Ximena87

She Was Seventy Years Old and Had Asked Me to Her House That Afternoon

I came thinking of Pilar, but it was her friend who slid the number across the table and told me, without beating around the bush, to call her as soon as I got home.

The mature neighbor my husband couldn’t stand

Andrés used to tell me the neighbor watched us too much. He was right. But that August afternoon, when the doorbell rang and I went to open it, I was glad he wasn’t home.

The Birthday Gift I Should Never Have Seen

I parked a block away so I wouldn’t make noise. The lights were off, but from the back of the house came laughter that didn’t fit any quiet gathering.