I was at work in the hostel, sitting in my usual chair, when a sweet voice greeted me. I looked up and saw Monique for the first time. She seemed kind and gentle — but like many travelers, I didn’t expect her to become someone special. One night during my shift, she asked me what she could explore on her own. I gave her ideas, drew her a map — something my boss didn’t like, but I didn’t mind. I even asked her to join me to get some info from a tour company, and we walked through town talking about many things — just not about ourselves. The magic came after a long shift when I invited her for coffee at a viewpoint. That evening, I also took her and two others to a lookout to see the lights and drink beer. She was cold and wanted to dance. I told her I couldn’t, but she insisted: “You’re Latino!” she said, laughing. So we danced. And in that moment, something changed. We didn’t say anything, but we both felt it — something real was beginning. We hugged goodbye, thinking it was the last time we’d see each other. But the next day, I drove a shuttle to Bocas del Toro — and she was on it. We had 3.5 hours to talk, this time about life and who we really are. At the dock, we said goodbye again — this time with tears. A few days later, she called. She wanted to see me again. And since then, we’ve never been apart.