El mal de la risa

Having just turned eighty-three, Noelia wonders if anyone ever dreamed of her. She has reached old age without a partner or children, and has a small circle of friends. She doesn't believe in any god, but on Thursdays she goes to confession with Father Marcos, a friend and chaplain at the school where she used to teach. Living without certainty has its advantages. Sometimes she chooses to call herself Noelia, other times Adelfa. She calls her nephews her grandchildren, and gives nicknames to her neighbors because she doesn't know or care what their real names are. Her life was perfect, and she didn't even know it... She realizes it now, when she has to care for her sister and brother-in-law, too old to be independent. While chatting some nights with another retired teacher and observing other people's lives, Noelia humorously recalls her own.