Summary

Delia acquired the keys to Amalia’s apartment from Amalia’s old widowed neighbor Signora De Riso. Delia found it strange that Amalia had only locked one of the two locks on her door and De Riso says that Amalia was mindless, but happy in her last days. De Riso went on to tell Delia that Amalia had been seeing a man, but Delia insisted that the man was Amalia’s brother, even though both women knew this was not true.

Delia entered Amalia’s apartment and the sensation that her mother was still living overwhelmed her. She could imagine her mother at the sink watching dishes, but dismissed this fantasy when she realized that the tap water had just been left dripping into the sink. Delia recalled that Amalia had not liked to waste anything, from leftover food to tap water. Delia quickly...