This wasn’t sitting well with them. They eyed the food enviously. And it didn’t help that Oscar kept smacking his lips—accidentally on purpose.

“It’s good,” he announced.

“Of course. It’s homemade.”

“Not all homemade cabbage soup is good. Sometimes it’s greasy.”

“Not mine.”

“No, yours is not greasy.”

“Thank you.”

Oscar nodded, his head looking like a cotton ball waving on the stem of his scrawny neck. He wore a short-sleeved blue-and-red-striped shirt and tan slacks. His bony elbows were sharp enough to be lethal weapons. He ate noisily until the bowl was empty. He pushed it in front of Rina.

“You have more soup?” Oscar demanded.

“For tomorrow.”

“Why tomorrow?”

“The dietitian set a limit on just two bowls.”

“Why?”

Rina shrugged.

“I’m hungry now. Give me more soup.”

“I can’t do that. She told me two bowls. If I don’t listen to her, she’ll throw the rest of the pot away.”

“Why two bowls?”

Rina leaned over. “I think the others are jealous—”

“Nyaaah.”

“I think you can have some of the regular dinner if you want—”

“Nyaaah.”

“Do you want to go up to your room, Oscar?”

He thought a moment, then shook his head.

“Should we take a walk?”

Again the headshake.

“So we’ll sit here for a while?”

This time he nodded. One of the servers was a young Hispanic named Yolanda. She offered Rina something to eat.

“Just a cup of tea when you get a chance,” Rina answered. “You want tea, Oscar?”

“Tea is good.”

“Two teas.”

“Oscar likes his with honey,” Yolanda said. “How about you?”

“I’ll take honey,” Rina answered.

“Give me a minute.”

“Take your time,” Rina told her.

Oscar picked up the bowl and ran a finger around the inside rim, collecting a bit of the puree on the bony tip. He licked it eagerly. Rina sighed, snatched up the bowl, and stood up. “This is ridiculous.”

Oscar looked upset. “Where are you going?”

Like a kid who had done something wrong. “I’m getting you more soup.”

She marched into the kitchen. After ten minutes of finagling, she returned with half a bowl. “They are tyrants in there.”

Oscar nodded. “See what we have to put up with?”

It came out “See vat ve have to put up vit?”

Rina said, “Of course, they can’t go around letting everyone eat whatever they’d like.”

“Why not?”

“There are a lot of restricted diets here.”

“That’s not my problem.”

“It’s somebody’s problem,” Rina insisted.

“Somebody’s, yes…not mine.” Oscar finished the half-bowl. “Now I’m finished. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You are a friend of Georgia’s?”

“I know Georgia, yes.”

“Are you nosy like her?”

“I take exception to that. Neither Georgia nor I are nosy…just curious.”

“Nyaaah. You come to pester me. Why you think you can bribe an old man with soup?”