The next morning, Ethan was awoken by the annoying tone of his phone ringing.
This was one of the rare mornings Ethan had planned to sleep in—after all, he hadn't gotten much rest during Sentinel's development.
But whoever decided to call him this early clearly had other plans. He knew it wasn't Lillian; she wouldn't call him this early.
Ethan just lay on his bed as the phone continued ringing.
He had half a mind to let it go unanswered—after all, he was certain his twenty-year-old self had nothing urgent enough to justify interrupting the only proper sleep he'd gotten in days.
But that's when a memory suddenly popped up, causing him to rush off the bed and to his plugged phone.
His hand trembled as he read the caller ID,
'Maria'
His fingers hovered over the answer button, hesitating just a moment before tapping it.
Click.
"...Hello?" He spoke hoping, no praying that this wasn't some cruel dream.
"¡Dios mío, you sound like a bear woken from hibernation. Did I call too early, mijo?"
He sat down slowly on the bed, phone pressed tightly to his ear. His throat felt tight. He couldn't say a word.
While it was true that Ethan was an orphan, there had been one person who had filled that void without hesitation.
At first, he regarded her as nothing but a nosy landlady, always meddling in his business, always checking in on him, always insisting he eat something other than instant noodles.
But over time, that persistent kindness had worn down his walls.
And for the first time in his fifteen years of life, he had felt what it was like to have someone genuinely care for him—without ulterior motives, without trying to exploit his genius.
Marìa Alvarez was a Colombian who migrated to the US years ago. She claimed to have moved because she was chasing 'the American dream'.
She toiled for years and was finally able to buy an apartment building in Massachusetts, the city where Ethan attended university, back when they were a lot cheaper.
Ethan never quite understood why María cared about him so deeply. He wasn't her only young tenant—though he might've been the youngest—but she always went the extra mile for him.
Slipping warm meals under his door during exam season, scolding him like a son when he overworked himself, and celebrating his smallest victories like they were her own.
But if Ethan had such a warm place, why did he move to Atlanta?
He moved because he was scared. He was scared of getting used to Marìa's treatment only for it to be cut off suddenly.
But even relocation didn't stop her, as Marìa continued treating him like her very own.
And Ethan repaid all of this… by abandoning her.
Five years from now, she'd develop a rare form of lung disease—something slow and cruel.
She never told anyone how bad it was getting, not even during her occasional calls to him.
And when she was laying on her death bed, finally succumbing to the disease, she requested...no, begged to see him one last time.
But he never made it.
Caught up in boardrooms, late-night code reviews, and the ever-climbing demands of success, Ethan kept putting it off.
"Next weekend," he'd told himself. "She'll understand. She's always understood."
But time didn't wait.
By the time he finally cleared his schedule and booked the flight, María had passed away peacefully in her sleep.
He didn't even make it to the funeral.
Ethan was busy trying to make the world a better and brighter place, while one of the lights of his world, at that time, just fizzled out.
"Mijo? Are you there?"
Ethan swallowed hard and forced himself to speak. "Yeah… I'm here."
That's right, he was back. He didn't know how or why, but he was and now, he wouldn't let the world or anyone take anything from him.
"You okay, cariño?" she asked, her tone shifting to concern.
"Yeah," he said, his voice quieter now. "Just… surprised to be from you so early."
"Well, I have a good reason," she said, in a chirpy tone, just as he remembered."You remember the Pérez family? The ones from church?"
He nodded before realizing she couldn't see him. "Yeah, I remember."
"They've got a daughter—Isabela. Beautiful girl, just finished university back home. She's coming to Atlanta for an internship, and I told her she could stay with you, until she finds a place to stay"
"…You what?" Ethan said.
Of course he knew the reason for her call, but he tried his to sound as natural as possible.
"Oh, don't be dramatic," María said with a light laugh. "You've got space, don't you? Besides, you should've already known Atlanta well enough by now, so you can show her around."
He rubbed his tired eyes, "María, you're trying to set me up."
"¡Ay! That's such an ugly word. I'm helping you, mijo. I know you've been locked in that apartment of yours like a hermit. It's not healthy. A little company wouldn't kill you."
Ethan let out a resigned groan, but internally he was genuinely smiling. This was the María he always knew.
"When will she be arriving?" He asked.
"I bought you enough time to clean that cave you call an apartment, mijo," María said. "She'll be there next week—so no excuses!"
"Alright, alright," Ethan said, shaking his head "I'll make sure my apartment is presentable enough before she arrives."
"That's my boy," she said warmly. "And Ethan… gracias, mijo. I know you didn't have to say yes."
He paused, a lump forming in his throat again. "No… thank you, María. For always thinking of me."
There was a pause on her end too, as she processed his words.
"Siempre, Ethan. Always." She said in a warm tone.
Their conversation continued on a light tone before Ethan ended the call with a promise to regularly call her.
He lowered the phone and instinctively glanced at the clock—a habit he'd picked up in the future—only to remember it was still broken.
"Sigh, let's just see if the fish took the bait" he walked to his work desk and turned on his laptop.
And there it was.
A small notification blinked in the bottom-right corner:
1 New Email - Subject: Google Response
"Bingo"