, at one o’clock, Ludmilla sat at the table. Since meals were always treated with great care, Juannita had no problem accommodating the guest. She prepared a creamy spinach soup, a light fish platter, and Ludmilla’s favorite: mashed potatoes with sour cream. For decoration, she steamed some asparagus. Juannita had learned the importance of a varied and healthy diet from the elderly German lady. Many of the ingredients she encountered for the first time in Ludmilla and Israel’s house. At first, she was skeptical of the fusion between German and Canarian cuisine, but over the years, she grew to love it. In fact, at times, she preferred it over her own nation’s traditional dishes.
María José stepped into her living room with a devilish smile on her face. Once she closed the door behind her, she twirled happily toward her bedroom. She turned on some music, and her body followed the rhythm with such enthusiasm that it was as if she were dancing at the best party of her life. Oh, how she wished she could rush over to Carlos and tell him the news! But of course, she had no intention of doing so. Ludmilla’s watchful eye never wavered, especially now that she thought she was about to interrogate María José thoroughly without her neighbor noticing. What the German woman didn’t know was that the former pastry chef was looking forward to their lunch even more than the one who had orchestrated it.
Ludmilla rubbed her hands together instinctively. She had asked Juannita not to disturb her until lunch. Stretching out on the couch, she let her thoughts wander with her eyes closed, allowing her mind to run wild. Once her thoughts finally settled, she began crafting her upcoming conversation with María José—carefully forming light, seemingly innocent phrases that would help her steer the discussion exactly where she wanted. Little did she know that, just one wall away, in the neighboring living room, something eerily similar was happening.