Chapter 4

 

Chapter 4: Tía Rosa’s House

The car ride was silent. Becky sat in the backseat, staring out the window, watching the world pass by in a blur. The familiar streets of Fair Lawn felt different now—empty, unfamiliar. She held her diary tight in her lap, but she didn’t open it.

Tía Rosa kept glancing at her in the rearview mirror, her lips pressed into a thin line. She had picked Becky up from school after what felt like hours of waiting.

Becky barely remembered the moment—just the whispering adults, the soft reassurances that felt like lies.

“We’ll figure this out.”
“You’re safe now.”
“Your aunt is on her way.”

Safe. How could she be safe when her whole family had been ripped apart?

Becky’s baby brother, Nico, was already in his car seat, fast asleep. He didn’t know. He had no idea that their parents were gone.

“He’s so little,” Becky thought. “Will he even remember them if they don’t come back?”

A lump formed in her throat. She didn’t want to think about that.

Arriving at Tía Rosa’s House

Tía Rosa’s apartment smelled like arroz con pollo, but Becky wasn’t hungry. She set her backpack down by the door and hugged herself, feeling cold even though the heater was on.

“Do you want something to eat, mi amor?” Tía Rosa asked softly.

Becky shook her head.

Her aunt sighed, kneeling down to look into her eyes. “I know this is scary, Becky. But I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you or Nico. You’re safe here.”

Safe. That word again. It didn’t mean anything anymore.

Tía Rosa pulled her into a hug, but Becky didn’t move.

The Diary Entry

After dinner, Becky curled up on the couch with her diary. The TV was on, but she wasn’t watching. Nico sat on the floor playing with his toy cars, making little engine noises. He was too little to understand that everything had changed.

Becky opened her diary and started writing.

“Dear Diary,
I don’t know what to do. Mommy and Papi are gone. Nobody knows when they’re coming back. I keep thinking maybe this is a mistake, like they’ll walk through the door and everything will be okay again. But what if they don’t?

Nico doesn’t even know. He just plays with his cars like nothing happened. But I feel like a piece of me is missing. Like I lost my whole family in one day.

Tía Rosa says we’re safe here. But I don’t feel safe. I feel lost.”

Becky stopped writing. Her hands were shaking.

The Call That Never Came

That night, Becky lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Tía Rosa had promised they’d try to call her parents, but every number they tried led to nowhere. No updates. No answers.

Becky hugged her pillow and whispered into the darkness.

“Mommy? Papi? Are you out there?”

But no one answered.

Becky knew she wouldn’t sleep that night.

Somewhere out there, her parents were alone. Scared. Just like her.

She clutched her diary to her chest and closed her eyes.

She had to be strong.

For Nico. 

For her parents.

For herself.