Alejandro Hernandez was used to getting home after 9 p.m., when everyone was already asleep. Today, however, 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 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 paralyzed.

It was the scene beside her. His son, Mateo, just four years old, was standing with his small purple crutches, holding a kitchen rag and trying to help the young woman clean the floor.

«Aunt Lupita, I can clean this part right here,» the blond boy said, stretching his little arm with difficulty.

«Don’t worry, Mateo, you’ve already helped me so much today. How about you sit on the sofa while I finish?» Lupita responded in a gentle voice that Alejandro had never heard before.

«But I want to help.»

«You always say we’re a team,» the boy insisted, trying to balance better on his crutches.

Alejandro stood there, unnoticed, observing the scene. There was something about that interaction that moved 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 help.

It was then that Mateo saw his father standing in the doorway. His little face lit up, but there was a mix of surprise and fear in his blue eyes.

«Dad, you’re home early!» the boy exclaimed, trying to turn quickly and almost losing his balance.

Lupita stood up, startled, dropping the rag to the floor. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron and lowered her head. «Good evening, Mr. Alejandro. I didn’t know you were home.»

«I was just finishing up the 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 looked like she wanted 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 wobbly steps toward his father, proud. «Today, I was able to stand on my own for almost five minutes!»

Alejandro looked at Lupita, searching for an explanation. The employee’s head was still down, and she was nervously twisting her hands.

«Five minutes,» Alejandro repeated, surprised. «How is that?»

«Aunt Lupita teaches me exercises every day. She says that if I practice a lot, someday 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 identify: anger, gratitude, confusion. He looked at Lupita again. «Exercises?» he questioned.

Lupita finally looked up, her brown eyes full of fear. «Mr. Alejandro, I was just playing with Mateo. I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. If you want, I can leave.»

«Aunt Lupita is the best!» Mateo interrupted, moving quickly to get between the two adults. «Dad, Aunt Lupita is the best. She doesn’t give up on me when I cry because it hurts. She says I’m strong like a warrior.»

Alejandro felt something tighten in his chest. When was the last time he had seen his son so excited? When was the last time he had talked with 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 signal that everything was okay. Mateo limped away on his crutches, but before he disappeared up the stairs, he yelled, «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 wet stains 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 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 boy.»

«Special? How?»

Lupita seemed surprised by the question. «What do you mean, sir?»

«You said he’s special. Special how?»

Lupita smiled for the first time since Alejandro had arrived. «He’s determined, sir. Even though the exercises are difficult and he wants to cry, he doesn’t give up. And he has a huge heart. He’s always worried if I’m tired or sad. He’s a very loving child.»

Alejandro felt that pressure in his chest again. When was the last time he had stopped to notice those qualities in his own son?

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«And the exercises, how do you know what to do?» Alejandro continued.

Lupita lowered her head again. «I have experience with that, sir.»

«What kind of experience?»

There was a long pause. Lupita seemed to be struggling with what to say. «My younger brother, Carlos, was born with leg problems. I spent my entire childhood taking him to physical therapy, learning exercises, and helping him walk. When I saw Mateo, I couldn’t just stand by and watch him be sad.»

«Sad?»

«Sir, with all due respect, little Mateo is very lonely. Mrs. Gabriela is always busy with her friends, and you, well, you work a lot. So I thought maybe… maybe I could help,» she finished.

«Yes, sir, but if you don’t want me to, I’ll stop immediately. I just wanted…»

«What did you want, Lupita?»

She looked up, and for the first time, Alejandro saw determination in her eyes. «I wanted him to smile more, sir. A child should smile every day.»

Alejandro was silent for a moment. He thought about how many times he had seen Mateo smile in the last few weeks. He couldn’t remember any.

«Where is Gabriela?» he asked.

«Mrs. Gabriela went out to dinner with her friends. She said she would be back late.»

«And you stayed here with Mateo?»

«Yes, sir. He had dinner, took a bath, we did the exercises, and I was just finishing up the cleaning because he spilled juice in the living room. He wanted to help me clean.»

Alejandro looked around the room, noticing for the first time how everything was spotless. The furniture gleamed, there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere, and even the plants seemed livelier.

«Lupita, can I ask you a personal question?»

«Of course, sir.»

«Why do you work as a housekeeper? You clearly have knowledge of physical therapy. You’re good with children; you’re dedicated. Why don’t you work in the healthcare field?»

The question took Lupita by surprise. She smiled sadly. «Because I don’t have a diploma, sir. I learned everything by taking care of my brother, but that doesn’t count for anything official. And I need to work to support my family.»

«Your family?»

«My mom and my brother, Carlos. He’s sixteen now. He studies in the morning and works in a small store in the afternoon. My mom cleans offices at night. We get by however we can.»

Alejandro felt a strange mixture of admiration and shame. Here was a twenty-eight-year-old woman working hard to support her family and still finding the time and energy to care for his son with love and dedication.

«And you never thought about studying, taking a physical therapy course?»

Lupita laughed, but there was no joy in the sound. «With what money, sir? With what time? I leave the house at six a.m., take two buses to get here by seven-thirty, work until six p.m., and take two buses back.»

«I get home at eight, help my brother with his homework, make dinner, and by the time I go to sleep, it’s almost midnight. On weekends, I clean other houses to earn extra money.»

Alejandro was silent, absorbing the information. He had no idea about the life of his housekeeper beyond the eight hours she spent in his house.

«Lupita, can I see the exercises you do with Mateo now?»

«Yes, sir. If you want,» Lupita hesitated. «He’s already in his pajamas, sir. And we usually do the exercises in the morning, before his online classes.»

«In the morning?»

«Yes, sir. I arrive at seven-thirty, prepare Mateo’s breakfast, and while you are still sleeping, we do an exercise session in the garden. Afterward, he takes a bath, has breakfast, and is ready for his classes.»

Alejandro realized that he knew nothing about his own son’s routine. He left the house at seven in the morning and always came home after nine at night. On weekends, he was usually in his home office or at business meetings.

«And he likes these exercises?»

«He adores them, sir. At first, it was difficult because he felt pain, but now he asks to do them himself. Yesterday, he managed to stand without his crutches for almost three minutes straight.»

«Three minutes!» Alejandro’s eyes widened. «But the physical therapist said that would still take months to happen.»

Lupita blushed. «Maybe Mateo is more motivated now, sir.»

«Motivated? Because he wants to impress you?»

She hesitated. «He wants to impress you, too. He’s always talking about you, Mr. Alejandro. He says that when he can walk well, he’ll be able to work with you when he grows up. He says he wants to be just like his dad.»

Alejandro’s eyes welled up. He had no idea that Mateo thought of him that way. At that moment, they heard footsteps on the stairs. It was Mateo, coming down slowly with his crutches.

«Dad, are you still here?» he said, relieved.

«Mateo, you should be sleeping,» Alejandro said, but without a scolding tone.

«I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking, you’re not going to fire Aunt Lupita, are you?»

The question took Alejandro by surprise. «Why do you think I would fire her?»

«Because you were serious when you told me to go upstairs. And Mom always gets angry when the employees do things she didn’t tell them to do.»