THE THIRTIETH
‘That was quite a peculiar situation, Nika,’ Mrs Tomská began, sitting down on the armchair in the soft, homey garb, for which she had endured so much, with the excellent coffee she taught her daughter how to brew, the coffee you toss right into the cold water with a pinch of salt, cocoa and two teaspoons of sugar, and only then do you bring it to a boil until it begins to foam along the rim of the pot like the froth on a mad dog’s lips, or a foaming horse. That’s the moment you take it off the flame to let it settle. It always made Mrs Tomská feel good to know that Monika knew exactly when to take the coffee off the flame, and when to replace it there, for it to froth and calm a few more times, which is what makes a proper drink of the coffee at last, and not some empty inf
