Chapter 7

 

Chapter 7: A Plan to Fight Back

That night, Becky sat at Tía Rosa’s kitchen table, staring at the folded note from her mother. She had read it so many times, she practically had it memorized.

“Mi amor,
I don’t know what’s going to happen. Please take care of Nico. I love you both more than anything. Be strong.”

Be strong.

Her mother had asked her to be strong.

But how? How could she be strong when she didn’t even know where her parents were?

She glanced at Nico, who was sitting on the floor, humming to himself as he lined up his toy cars. He had no idea how much their world had changed.

She couldn’t sit and wait anymore.

She had to do something.

The Letter

Becky grabbed her diary and flipped to a blank page. She wasn’t writing to herself this time. She was writing to someone who could help.

She picked up her pencil and began:

“Dear Mayor of Fair Lawn,”

“My name is Becky Hernandez. I am 8 years old. I go to Fair Lawn Elementary School. I like to read and write and play soccer. But right now, I can’t do any of those things, because my mom and dad were taken away in a raid yesterday.”

“My mom is a nurse. She helps people. My dad is a carpenter. He builds houses. They work hard and love me and my baby brother, Nico, who is only three. But now they’re gone, and no one is telling me where they are or if they will come back.”

“My mom wrote me a note before she was taken. She told me to be strong. I am trying, but I need your help. Please don’t let them take my parents away. They belong here, with me and Nico.”

“Please help us.”

“Sincerely, Becky Hernandez”

She read it over and over again. Her hands were shaking, but she felt something inside her she hadn’t felt before.

Hope.

Tía Rosa’s Reaction

Becky folded the letter carefully and took it to the living room, where Tía Rosa was sitting on the couch with a worried expression.

“Tía?” Becky said softly.

Her aunt looked up, tired. “Yes, mi amor?”

Becky held out the letter. “Can we send this to the mayor?”

Tía Rosa took the paper and read it. As she did, her eyes filled with tears. She pressed a hand to her mouth. “Becky… this is beautiful.”

“Will it help?” Becky asked.

Tía Rosa took a deep breath. “I don’t know, mi niña. But it’s worth trying.”

She pulled Becky into a tight hug. “You are so brave, just like your mamá.”

Becky closed her eyes. Brave.

She wasn’t sure if she felt brave. But she knew she couldn’t stop now.

A Bigger Plan

The next morning, Tía Rosa helped Becky type up the letter on the computer. They printed copies and mailed one to the mayor’s office.

But Becky wanted to do more.

“I want other people to know what’s happening,” she said. “What if I read my letter at church? Or at school?”

Tía Rosa hesitated. “That might be dangerous, mi amor. Some people won’t like hearing it.”

“But it’s true,” Becky argued. “And what if there are other kids like me? Maybe they need to hear it too.”

Tía Rosa looked at her for a long moment. Then, finally, she nodded.

“We’ll find a way,” she said.

And for the first time since the raid, Becky felt like she had a little bit of control.

She wasn’t just waiting anymore.

She was fighting.

As she wrote in her diary that night, Becky didn’t feel as lost as before.

“Dear Diary,
I sent my letter today. I don’t know if the mayor will read it. I don’t know if it will change anything. But at least I did something.

Mommy told me to be strong. So that’s what I’m going to do.”

She closed the diary and hugged it to her chest.

Tomorrow, she would keep fighting.

For her parents.

For Nico.

For every kid who had ever lost someone.