"Go home," Luca muttered, his voice gravelly. "And if anyone asks where you got it, tell them you found it. Don't tell them a 'golan' gave it to you. It'll ruin my reputation."
One rainy Tuesday, Luca sat at a corner bodega, stirring a coffee with a plastic spoon. Across from him sat his younger brother, Mateo.
But the mask slipped later that evening. As Luca walked home through a shortcut alley, he found a young boy shivering near a dumpster, clutching a broken accordion—his only means of making a few lei for dinner. Without a word, Luca reached into his pocket, pulled out a thick roll of bills, and handed the kid enough to buy a new instrument and ten hot meals.