Alejandro Hernández was used to arriving home after 9 p.m., when everyone was already asleep. However, today the meeting with investors in Mexico City had ended earlier than expected, and he decided to go straight home without telling anyone. As he opened the front door of his mansion in the Las Lomas neighborhood, Alejandro stopped, unable to process what he was seeing. In the middle of the living room, Lupita, the 28-year-old housekeeper, was kneeling on the wet floor with a rag in her hand. But that wasn’t what left him speechless.
It was the scene beside her. Her son, Mateo, just four years old, was standing with his small purple crutches, holding a dishcloth and trying to help the young woman clean the floor.
“Aunt Lupita, I can clean this part here,” said the blond boy, stretching out his little arm with difficulty.
“Don’t worry, Mateo, you’ve already helped me a lot today.” “How about you sit on the sofa while I finish up?” Lupita replied in a sweet voice Alejandro had never heard before.
“But I want to help.” “You always say we’re a team,” the boy insisted, trying to steady himself on his crutches.
Alejandro stood there, unseen, watching the scene. There was something about this interaction that touched him in a way he couldn’t explain. Mateo was smiling, something he rarely saw at home.
“Okay, my little helper, but just a little bit more,” Lupita said, accepting the boy’s offer of help.
That’s when Mateo saw his father in the doorway. His face lit up, but there was a mixture of surprise and fear in his blue eyes.
“Daddy, you’re early!” the boy exclaimed, trying to turn quickly and almost losing his balance.
Lupita jumped up, startled, dropping the rag on the floor. She quickly dried her hands on her apron and lowered her head. “Good evening, Mr. Alejandro. I didn’t know you were home.”
“I was just finishing cleaning,” she stammered, clearly nervous.
Alejandro was still processing the scene. He looked at his son, who was still holding the rag, and then at Lupita, who seemed to want to disappear.
“Mateo, what are you doing?” Alejandro asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
“I’m helping Aunt Lupita, Dad. Look!” Mateo took a few unsteady steps toward his father, proudly. “Today I was able to stand on my own for almost five minutes!”
Alejandro looked at Lupita, searching for an explanation. The maid still had her head down and was nervously wringing her hands.
“Five minutes,” Alejandro repeated, surprised. “How is that possible?”
“Aunt Lupita teaches me exercises every day. She says that if I practice a lot, one day I’ll be able to run like the other kids,” Mateo explained enthusiastically.
Silence filled the room. Alejandro felt a mix of emotions he couldn’t quite put his finger on: anger, gratitude, confusion. He looked at Lupita again. “Exercises?” he questioned.
Lupita finally looked up, her brown eyes filled with fear. “Mr. Alejandro, I was just playing with Mateo. I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. If you want, I’ll leave.”
“Aunt Lupita is the best!” Mateo interrupted, moving quickly to stand between the two adults. “Dad, Aunt Lupita is the best. She doesn’t give up on me when I cry because I’m in pain. She says I’m as strong as a warrior.”
Alejandro felt a tightness in his chest. When was the last time he had seen his son so excited? When was the last time he had spoken to him for more than five minutes?
“Mateo, go to your room. I need to talk to Lupita,” Alejandro said, trying to sound firm but gentle.
“But Dad…” “Now, Mateo.”
The boy looked at Lupita, who gave him an encouraging smile and a sign that everything was alright. Mateo limped away on his crutches, but before disappearing up the stairs, he shouted, “Aunt Lupita is the best person in the world!”
Alejandro and Lupita were left alone in the living room. The businessman approached, noticing for the first time that the employee’s blue pants had damp patches on the knees and her hands were red from scrubbing the floor.
“How long has this been going on?” he asked. “The exercises. How long have you been doing exercises with Mateo?”
Lupita hesitated before answering. “Since I started working here, sir, about six months ago. But I swear I’ve never stopped doing my job because of it. I do the exercises with him during my lunch break or after I finish everything.”
“You don’t get paid extra for that,” Alejandro observed.
“No, sir, and I’m not asking for anything.” I like playing with Mateo. He’s a special child.”
“Special? How so?” Lupita seemed surprised by the question. “What did you say, sir?” “You said he’s special. Special how?”
Lupita smiled for the first time since Alejandro had arrived. “He’s determined, sir. Even when the exercises are difficult and he wants to cry, he doesn’t give up. And he has a huge heart. He’s always worried about whether I’m tired or
Leave a Reply