For five long years, I spent more time by my wife’s hospital bedside than I had at my own. I spoon-fed her, changed her bandages, wiped every drop of sweat from her body. People called me stupid, but I believed in the sacred bond of marriage. Until one afternoon—I forgot my purse at home and came home earlier than usual. The moment I opened the door to our room… I froze. The world I had protected for years crumbled in a single heartbeat.
Esteban, a man in his thirties, had a slim but strong build and a face that looked older than his years.
He lived with his wife, Sofía, in a modest, one-story house on the outskirts of Guadalajara.
They were both elementary school teachers, leading a quiet and simple life—they weren’t rich, but they were content.
Their love story was something many around them admired.
Then tragedy struck one winter afternoon.
Sofía was involved in a car accident as she was leaving the market shopping for the Day of the Dead.
A spinal injury left her paralyzed from the waist down.
Esteban was teaching when he received the call from the hospital.
He rushed without thinking, and when he saw her, his heart broke: his cheerful and vibrant wife lay motionless, her eyes filled with tears, unable to speak.
From that day on, Esteban took an extended leave of absence.
He cared for Sofia’s care took care of everything—feeding her, bathing her, and giving her physical therapy at home.
Their small home became a makeshift medical room, filled with medications, gauze, and other aids.
Some suggested placing her in a specialized nursing home. But he refused.
“She’s my wife. I’ll take care of her. No one else.”
Every morning, he got up before dawn to cook her atolito (atrolito), feed her, and then went out to do electrical repairs at her home.
At night, he sat by her bed, read to her, and massaged her limbs in the hope of reactivating her nerves. The first time a finger moved slightly, Esteban cried like a child.
Sofía barely spoke. She lived in silence, sometimes nodding or crying softly.
Esteban interpreted that silence as hopelessness… but also as gratitude. He never doubted her. He only felt compassion.
At first, family members on both sides visited them and offered help.
But over time, life distanced them. Visits became rare. Esteban didn’t blame them.
