Monday evening, home from the beach house. "Juanjose is flying back to Miami for Thanksgiving", Edelira said on the telephone. "Playing with Macario's band on Thanksgiving weekend. When these two Cuban drummers play together, the sound is out of this world. I still hear them playing in my mind."

From the refrigerator, phone in hand, Caydance took a Japanese beer. Sat down beside the window, listened to her best friend talk. "Juanjose’s spending a week here has made our relationship more real and more solid," Edelira told her. "Bringing his family into our lives was wild but grounding, and now my Mom will be included in Thanksgiving dinner. We'll start at my place for hors d'oeuvre and end up at Juanjose’s childhood home. It was my Mom's choice to wait for this because most of her family are in Cuba; Juanjose’s family is so numerous, and she did not want to add another factor. but next month, she will join us for Thanksgiving, and I am happy."

"And now for a surprise", Edelira continued, "sit down Cayda, drink that beer you paused to retrieve."