"I imagine that a man in your line of work would be under a tremendous amount of stress every day," Maribel replied.
"Ordinarily, less than you'd think," Rafael countered, "but the night is too early for us to dance around the truth." He gave the waiter a look. The waiter bowed his head slightly and left the room. "I have taken the liberty of ordering before you arrived. I hope you don't mind. The chef will prepare a tasting menu of his finest dishes in seven courses." As the door closed behind the waiter, Rafael looked directly at Maribel, "I assume you are responsible for the little bedtime stories about the lords of Xibalba to so many people last night. Was there some purpose to that?"
