“I am fine. Linda, could we talk? You and I, without Sarah?”
“Yes, of course, ma’am. Where do you want to meet?”
“Do you know Hope’s Café downtown?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Can you be there at five in the afternoon? And Jessica, she can also come if she wants.”
“I will ask her and confirm with you.”
An hour later, I arrived at the café. It was a small and cozy place, with wooden tables and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee floating in the air. Linda and Robert were already there, sitting at a table in the back. They looked nervous, but respectful.
Linda was a woman of about sixty, with gray hair tied in a simple bun and a pale yellow blouse. Robert seemed a few years older, with a white mustache and a well-ironed light blue shirt. Both stood up when they saw me arrive.
“Mrs. Emily, thank you very much for agreeing to talk to us,” said Robert, extending his hand.
“Sit down, please.”
We settled at the table. The waitress approached and we ordered coffee for the three of us.
“Jessica is not coming?”
“No, ma’am,” replied Linda. “She says this is very awkward and she prefers to look for another solution.”
“I understand. Well, I wanted to talk to you to clarify some things.”
“Of course, Mrs. Emily.”
“First, I want you to know that I am not angry with you. I am angry with my daughter for the way she handled this entire situation.”
Linda and Robert exchanged a look of relief.
“Second, I want to understand exactly what Sarah told you and what your real situation is.”
Robert spoke up.
“Mrs. Emily, we lived in an apartment in the San Miguel neighborhood for fifteen years. The building owner died and his heirs decided to sell the land to a developer. They gave us three months’ notice to vacate.”
“And you haven’t been able to find another place?”
“We have looked, ma’am,” Linda continued. “But with our retiree pension, most of the places we can afford are in very bad condition or in very dangerous neighborhoods.”
“How much do you receive in pension between the two of you?”
“About four hundred dollars a month,” replied Robert.
It was a small amount. I understood why they had difficulties finding something decent.
“And how did you meet Sarah?”
“She is our daughter-in-law,” explained Linda. “She has been married to our son Michael for eight years.”
“Michael agrees with you living in my house?”
Linda and Robert looked at each other uncomfortably.
“Well, Mrs. Emily,” said Robert, “Michael is working in another country. He left six months ago to look for better job opportunities. He knows what happened today. We sent him a message telling him, but with the time difference, he still hasn’t answered us.”
The waitress brought our coffees. I took a sip while processing the information.
“Linda, Robert, I want to ask you a direct question. Did you really believe that I had insisted you come live with me?”
Linda lowered her gaze.
“At first, yes, ma’am. Sarah told us that you felt very lonely in that big house and that you had commented that you would like to have company. But when we arrived this morning and saw your face when you received Sarah’s call, we realized something was not right,” admitted Robert.
“What made you realize that?”
