“Come, we’ve worked hard enough for one day,” Josefa announced. “It’s time for a treat.”

Cayatu watched in amazement as Josefa sliced off a piece of something—she didn’t know what—from a long brown loaf, put it in a cooking pot, and poured hot water over it. Then Josefa attacked it with a three-pointed wooden stick—a molinillo she called it—and beat the hot brown liquid by rubbing the stick between her palms. She watched in wonder as froth formed on the liquid under Josefa’s flying hands.

“This is the way we like it,” Josefa told her, smiling as she poured the liquid from the pot into a cup, and handed the cup to her, “Hot and frothy. The cacao comes from Nueva España, pressed together with sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Drink it. It’s a treat we can enjoy only when the yearly ship brings it to us from San Blas.”

Cayatu was uncertain about the drink and decided to watch Josefa to see how the Mexican woman would act.

“Taste it!” Josefa commanded.”

At first sip, the steaming liquid felt strange on her lips. Then the sweet aroma reached her nose. She felt the sensation of warm froth on the edges of her mouth. A smile spread across her face when she tasted the richness of the first drops, tickling, almost burning with sweetness, at the back of her throat. Her eyes widened with delight.

Josefa beamed at Cayatu’s pleasure. “This is chocolate!” she said in a singing voice.

 After more sips, Cayatu’s smile became a laugh that started slowly and grew. She giggled like a child as she tasted the wonderful new drink, feeling the warmth deep inside her, and the sweetness of the dark drink clinging to her lips.

“It’s like the foam a wave leaves on the beach,” she told Josefa letting the tip of her tongue flicker in and out at the corners of her mouth dabbing at the froth.

They sat together, each sipping her sweet drink. Cayatu beamed with joy. For the moment, all unpleasant thoughts of Josefa’s husband were safely tucked away in the secret place at the back of her mind. Nevertheless, she knew her crime might be revealed at any moment.