The blue house was small.
Worn paint.
A small garden with flowers.
And an older woman sitting in a chair by the door.
She looked at him curiously.
“Yes?”
Alejandro felt his voice become softer.
“Excuse me… are you Mariana López’s grandmother?”
The woman’s eyes widened slightly.
“Yes… It’s me.
“My name is Alejandro Torres.
There was a silence.
The woman observed him carefully.
And then something changed in his expression.
“Alejandro?”
He nodded, surprised.
The woman smiled with excitement.
“The boy with the fence!”
Alejandro felt a lump in his throat.
“Mariana… is it here?
The woman shook her head softly.
Alejandro’s heart sank.
But she continued to speak.
“He doesn’t live here.
But he comes every Sunday.
Today is Sunday.
Alejandro felt the world stand still.
“Will you come today?”
“In a few hours.”
Alejandro decided to wait.
He sat on a small bench in front of the house.
The hours passed slowly.
The sun began to go down.
And then he heard the sound of footsteps.
Alejandro looked up.
A woman was walking down the street with a bag of food.
Dark hair.
Brown skin.
And a quiet smile.
When he looked up and saw Alejandro…
He stopped.
The two of them remained motionless.
As if time had stopped.
Mariana was the first to speak.
“Alejandro?”
He felt something inside his chest break.
“Yes.
She slowly approached.
He looked at him in disbelief.
“It can’t be…
Alejandro took the small frame out of his pocket.
The red ribbon.
Mariana’s eyes filled with tears.
“You kept that…”
“All these years.
There was a silence full of emotions.
Finally Mariana smiled.
“I thought you had forgotten.
Alejandro shook his head.
“Never.
They talked for hours.
Mariana told him that her family had gone through very difficult times.
That he had worked from a very young age.
That she was now a teacher at a nearby elementary school.
“I like to help hungry children,” she said with a soft smile.
Alejandro felt his chest tighten.
“How you helped me.
Mariana looked at him.
“I never thought you’d come back.
Alexander took a deep breath.
“I searched for you for years.
Mariana’s eyes filled with surprise.
“Really?”
“Five years.
Three private detectives.
Millions of pesos.
Mariana laughed softly, incredulous.
“All that for a girl who gave you a sandwich.”
Alejandro stared at her.
Leave a Comment