tamales kerry the houseguest has her own house now. it isn’t far. she lives in a mexican neighborhood and we are in an italian one. i think she is disappointed by the scarcity of good pizza and cannolis. but the kids play soccer in her street, disappearing when cars come and emerging when the road is empty again. i wish there were kids playing on my street. it’s mostly old people. her house is a collage, an explosion of color. the kitchen is green and the living room a warm mustard yellow. the bedroom and bathroom are shades of pink. an enormous cuckoo clock hangs near the dining table. a lantern sits in the window and yellow mums in a cheery row on the front stoop. to keep alley cats out of the patio we tried topping the cement walls with glass, but they just tiptoe around it. there is a neighbor who has become her contractor. he’s helping put the place together—it has been empty since last year, when a woman died there. he just feels bad for me, thinks i’m lonely, the houseguest said. he says things to me like how do you not have a husband? you left your man behind? you got no one to take care of you? is he weird? i asked. does he hit on you? no, nothing like that. we just drink coffee and he tells me about his kids, his family in mexico who he sends money to. it sounds like he just likes talking to you, i said. she is easy to talk to. he lives around the corner with his wife and some of his children. his wife makes tamales and he brings them to the houseguest regularly, wrapped in foil, warm and soft as newborn puppies. we devour them at her round table after she reheats them in the oven quiet with hunger, unfolding corn husks like christmas gifts thick corn tamales stuffed with spicy chicken or pork, the dogs sitting under our feet, hoping for leftovers. 211102 ... unhinged (my coworker was talking about making some and bringing them in to share this afternoon) 211102 ... kerry i had no idea what i was missing until i’d had homemade tamales! your coworker better follow through. 211103 ... tender_square i am so hungry reading this. pardon me while i wipe drool from my keyboard. (that line about the tamales being warm and soft like newborn puppies is sick, but in the good way) 211103 ... kerry i made myself hungry writing this, despite the puppies. i think i've also been watching too many horror movies. (also, i'm taking "sick but in a good way" as a compliment--an unexpected one!) 211103 what's it to you? who go blather from