The old man woke up gasping for breath. Salty water trickling from his forehead, he was disorientated and his dry mouth yearned for liquid. After several minutes, with a gentle rhythm, he sat up on his bed to look for his slippers so as to go to the toilet. At age ninety his body had withered – become rancid in fact – but if you observed his face he still looked like a pleasant man who could have filled many people’s lives as a caring grandfather.

“And viejo, are you going to get ready and join me for breakfast or are you just going to sit there like an old fool?” said Lucía several rooms away.