23

Florida
Enrique and Amanda
Folklore

-21-

her eyes large and dark, and her hair naturally waved. She remains a few minutes, laughing and joking in Spanish. When she leaves, she says in English, "I'm very glad to have met you."
After Caridad has gone Amanda says, "Poor Caridad--she's got TB. Three of her sisters died with it in the last rhree years. Now Caridad is going to die with it, the last one, and her mother just looks at her all the time and cries. It hurts her mother to know that Caridad is going to die, too, like all the others. Her mother fusses at her all the time but it is only because she is so worried about her dying. They are a very nice family and the girls were beautiful."
When the cooking is over and the meal placed on the table, there is a sudden burst of very rapid and excited Spanish which I am unable to understand. Perico dashes out of the front door. I ask what has happened, but receive no answer. In a few minutes Perico returns, and there is more rapid talking in Spanish. The dinner is getting cold.
At last Amanda says, "Well, I guess you might as well know; we been trying to borrow some knives from the neighbors but none of them has got any either I guess we will have to use the big knife and pass it around the table. I'm so ashamed not to have no knives, but we don't never use any."
We all gather about the small table. "Just help yourself to everything," invites Amanda. Perico tears the end off of a hot loaf of Cuban bread. His hands are extremely dirty.
"Perico!" shouts Amanda. "Get up from here and wash your hands! You know better than to sit down to eat with your hands like that."
I am suddenly started by a loud "Moooo..." from directly under the

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