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Including her disagreeable character.
    As I went up in the elevator to their apartment in Avinguda Diagonal, a cold sweat broke out on the nape of my neck. It always happens when I visit them. Knowing I was going to be there for a couple of hours made me feel queasy even before arriving. It’s a psychosomatic thing.
    The opposite is best
. I repeated this mantra as I rang the bell.
    Andreu opened the door, and the mere sight of his wounded-bull expression made me regret that I hadn’t prolonged my flu for one more day and stayed home.
    â€œHow are you?”
    I knew he didn’t care how I was, but I applied Titus’s maxim and said: “I’ve been ill for the past three days. But you look great.”
    â€œReally?” He was taken aback.
    â€œI can’t believe you had a hernia operation only two months ago. You look ten years younger, as if you’ve been to a spa.”
    I went into the dining room, leaving a deflated Andreu at the door.
This could be fun
.
    â€œWhat did you say? Are you drunk?” were my sister’s words of welcome. “Or are you messing with him as usual?”
    I hugged my sister and planted a kiss on her forehead.
    â€œSo good to see you,” I said. “Sorry I didn’t bring gifts this year.”
    â€œSince when do we exchange gifts?” Rita said, showing me into the living room.
    â€œSince today.” I laughed. “I was thinking . . . perhaps we could go out to a seafood restaurant one Sunday? My treat.”
    My sister’s face relaxed, giving way to a cautious smile.
    â€œThat’s very nice of you, but Andreu’s on a diet and I turned vegetarian last month.”
    â€œGood for you,” I said, humoring her. “Meat’s full of hormones and all sorts of nasties.”
    â€œWell, at least you’re not arguing with me for once,” she said, and went into the kitchen to see to the food.
    I sat down next to Andreu, who, with a glass of water in his hand, was spellbound by the news on TV. He kept casting sideways glances at me as if afraid that I really was drunk and would end up doing something silly.
    â€œWhat a state the world’s in! Terrible,” he ventured. “Where will we all end up?”
    â€œSomething’s got to be done—and soon.”
    I caught him unawares.
    â€œYou think something can be done about it?” he said.
    â€œOf course. For a start, they should fire the news editor and put in another one who gives us more pleasant news.”
    Rita came in with a dish of vegetarian lasagna and put it on the table. “What’s going on with you? From the moment you arrived, you’ve been talking nonsense.”
    Normally we would have sat down at the table and eaten in silence, watching the news. Titus’s maxim prompted me to try to do the opposite. I praised every dish my sister served, took an interest in what was going on in their lives, and told them a couple of anecdotes to liven up the atmosphere.
    â€œA cat got into my apartment,” I informed them between mouthfuls. “At first I thought it belonged to Titus, but it looks like it doesn’t have an owner.”
    â€œWho’s Titus?” Andreu asked, turning off the television with the remote control.
    â€œI think it’s great that you’ve got a cat,” Rita said, before Icould answer. “It’ll give you good vibes. They absorb negative energy, you know.”
    The old Samuel would have said, “That’s why I was thinking of giving it to you,” but instead I took the conversation into uncharted territory, reminding her of what we used to do on Saturday afternoons thirty years earlier. I also asked if she’d heard any news of Gabriela.
    â€œWho is she? I don’t remember that name,” she said. “There are lots of kids from the Gothic Quarter. We only knew a few of them.”
    â€œShe hid under the stairs with me. I think you were the