The Extra Plate on the Table

Every evening, Mateo sets the table for dinner. It is his job. He puts out four plates, four forks, and four glasses. There are four people in his family. That is easy math.

Cada noche, Mateo pone la mesa para la cena. Es su tarea. Pone cuatro platos, cuatro tenedores y cuatro vasos. En su familia son cuatro personas. Es una cuenta fácil.

But on Monday, he finds a fifth plate. It sits at the end. It is blue, with a white fork next to it. Mateo did not put it there. He looks at it for a long time. "Quinn," he says to his sister. "Did you set a plate?"

Pero el lunes encuentra un quinto plato. Está en la cabecera de la mesa. Es azul, con un tenedor blanco al lado. Mateo no lo puso ahí. Lo mira por un buen rato. «Quinn», le dice a su hermana. «¿Pusiste un plato?».

"No," says Quinn. She sits on the couch with a book.

«No», dice Quinn. Está sentada en el sofá con un libro.

"That is your job."

«Esa es tu tarea».

"Then who did it?" She shrugs and does not look up from her book. So Mateo takes the plate back to the kitchen. He puts it in the cupboard and closes the door. He feels a little odd about it.

«Entonces, ¿quién lo hizo?». Se encoge de hombros y no levanta la vista del libro. Así que Mateo se lleva el plato a la cocina. Lo guarda en la alacena y cierra la puerta. Se siente un poco raro.

On Tuesday, the same thing happens. Four plates are on the table. A fifth sits at the end. It is blue again. The fork is on the left side. Mateo stares at it. This time, he decides to be a detective.

El martes pasa lo mismo. Hay cuatro platos en la mesa. Un quinto está en la cabecera. Otra vez es azul. El tenedor está al lado izquierdo. Mateo se queda mirándolo. Esta vez decide ser detective.

He asks his mother. She cooks rice and hardly listens. "A plate?" she says.

Le pregunta a su mamá. Ella está cocinando arroz y casi no escucha. «¿Un plato?», dice.

"Maybe you made a mistake." He asks his father, who works late and eats later. His father laughs.

«Quizás te equivocaste». Le pregunta a su papá, que trabaja hasta tarde y cena después. Su papá se ríe.

"I never set the table, Mateo. You know that."

«Yo nunca pongo la mesa, Mateo. Lo sabes».

He asks his grandfather, who lives in the next room. His grandfather only says, "A plate is a plate."

Le pregunta a su abuelo, que vive en el cuarto de al lado. Su abuelo solo dice: «Un plato es un plato».

Mateo does not give up. On Wednesday, he sets the table at four o'clock. Then he sits on the stairs and watches it. He holds a notebook and a pencil. In the notebook, he writes: 4:00. Table ready. 4 plates.

Mateo no se rinde. El miércoles pone la mesa a las cuatro. Luego se sienta en la escalera y la vigila. Tiene un cuaderno y un lápiz. En el cuaderno escribe: 4:00. Mesa lista. 4 platos.

Nothing happens for an hour. At five o'clock, his mother walks through the kitchen. She does not go near the table. At five-thirty, Quinn passes with a glass of water. Mateo writes it down. At six, he is hungry and bored.

Durante una hora no pasa nada. A las cinco, su mamá cruza la cocina. No se acerca a la mesa. A las cinco y media, Quinn pasa con un vaso de agua. Mateo lo anota. A las seis, tiene hambre y está aburrido.

At ten past six, he goes to wash his hands. He comes back. There are five plates now. "What?" he says. The blue plate sits at the end of the table. The white fork shines in the lamp light. Mateo spins around. The kitchen is empty. The hall is empty. Only the clock ticks on the wall.

A las seis y diez, va a lavarse las manos. Vuelve. Ahora hay cinco platos. «¿Qué?», dice. El plato azul está en la cabecera de la mesa. El tenedor blanco brilla bajo la luz de la lámpara. Mateo da media vuelta. La cocina está vacía. El pasillo está vacío. Solo se oye el reloj de la pared.

He looks at his notebook. He writes: 6:10. Fifth plate. Nobody here. Mateo is very serious now. He asks himself some questions. Who has a reason to add a plate? Who knows where the blue plates are? Who can move without noise?

Mira su cuaderno. Escribe: 6:10. Quinto plato. Nadie aquí. Mateo ahora está muy serio. Se hace algunas preguntas. ¿Quién tiene un motivo para agregar un plato? ¿Quién sabe dónde están los platos azules? ¿Quién puede moverse sin hacer ruido?

He thinks about the family. His mother is busy. His sister reads. His grandfather moves slowly. His father is still at work. And then Mateo stops. His father is at work. His father always eats late.

Piensa en la familia. Su mamá está ocupada. Su hermana lee. Su abuelo se mueve despacio. Su papá todavía está en el trabajo. Y entonces Mateo se detiene. Su papá está en el trabajo. Su papá siempre come tarde.

He opens the oven. Inside, there is a pot with a lid. It is warm. A paper sits on the pot. It has words in his mother's writing. For Dad. Warm.

Abre el horno. Adentro hay una olla con tapa. Está tibia. Sobre la olla hay un papel. Tiene palabras con la letra de su mamá. Para papá. Caliente.

Mateo takes out the pot. He holds it for a moment. Then he looks at the blue plate. It is for his father. He is tired and hungry after work. He hears the front door. His father comes in with his bag. He looks tired. He sees the table, and he sees the blue plate.

Mateo saca la olla. La sostiene un momento. Luego mira el plato azul. Es para su papá. Él llega cansado y con hambre del trabajo. Oye la puerta de entrada. Su papá entra con su maletín. Se ve cansado. Ve la mesa, y ve el plato azul.

"Hello," says his father.

«Hola», dice su papá.

"Why is the table still ready?"

«¿Por qué la mesa sigue puesta?».

"I want to know who sets this plate," says Mateo. His father looks at the plate. Then he looks at the notebook. A small smile comes to his face.

«Quiero saber quién pone este plato», dice Mateo. Su papá mira el plato. Luego mira el cuaderno. Una pequeña sonrisa aparece en su cara.

"Your mother does it," he says.

«Lo hace tu mamá», dice.

"Every night. She sets my place. Then I know someone waits for me."

«Todas las noches. Ella pone mi lugar. Así sé que alguien me espera».

"But why does she hide it?" asks Mateo.

«Pero ¿por qué lo esconde?», pregunta Mateo.

"She does not hide it," says his father.

«No lo esconde», dice su papá.

"You took it away on Monday." Mateo's face goes red. He closes the notebook.

«Tú lo quitaste el lunes». A Mateo se le pone la cara roja. Cierra el cuaderno.

"I am a bad detective," he says.

«Soy un mal detective», dice.

"No," says his father.

«No», dice su papá.

"You are a good son. Will you sit by me tonight?"

«Eres un buen hijo. ¿Te sentarás a mi lado esta noche?».

Mateo smiles. He moves his plate beside the blue one.

Mateo sonríe. Mueve su plato junto al azul.