On the fifteenth day, I placed a plate of pancakes in front of him.
“We accidentally made extra,” I said, pretending it was just a mistake.
He looked at me for a long moment, then quietly said,
“Thank you.”

From then on, I brought him breakfast every day. He never told me who he was or why he was alone, without his parents. He simply ate and always thanked me.

And then one day he didn’t come. I waited, staring at the door, until I heard the sound of engines outside. Four black SUVs stopped at the entrance. Men in uniform entered and silently handed me a letter.

When I read the first words, the plate fell from my hands. A deathly silence fell over the cafe.