she placed on the table between Mike and Sal. What a terrible thing, she said.

The men looked at her uneasily, observing her every move; they did not like her nor did they trust her. The men knew the reason she wandered about the house. She would always check on how they used the facilities: switching off lights, lowering the heaters and nagging the men about water consumption. The rent the men paid to Rose Bellano didn't leave them much for anything else.

Rose Bellano was a moderate drinker and a heavy smoker; but these were habits she did not tolerate in her boarders. She was still wearing her dressing gown and a pale sweet scent of cheap perfume barely shrouded the all too familiar smell of nicotine. She placed her hands firmly into the deep pockets in the front of her gown and walked slowly around the room. The men watched as she went to the stove, picked up the last cup and poured what remained of the percolated brew. Mrs. Bellano stared at the coffee in her cup absorbing the tone of the room as she nervously swirled the cup in her hand.

Before walking in, I eavesdropped on your conversation. I wanted to know what you were talking about, Rose Bellano said, glancing sharply, first at Sal and then at Jose Umberto. I know I shouldn't have and I'm sorry but please allow me to add something to Mews' story, she continued as she placed a finger to her lips; instantly hushing the men as they began to stir.

The men were visibly angered and stared at her suspiciously but refrained from interjecting. It was an unusual day and Mrs. Bellano had never before been in the midst of all her boarders, without complaining about something; let alone apologizing to them. They waited patiently.

Mews told me that story too. She paused to detect whether the men approved. Only yesterday, he visited me to add a little detail to the story. He asked me whether I remembered his winged dove and I said I did. He went on to tell me; that one day his dove just went away, never to be seen again. He never did discover how it could have left his room; it just vanished. Rose stopped to drink from her cup. Issi told me that part, a bemused Pablo interrupted.

We knew that too, repeated Jake and Vance, who were sitting at the table together, raising their voices with scorn and waved their hands, rejecting the woman's presence in the room with them on this their day of mourning. We all knew that, Issi told us all the same story, Sal joined in, his reddened face unable to

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