At the church fellowship hall later that week, people were arranging the monthly luncheon.

Frank had placed so many forks at one setting that a woman told him three guests could eat and the other twenty would have to borrow.

Eleanor began separating napkins by color.

Nobody assigned her the job.

She had done it for years and knew where the finished stacks belonged.

The meal price was fourteen dollars per person.

People discussed coffee, soup, and whether there were enough paper plates.

Then a neighbor asked why Robert was handling the house now.