It was a sweltering summer. There was almost no breeze; only an occasional hot gust of wind would blow by, lightly stinging the skin. The roosters crowed early, around 4 a.m., when the sun was just touching the horizon. Vera woke up with them, slowly, throwing a scarf over herself to avoid getting sunburned and looking out the window. A daily routine, as if to check whether morning had truly arrived.















