An officer crouched down in front of her.

-How old are you?

-Eight.

—And what do you want to be when you grow up?

The girl didn’t hesitate for a second.

—Doctor. So that poor people don’t die from lack of money.

The silence was no longer uncomfortable.
It was heavy.

The officer holding the notebook looked at Teresa.

—Do you live alone with her?

-Yeah.

—And your parents?

Teresa’s eyes lowered.

—They died.

On the other side of the street, Doña Patricia raised her chin a little higher, as if the tragedy of others confirmed something.

The officer walked toward the patrol car.
He opened the trunk.

Teresa’s heart sank like a stone to the bottom of her stomach.

I knew what it meant.

Fine.
Stamp.
An impossible amount.

Ximena squeezed his hand.

—If necessary… I can leave school.

That sentence was worse than the patrol.

Teresa turned around almost in despair.

—No! You’re not going to stop studying. Even if I have to sell everything I own.

The officer returned with a folder in his hand.

The entire neighborhood seemed to be holding its breath.

He stopped in front of Teresa.
He opened the folder.
He stared at her.

—Do you know how much the fine is for this?

She shook her head.

—Almost three months of support.

Three months.

Three months without enough food.
Three months without books.
Three months for Ximena’s dream to die before it even began.

The officer signed the document.

The sound of the pen scraping the paper echoed like a hammer.

He tore the sheet out.

At that moment, Teresa remembered the day she buried her daughter.
She remembered the promise she made at the graveside:

“I’m going to raise your daughter. No matter what.”

If I paid that fine, I would break that promise.

Teresa closed her eyes.

And for the first time in years, she felt that perhaps she wouldn’t be able to fulfill it.

But when he reopened them, what the officer did changed the fate of that street forever…

But instead of handing it over, the man folded the paper… and put it in his pocket.

—You’re lucky, ma’am. We’re not issuing any tickets today.

Teresa opened her eyes without understanding.