“I can’t say ‘esa es lo que ella dice’ one more time.”

The booth laughs. Even Luis cracks a smile. In the hallway, Mariana finds Ricardo practicing Jim’s looks to camera. “You’re overthinking,” she says.

raises a hand. “Actually, that’s me. And yes, Ricardo. The silence is the joke. In Spanish, we hold it one beat longer. Mexican awkwardness hits different.”

And then—improvised—Claudia whispers back: “Llama a la funeraria, pero pide descuento.”