The mother-in-law invited 20 people to eat, but only gave her daughter-in-law 100 pesos for the market. When he lifted the lid of the plate in front of everyone, the entire table fell silent when he saw what was inside…

The next morning we arrived early. The courtyard was already full of movement. Diego and two neighbors were setting up an improvised tent with metal pipes. They had taken out the long wooden tables and covered them with white tablecloths.

“About twenty people are going to come,” Diego said as he adjusted a rope.

Twenty.

I felt something inside my chest tighten.

“Twenty?”

—Family, friends from the neighborhood, the compadres… you know.

Of course.

I already knew.

But what I didn’t know was what came next.

I went into the kitchen. Doña Carmen was checking some dishes while talking to a neighbor.