Rita's Relationship With Roberto

Rita and Roberto's companionship grows in a household that resists their relationship, then becomes part of the evidence Elena weighs after Rita's death.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Familiar Neighbor

A Long Acquaintance Roberto in the neighborhood Roberto is the son of a local hairdresser and works at a bank. He is familiar to Elena and Rita long before Rita calls him her boyfriend. Elena's ridicule Elena uses his hunchback to provoke Rita, while Rita objects to the insult. Their disagreement reveals how little Elena respects the bond her daughter is forming.

The Official Introduction

Dinner at Home A shared meal Roberto comes to dinner carrying sparkling wine. Elena treats the visit as the formal introduction of a man she and Rita already know. Convictions shared Roberto and Rita are drawn together by their strong, often rigid views about how people should live. Their connection grows through argument and mutual certainty.

The Hair-Salon Visit

A Careful Arrangement Roberto's mother helps Rita brings Elena to Mimí's salon for a full makeover. Roberto's family becomes involved in the last ordinary plan Rita makes for her mother. A divided timeline Rita's presence at the salon is central to Elena's later effort to understand the day. Roberto himself is away, but his family remains close to the scene of the waiting.

Roberto's Alibi

Cleared by the Police The bank audit Police say Roberto was at the bank participating in an internal audit with many witnesses. His fear of church bells also makes him an unlikely suspect in Elena's eyes. Doubt remains personal Elena does not clear him simply because of his words. Her doubts concern what he knew and how quickly he accepted the suicide explanation.

A Funeral Palm

The Friend's Offering A memorial gift Roberto sends a small palm frond marked “Your friend forever.” Elena leaves it apart from Rita's hands, suspecting his mother chose the wording. Intimacy after death The gesture shows Roberto's grief, but Elena remains unable to accept the intimacy he claims. His relationship with Rita survives only as an argument over what it meant.

Before their relationship becomes explicit

Years before Rita's death

On the afternoon Rita dies

During the investigation after Rita's death

During Rita's wake