Chapter 1 - Between Shadows, Caramel, and Code: An Unexpected Pair: Vector, Theodoro, and the Call of the Pudding

The night was cold, and the city lights flickered outside—a constellation of unfulfilled promises and dreams hanging like forgotten Christmas lights. In my small apartment, my only companion was the sound of condensed milk dripping from the can, one more drop in the slow and deliberate rhythm of my life. There I was, in the dim light, preparing yet another attempt at the perfect pudding—a masterpiece only I could truly understand. Pudding, not flan, let’s make that clear. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to explain the difference to those daring to question my sacred craft.

What most would call a “kitchen”, I called my “laboratory”. Every pan, every bowl, was a tool—an ally in the organized chaos of my routine. Surrounded by shelves packed with programming books and old manuals, pudding was the one thing I could rely on—the steady anchor in a world that always felt just out of reach.

With the heat on low, I began to prepare the caramel, watching the sugar melt and transform, much like I had once hoped my career would. But life has a peculiar sense of humor, and here I was, in the same place, still struggling to find my purpose.

These were times of change. AI assistants were at the center of every tech conversation—tools that promised to write code, optimize solutions, and turn projects into success stories. One name kept popping up: Amazon Q Developer. From what I had heard, this AI-powered assistant was helping developers to delivery great results.

And yet, something in me resisted. It wasn’t just skepticism; it was a deep, almost visceral unease. Trusting an AI to write what I should be writing? It felt like handing my apron to someone who had never set foot in a kitchen. Part of me dismissed it as an unworthy shortcut, but another part—the more rational one—recognized the deeper issue. It was fear. Fear of stepping into the unknown.

The aroma of caramel filled the apartment, sweet and bitter, like the thoughts I couldn’t avoid. I watched the golden glow of the pudding resting on the counter. Making the perfect pudding was an art. It wasn’t just about having the right tools—the pan, the double boiler, the spatula. Those were essential, yes, but they didn’t make the pudding on their own. The final touch, the intuition, the mastery of timing and technique—that was all me.

And then it hit me. What if Amazon Q Developer was just another tool? Like the spoon I used to spread the caramel, or the mold that shaped the pudding, it wouldn’t take control—I would still be the chef, the maestro. Maybe, for the first time, it wasn’t about surrendering but about using a new ally to create something even better. That thought ignited something in me, like the precise moment when caramel reaches its perfect color.

With the pudding ready and resting on the counter—a promise of something greater—I turned to my laptop. The night was long, and the coffee was hot.

**This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, companies, events, or situations is purely coincidental. The names and events depicted are entirely fictional and created for narrative purposes only.
 
***The cover image for this post was generated on PartyRock, using the Amazon Nova Canvas model.

Chapter 1 - Vector, Theodoro, and the Call of the Pudding
Chapter 2 - The Flickering Bulb and the Lost Invitation