Summary

The story opens in a restaurant. Jose, the owner, is described as a fat, ruddy man with a rustic manner. Through the swinging door comes the second character of the story, an unnamed woman. Jose refers to her as queen. He describes her as sad, tired, her hair greased with Vaseline. Marquez immediately establishes a routine: these things happen at the same time every day, with an air of ritual. At 6:00 everyday, this woman comes in and sits down. She arrives before the regular customers who usually begin to filter in at 6:30.

The woman enters the restaurant and sits down on a barstool. An unlit cigarette dangles between her lips. She chastises Jose for not noticing her unlit cigarette, and he lights it. Things seem to get off to a rough start: she is agitated. Jose describes her mood as the...