During the commercial, Lucia stood up and made herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen, the old way, with hot milk, sugar, and coffee. It was the one extravagance she allowed herself here--well, except for the Oreo cookies. She had seen them advertised on TV once, and it looked like so much fun to take them apart and lick the creamy filling out of the center that she just HAD to try it. Besides, she had found a coupon for twenty-five cents in one of the newspapers that Antonio brought home every night. He would find them in wastebaskets after the offices closed, and brought them home to practice his English. As for Lucia, she couldn't read either Spanish or English, but she recognized the twenty-five cents sign and the appetizing picture of the Oreo cookie on the coupon. Ever since then, she kept a package of Oreos in the refrigerator, allowing herself exactly one cookie each morning and one in the afternoon. This way, the package lasted more than two weeks, and she made up for the cost of the cookies by skipping lunch. How careful she was with their money! Antonio will be proud of her one of these days when he sees how much she has saved. Maybe they could buy a car--not a new one, of course--but something to get them out of the filth and heat of the city, even if only on Sundays in the afternoon. On the television she had seen pictures of the beautiful beaches along the coast, where one could still find a quiet place to walk without all the noise and stench of the city, just the sound of the birds chirping and the scent of the ocean. She had never smelled the ocean before, but she was sure it must be a pleasant smell.

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