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Lena stood in the doorway with a bakery box and her coat still buttoned . She had come back to her aunt's city , and every visit so far had stayed polite . People asked about her job . People asked if the flat was quiet . Nobody asked her to stay for the long Sunday lunch . She wanted her own chair at that table , not a spare one pulled in for a guest . " I brought cake , " she said . Her aunt Rosa looked at the box , then at the coat . " Put it on the side . And take that coat off . You're letting the heat out . " Lena set the box down . The kitchen smelled of garlic and the oil her mother used . There were already more plates than people . Rosa's husband was cutting tomatoes . A cousin Lena hardly knew was laughing in the hall , half in English and half in the language they used at this table . Rosa pushed a knife toward her . " The onions . Small pieces . Your mother always cut them thick , then cried and blamed the onion . " Lena laughed before she meant to . " She still does that . " " Then you do it the right way . " The onion stung her eyes anyway . She cut slowly , afraid of getting it wrong where everyone else moved without thinking . Rosa did not watch her . She talked about a neighbor's baby and a bus that never came on time . " You speak differently now , " Rosa said when Lena asked for the salt . " Softer . As if you're visiting . " Lena's face went hot . " I'm not visiting . " " Then stop standing like a guest . " Rosa nodded at the chair by the window . " That one was your mother's . You sit there when the food is ready . Until then , slice the bread . " The cousin came in , kissed Lena on both cheeks , and took a piece of tomato . Nobody introduced them . They put the bread knife in her hand and went on talking . When the soup was ready , Rosa opened the box . The cake looked neat , with a smooth top and a little card that had nothing to do with the family . She tasted a slice and tried to look polite . " It's all right , " she said . " Next time you make one here . I'll call you when the oven is hot . " Lena sat in her mother's chair . The soup was too salty . Someone said so , and Rosa said the salt was Lena's job now . People laughed , and Lena did too . Her coat hung on the back of the chair . She left it there .
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