The Cinsault magic turned the body light and the head a tad absentminded, thus thoughts migrated from brain to mouth without resistance. Marisa observed with interest Robert sitting next to Eliana like a well-behaved schoolboy. In contrast with the pathetic boldness adopted while away from his wife, he now carried himself with a formality that amused Marisa. Drunkard or schoolboy, though, Robert exasperated her.

Thus, without resistance, she addressed him with a mellifluous grin.

"I'm glad you approved the wine, Robert. What else do you like to drink? Whiskey? Tequila?"

He deflected the sting with an unintelligible murmur. She continued jovially: "It's funny, I have the impression I know you from somewhere. Have we met before?"

"Maybe you saw Robert in South Beach," said Eliana. "We were there for the past days too."

Marisa's gaze darted to her and returned to Robert.

"No, it wasn't in South Beach. But I'm sure I've seen you before."

"Then it must have been at the port prior to embarking," Eliana suggested.

This time Marisa didn't even glance at her.

"Nope. Maybe it was right here on the ship, Robert?"

He seemed hurt by her insinuations. His lips parted with reluctance to reply who knows what, and then the orders arrived at the table. During the momentary interruption, Zoe began talking about Jean-Philippe's band and all the attentions gravitated to the musician. He was an outspoken man in his twenties who had left his hometown, Port-au-Prince, with the aid of an uncle living in Miami. The subject gave Robert the chance to mention he had spent six months in the capital of Haiti as a volunteer for the Doctors Without Borders. The conversation stretched as the meal progressed until the emptied plates were removed from the table.

"What impressed me the most was the Haitian people. Cheerful even in the face of adversity," Robert recalled. "When earthquakes devastated the country, I wanted to go back there. Eliana convinced me to quit the idea." He tapped his fingers on the white linen tablecloth. "Anyway, I needed to take care of my clinic in San Diego."

"The international community always mobilizes help for Haitians in times of crisis. After the emergency support has been provided, it forgets Haiti. I visit my family there and help as much as I can, but it's hard," said Jean-Philippe.

"Haiti's situation is paradoxical," Marco analyzed. "It became the poorest country in the Western hemisphere despite being the first colony in the world to free itself from slavery. For that, it paid with decades of isolation and a heavy fine.

Jean-Philippe nodded his agreement.

"Everything needs rebuilding. If I go to a local restaurant, many people wait on the sidewalk for me to finish my meal so to eat the leftovers from the plate..."

The waitress brought over the dessert cart with a selection of juicy cake slices, pies and panna cottas topped with a lustrous caramel sauce. Each chose a dessert, and the group ate without enthusiasm.

Robert, the fork forgotten in his hand, regarded the stained-glass panel at the far end with its delicate mesh of leaves and flowers.

"I should have gone back there," he muttered.

"You did your best," Eliana was quick to reply. She turned to the others: "Robert worked unremittingly during the mission. He performed up to four surgeries a day and saved many patients with serious burns and wounds.

"All volunteers worked unremittingly," Robert stressed.

"I'd rather remember Haiti in a different light," said Jean-Philippe. "The dignity of the people even in adversity and the rising activism. The blue waters of Lake Etang Saumâtre. The tap-taps with their colorful bodies. The art fair at Saint-Pierre Square. The sounds of Creole and kompa on the streets."

Zoe patted him on the shoulder.

"I love the black culture. We're all its heirs. Even that white supremacist in the US. Did you hear the story? He went through a DNA test and learned he had fourteen percent black blood. I saw the test result on TV. It was hilarious: that guy carried sub-Saharan traces in his blood."

"Meaning he was super black," Marisa concluded, and everyone cracked up.

Coffee was served and the group relaxed. Robert now acted in quite an extroverted fashion—rapidly earning the sympathy of Zoe, Jean-Philippe and Marco with his courtesy and intelligent remarks—while Eliana kept an eye on his glass. Marisa limited herself to observe Robert with increasing perplexity. She hadn't known him for even a day and he had already displayed four disparate facets: the drunken jerk, the stiff schoolboy, the altruistic doctor, the captivating diner. There was no continuity between them. Robert resembled a puzzle missing pieces. He didn't make sense.

It wasn't long, though, before another matter occupied Marisa's mind. Having reviewed the evening attractions on the brochure she brought along, the group split between those inclined to watch the reggae band Jamaican Vibe at the Dazzling Diamond and the partisans of the Jazz Combo at the Tourmaline Cabaret. Marisa, Zoe and Jean-Philippe represented the first, Marco and Eliana the latter. Robert didn't express any preference.

Alert, Marisa cast a sidelong glance at Eliana. She didn't like the idea of leaving Marco alone with her. In reality, Marisa's dislike teetered on the brink of panic, making her feel childish and more inept than ever. She pondered why she couldn't display the same loftiness as Eliana's. After all, it was normal for Marco to have female friends, right? The sure formula to annoy him was to behave irrationally. Marisa wanted to be mature, magnanimous, elevated. And nevertheless: "I'm going to the Tourmaline Cabaret with you guys."

Marco shook his head.

"Mari, you're crazy about the reggae show. You'll be bored to death in an instrumental jazz concert."

"I like jazz."

"And you'll die if you miss the Jamaican Vibe show."

She bit her tongue, defeated by her own argument, and Marco queried Robert: "What about you? Reggae or jazz?"

Marisa scrutinized Robert. She would be mature, magnanimous and elevated, she repeated to herself. But then, from where did that bad feeling come?

"Jazz," Robert replied at last.

She relaxed.

"If you'd rather watch the other show, it's not a problem. Marco can keep me company," Eliana said.

Robert hesitated. Without realizing, Marisa twisted the brochure in her hands until it tore.

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