But what happened next stunned him.

Lucía didn’t go near the table. Instead, she walked over and gently draped a blanket over his shoulders. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she sighed, “I wish I weren’t so alone…”

She picked up the gold watch—not to steal it, but to wipe it gently with her handkerchief, treating it like something precious that belonged to someone she respected. She placed it back exactly where it had been.

Before leaving, she paused and set something small on the table—a dried daisy and a folded piece of paper.