“fix” the napkins, check if the glasses were aligned, or simply “happen” to walk by. I tried to ignore it, but her persistent presence grew more and more unsettling.

Every time I lifted my eyes, she would look away instantly. At one point I went to dance with my husband, and when I came back, I saw her standing by our glasses; she jerked in surprise as if I had caught her. She pretended to look at the flowers, but her hands were shaking.