And that night, for the first time in a long time, she too was able to sleep without feeling like the house was so empty.
The next morning, the aroma of coffee woke the stranger.
The twins were still asleep, huddled under the covers. He rose carefully and went into the kitchen, where Elena was stirring a pot of atole on the stove. The morning light cast a golden glow on the profile of her stern face and her calloused hands.
"Good morning," he said, somewhat embarrassed. "I'm sorry about everything."
“Sit down,” she replied, offering him a bowl of atole and a piece of bread. “You must be hungry.”
The man ate as if he hadn't eaten anything hot in days. Elena watched him in silence until she decided to ask:
-What is his name?
—Tomás Vargas. And these are Mateo and Gael. They just turned six months old.
Elena nodded.
—And the mother?
Tomás looked down.
—She died three months ago. During childbirth.
Silence fell in the kitchen.
“I’m sorry,” Elena muttered.
Tomás swallowed.
—We used to live further south. After she left… I couldn't stay any longer. Everything reminded me of her. I took my kids and went out looking for work. Anything. Anywhere.
Elena stared at him for a long time. She knew what people who kept breathing out of pure obligation looked like.
She looked out the window: the collapsed fences, the half-dry vegetable garden, the cattle pen in need of repair. Ever since her father had died two years earlier and her mother had followed him six months later, she had tried to run the ranch alone. But the land, the cattle, and the days were too much for one person, and even more so for a woman in an era when everyone regarded her with a mixture of pity and derision.
"Do you know how to work the land?" he asked finally. "Do you know how to build fences, take care of animals, plant seeds?"
Thomas looked up.
-Since childhood.
Elena took a deep breath.
"I can offer you a deal. You help me with the ranch, and I'll provide food and lodging for you and your children. I don't promise luxuries, but no one here will go hungry."
Tomás remained still.
—Are you serious?
—Yes. But I don't want lazy people. I work too. No one here lives on pity.
Thomas's eyes filled with tears again.
—I won't disappoint him.
