TAMPA, Fla. — Daniel Llorente stood outside the home he’s renting late last summer, holding the an American flag, ready to place it at the entrance.

His housemate, Ralph Buran, told Llorente he should put it on the left side of the house, not the right.

“Why the left?” Buran recalls Llorente asking. “I didn’t know that.”

“Kind of a tradition,” Buran replied.

Llorente thought about that. He’d spent a lot of time around the American flag, but he still had a few things to learn. He raised it to the left.

“Just like that, my friend,” Buran said, smiling. “Just like that.”

Helping each other comes naturally for Llorente and Buran. It’s how they are. It’s how they met.

A Cuban exile, Llorente, 61, came to the United States in 2021 seeking political asylum. He tried everything to find a stable job, but a year later, he was still struggling to find stability. He was homeless.

When a mutual friend shared his story with Buran, 69, a veteran and former truck driver, he tracked down Llorente and offered to let him stay for free in his home in Spring Hill.

Now, three years later, their lives have flipped. Llorente has a job and a place to live. But after a series of health problems, Buran sold his home and had to pay medical bills.

This time, it was Llorente’s turn to step up.

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In Cuba, Llorente was known as “Flag Man.”

He was arrested and locked up for a year after running into Havana’s Revolution Square in 2017 waving an American flag and shouting, “Freedom!” His actions gave him notoriety on the island and around the world. He became a problem for Cuban authorities, who exiled him to Guyana, where he lived for two years on the streets and in temporary shelters while working odd jobs.

“It was my way of surviving,” Llorente said.

When Llorente arrived in the United States, he slept for months in his old van parked in front of overcrowded shelters, shopping centers, and industrial areas around Hillsborough County.

Buran first heard about Llorente’s story on the news. As a truck driver, he often spent weeks at a time working, leaving his house empty. One day, he decided to do something about it.

“I called a TV station that also covered Daniel’s story and said, ‘This is the deal. For four weeks, my house is empty. I stay on the road that long to make money, so he can stay in my house,‘” Buran said. “That was it.”

Buran also reached out to a neighbor who watched over his house and let him know someone would be staying there.

Llorente stayed with Buran for a year until he found a job and learned some construction skills. He was able to rent his own place, ready for a fresh start.

But seven months ago, Llorente learned that Buran was in poor health. He has diabetes and high blood pressure, and a year and a half ago, he was diagnosed with skin cancer, broke his femur, and underwent complicated surgery.

He knew he had to help Buran.

“He didn’t ask me for anything when I needed help, remember?” Llorente said.

Buran didn’t expect anything in return, but what happened next surprised him.

“When I helped Daniel, I did it because I wanted to, not thinking that in the future he had to return the favor,” Buran said.

“For me, helping him was never an obligation,” Llorente said. “It is a moral commitment and an act of gratitude. Those two reasons give me strength.”

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Llorente and Buran laugh and talk like they have known each other forever. Buran said they are like brothers “from different mothers.” Their friendship has helped him stay positive and motivated, Buran said.

Even though he doesn’t speak Spanish and Llorente knows just a few words in English, their bond is stronger than anything.

How do they communicate?

“Technology,” said Llorente, pulling up a translator app on his phone.

“Old school,” said Buran, who likes to keep a small board in the kitchen with words and sentences in Spanish and English such as buenos días (“good morning”), hola (“hello”), and cómo has estado? (“how have you been?”).

Sometimes, Llorente makes breakfast, smoothies and Cuban toast, while Buran sits in front of the TV, near a table with a tablecloth and small American flags. Other mornings, he brews a colada, a strong and sweet Cuban coffee. Buran likes it, but most of the time, he prefers a plain Americano.

They take turns running simple errands when Llorente, now a handyman, has work around Tampa renovating kitchens, installing floors or making repairs.

Buran moves slowly, but said his cancer is “controlled” for now. Even Llorente’s house cat, Gato, which he rescued from the streets, has helped him feel at home.

“Gato wakes me up at 3 in the morning to feed him, but it’s OK,” said Buran.

Maintaining a home comes with its challenges, and for Llorente, the biggest one is making ends meet. He’s working full-time to pay all their expenses and his $2,300 monthly rent, but he still owes $1,300 from December. The owner said they have to leave if they don’t pay soon.

“It’s difficult, but I know we will move forward,’ Llorente said. ”I trust in God.”

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