When I walked in with Iris, Clara was already perched on the sofa. Of the three baskets of dinner rolls I had set out on the table just a little while earlier, only two remained.
I asked, "You already ate?"
She did not answer a word. Her gaze was glued straight to the TV screen.
I just shrugged and pulled my coat off my shoulders.
Behind me, Iris stepped forward, holding the gift she had prepared earlier, and walked straight toward Clara.
"You must be Clara, right?" she said. "I brought this little gift for you. Go on, take a look. Do you like it?"
"Mm," Clara replied without interest.
Clara never tore her eyes away from the television. She did not even glance at the package in Iris's hands, just threw out a half-hearted reply without a shred of interest.
I stepped over and laced m
