That very morning she’d thought to herself, I should write down my name and address on a piece of paper and put it in my purse, I should carry some identification. She always said that as soon as she broke out her new date book she’d fill out the page marked Personal Information, but it was March already and she’d totally forgotten to do it.

When a woman leaves, you shouldn’t let her come back home. But how was I supposed to ignore her if she stayed out there all night? She knocked, and I said, Who’s there? When she didn’t answer, I told her, Go away. I heard her woolen coat rub against the wooden door as she slid down to a sitting position on the step.

In hotels, dinner service begins at six o'clock. At a table underneath a small lamp attached to the wall, a man catches sight of you and nods in greeting. You smile and feel a strong urge to leave, since you already had a look around, but he signals you with his hand to come closer. He seems like the manager, with his navy-blue jacket and red tie. You say hello and tell him that the place is very lovely, that you hadn’t known about it. We just remodeled it, he answers, and asks you to sit down.