Alejandro hesitated for a moment.
Then he asked:
“Do you remember a girl named Mariana López?”
The woman frowned.
“That name is very common…”
Alejandro nodded.
I’d heard it too many times before.
He was about to take his leave when the woman spoke again.
“But… wait.
Alejandro looked up.
“Many years ago there was a Mariana here.
A dark-haired girl, very sweet.
He always shared food with the other children.
Alejandro’s heart was pounding.
“Do you know what happened to her?”
The woman thought for a few seconds.
—Your family had financial problems… they moved.
But I think his grandmother still lives around here.
Alejandro felt a blow to his chest.
“Where?”
The woman pointed to a nearby street.
A blue house at the end of the street.
Alejandro went there on foot.
Each step seemed heavier than the last.
The blue house was small.
Worn paint.
A small flower garden.
And an elderly woman sitting on a chair near the door.
She looked at him curiously.
“YES?”
Alejandro heard his voice grow fainter.
“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 silence.
The woman looked at him carefully.
And then something changed in his expression.
“Alejandro?”
He nodded, surprised.
The woman smiled excitedly.
“The boy with the fence!”
Alejandro felt a lump in his throat.
“Mariana… is she here?”
The woman shook her head slightly.
Alejandro’s heart sank.
