The sky was pink when I arrived. It had been raining all day, so the night would be bleak. Despite this, Helen insisted on serving the paella in the garden. When I walked in, people were talking smoothly in the growing darkness. The light was dim, as it usually is in Philadelphia, so I could barely see the other guests. After a brief introduction to the Spanish artists, Helen pushed me toward a middle-aged housewife, who looked around shyly.

(picture by Patricia Gómez and María Jesús González)