Tadeo let go of the bars. He took a staggering step. Then a firm second. Then a third. He launched himself forward. Lisandro caught him in mid-air, lifting him toward the sun, both of them laughing hysterically. “I walked, Dad! I walked!”

Lisandro hugged his son and then looked at his wrist. He was wearing the gold Rolex—the cause of so much pain. He slowly unbuckled it and walked to the edge of the pool.

“What are you doing?” Mireya asked.

“This watch always kept the wrong time,” Lisandro said with a smile.

He tossed the solid gold object into the water. It sank to the bottom, forgotten.

“Now, my time is measured in steps,” Lisandro said, returning to his family. “Who wants pizza?”

The three of them walked into the house, leaving the past behind, heading toward a future where the only gold that mattered was the light in the eyes of a child who learned to dance against all odds.