Humberto decided to take the bus home, holding the box containing Maria's gift. He decided to sit in the back of the bus so he could enjoy his fantasies in peace. He thought about his afternoon with Maria and kept smiling. He had such a goofy grin that the passengers on the side looked at him funny.

 ‘No man is that happy,’ commented one man. The gentleman had a full mustache and very little of his brown hair color along with his eyebrows. His eyes had the years of life written in them, smiles, laughter, and sadness. He had a big belly and a shiny bald head, and his voice was strong but quiet. 

Next to him was a woman about the same age, except she was thinner and her face showed the same lines that life had bestowed upon her. Her long hair had the discoloration that comes with age and red ribbons braided into her hair. ‘You've been this happy, Chuy,’ she said with a smile. The man turned to look at her and smiled, ‘All thanks to you, little bird’. 

Humberto kept thinking about the afternoon over and over again. They had gone to the park at Maria's request only because she wanted to embroider somewhere other than her house and as Hector had already finished his work at home he offered to accompany her. Of course, accompanying her to embroider was a cheap excuse, he just wanted to spend some time alone with her in whatever way he could. 

Maria and Humberto sat down on a piece of grass covered with a sheet that Humberto had taken with him, there Maria started to embroider and as she didn't say anything to Hector, he decided to start reading a newspaper that he had already read in the morning. Every time Humberto turned to look at Maria, she was very focused on her embroidery. In an oversight of Maria, Humberto noticed that she was staring at him almost as if waiting for him to do something. He was dying to talk to her but decided to hold back instead. 

While the two waited for the other to give up and collapse, they concentrated rigorously on their work. That afternoon Maria embroidered with such concentration and precision that the drawing of the rose bush she embroidered on the canvas was so beautiful that her mother and father bragged about it ever since. 

Meanwhile, Humberto read again and again and again, to the point that he ended up memorizing that Friday's newspaper. Humberto felt Maria's gaze come and go so he decided to remain firm in his silence. In between their silence, the birds sang to fill the silence between them, the wind gushed and made the tall grass blades sing quietly too. 

After a while, Maria spoke up, and though they had a little bit of trouble, Humberto got what he wanted. As he recalled the memories made earlier with Maria Humberto looked at the people pass by, always the same, but now everything was different. Humberto was uncertain of many things, but the one thing he was certain, almost guaranteed, was Marias love.

A thousand years could go by and wherever she may be and with whoever she was with, he was sure that there was only room for one man in her life. He was sure that the only love she felt and would ever feel was for him and him alone.

Humberto got off the bus and walked home with his gift in his arms. Once he got home it was around 5 pm and the sun was beginning to set. He greeted his family and went straight to his room. He sat down on his bed and opened up the gift. He delicately unfolded the shirt and looked at everything, the buttons, the seams, the embroidery. “Maria,” he said quietly to himself and folded the shirt back into the box. 

Humberto went to shower after placing the box in a drawer where he kept his valuables. The cold water running down his skin was just the thing he needed to get rid of the heat that had been trapped in his body throughout the day.