He reached into his pocket and pulled out three envelopes, handing one to each of them.
"Open them," he signed.
They did, their fingers trembling slightly. Inside each envelope was a letter, printed on official letterhead, explaining that the Mateo Alvarez Scholarship Fund would cover the full cost of their university education tuition, books, housing, everything.
For a moment, there was silence. Then Elena's hands flew to her mouth, tears streaming down her face. Pablo stared at the letter, his jaw slack with disbelief. Miguel simply looked at Mateo, his eyes wide and shining.
"Mateo..." Elena whispered, her voice breaking. "This is... I don't... I can't..."
"You can," Mateo signed, his own eyes damp. "You deserve this. All of you. You've worked so hard, and you've never given up. This is my way of saying thank you for being my family, for showing me what it means to be strong."
