She walked with her back even more stooped than usual in her role as superhero, but once they came out into Parque Bustamante she straightened up; she didn’t want him thinking she was crazy enough to kidnap his daughter just for one more glance from him. She wasn’t coming back for him, but for the little girl.

“Lost again?” the man asked with a trace of humor when they reached him. He had already sat back down.

“She was lost,” Claudia said, and she felt stupid for overexplaining, but went on anyway: “She was trying to go out the other door.”

He smiled at her. “Thank you.”

She smiled back. The little girl let go of her hand, and she was sorry and stood there a few more seconds, dragging out the moment. Would another cigarette do the trick?

“Thank you,” he repeated while the girl snuggled up under his arms.

Claudia nodded with her lips clamped shut.

“You want to take a walk?” he asked. It sounded natural.

She looked at the girl, at her head tilted up at the sky, her eyes always fixed on nothing.

“My things are upstairs,” Claudia replied.

“Go get them,” he said, caressing his daughter’s hair. “We’ll wait for you.” She looked him in the eye and immediately forgot herself, as she’d done so many times before. What time was it? Did she have something to do? Nothing mattered, she would dance in the palm of his hand.

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

In the library she put her book and notebook in her backpack, and said goodbye to the musician who always sat next to her at the study table.

“Not feeling inspired?” he asked.

“No,” she replied. “I gave it a shot, but it wouldn’t come to me.” They both laughed, and she felt her face turn red.

When she came out of the library, the man was waiting for her already astride the bike. The girl was standing behind him, her arms around his shoulders, her belly swaying with straightforward delight, like the naturally sensual curvature of any plant stem.

They took a couple of turns around the park. There were adults and young people jogging, others walking their dogs or their children, schoolkids drinking and smoking in the grass, kids playing on playgrounds, older men and women trying out the municipal exercise machines. So much vitality! she thought, with nostalgia or excessive seriousness. She had played some of those roles in the past. She was at the age now when you’ve already done one thing and another.