Chapter 1 - The First Morning
The heavy rain of Madrid had long cleared, replaced by a soft morning gold that illuminated the brand-new sign above the awning. Old Mateo stood at the entrance of the renovated community kitchen, his weathered hands lightly touching the carved letters: “No one goes hungry here.” Inside, the aroma of simmering vegetables, beef broth, and fresh sourdough bread filled the warm air, exactly like the broth he had brewed decades ago, but richer, made to feed dozens instead of a few scattered passersby. Lucia stepped beside him, handing him a steaming mug of coffee, her sharp lawyer’s suit replaced by a simple apron.
"It feels like a dream, Lucia," Mateo murmured, his voice cracking with age and disbelief.
"It’s not a dream, Don Mateo," Lucia replied gently, adjusting the collar of her shirt. "It’s a debt paid with interest. Today, we open the doors for real."
