“Have you learned any tricks from your new job?” she asked, slipping comfortably into Spanish.
“I’m more interested in teaching them tricks,” Miguel said, standing upright and wiping his hands on his pants. “Your great-grandfather owned a farm. I used to work on it as a boy.”
“Really? What sort of things did he grow?”
Miguel nodded at the freshly tilled soil. “Corn, like we’ll plant here.” His eyes moved to the rusted-out fishing boat. “Tomatoes.” He pointed at the toilet. “Chili peppers. And many other things.”
“Is that how you choose what we grow each year?” Silvia asked. “Is it all from your childhood?”
Miguel nodded. “I think of him and feel connected, even though he died a long time ago.” Her father smiled. “I managed to bring some of my roots with me.”
And now they were going to leave those roots behind, but she had no right to complain. Moving to another state was nothing compared to fleeing your native country and never returning there.
“I had a dream last night—” Miguel began.
Her mother appeared from around the trailer. “Lunch is ready!”
“I hope it’s a good meal!” Miguel said, patting his belly. “They feed me well on the farm. I’ve gotten used to it.”
“If you feel I can’t compete, maybe you should start sleeping there as well,” Elena teased, kissing her husband on the cheek. Then she looked at Silvia. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” she said, envying what they had together. Especially since she and Omar had been so estranged as of late. Silvia wondered if her parents had ever gone through something similar, but the thought was forgotten when she went inside and she saw her mother’s chicken and avocado tortas, which always made her mouth water.
They were halfway through the meal when her parents began discussing what they wanted to do with the rest of the day.
“I need to stop by the grocery store,” Elena was saying. “Hugo is out of juice boxes, and I need to pick up money orders to pay the bills.”
“I can help with that,” Silvia said, grateful for the reminder.
She stood and went to her room, returning with cash that she had withdrawn. Three hundred dollars in total. She hadn’t yet been paid for working full-time during spring break, but once she was, she’d be able to deposit almost as much again.
“This is extra,” she explained when setting the money on the table. “I’ll still chip in at the end of the month like I always do.”
Her father responded in his usual way. “You don’t have to.”
“I know,” she assured him. “You guys don’t have to take such good care of us, but you do anyway.”
“Thank you, darling,” her mother said, rubbing her back affectionately after Silvia sat down again.
“I’ll be working full-time during the summer,” she told them. “I know it’s only for a few months, but I figure it’ll help us get caught up again. If we’re still here.” She thought of Omar. And Mindy and Anthony and Keisha, and how lonely it would be to live in Chicago without a soul she could confide in. Silvia swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I don’t want to move,” she admitted. “If you’re absolutely sure that we have to, then I understand, but I like it here. And I love my friends. So if there’s any other way… I could work an extra job on Sundays or—”
“Don’t worry about any of that,” Elena said, patting her hand.
“It’s all I can think about!” She pressed her lips together, already feeling guilty for burdening her parents with such petty problems.
Miguel’s eyes were shining. “I didn’t get to tell you about the dream I had. You were all grown up. So was Hugo, and you each had beautiful children. We were celebrating Christmas together, but not out on the farm. We had a house of our own and nothing to fear.”
Silvia put on a brave smile. She knew her father was trying to paint a picture of how good life could be in Chicago and the new opportunities they would have there.
“We had invited the Hart family over,” Miguel continued, “to pay them back for their kindness and generosity. They felt like part of our family too.”
Silvia shook her head, not understanding. “They drove all the way from Kansas?”
“No, my beautiful girl. They didn’t have to go far. In my dream, we still lived here. And we always will. This is our home.”
“We’re staying,” Elena said with a reassuring smile. “Not because of a dream, although I like the sound of all those grandchildren. We feel safer here with the Harts. They really care.”
“Are you sure?” Silvia almost couldn’t believe it. When her parents nodded in unison, she asked, “When were you going to tell me?”
“We only decided this morning,” Elena said.
Miguel winked at her. “I thought you would figure it out when we started gardening. Why go to all that effort for nothing?”
Silvia laughed, first at herself and then in relief. “In that case, can I have my money back?”
“Of course!” her mother said, pushing the small stack toward her.
Silvia pushed it right back, because she had only been kidding. She was practically giddy while finishing lunch. Her brother showed up not long after, returning from the neighbor’s house, blissfully unaware of the close call. Which was good. By the time Hugo was her age, he might not have to live with the constant fear that she had, if she managed to secure her parents’ legal status by then. She wanted that for him. For now, she felt like celebrating.
“I need to call someone,” Silvia said at the end of the meal.
She hurried to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. Then she dialed Omar’s private number and pressed the phone hard against her ear in anticipation until the line finally clicked.
“Hey, what’s up?” Omar asked casually, despite being unaware of who was calling.
“I think I dialed the wrong number,” Silvia said, “but you sound hot.”
“Hey, babe,” Omar said, not running with the joke, which was weird, because it was more his style than hers.
“I have some good news,” she told him.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes. The kind that I’d like to tell you in person.”
“Oh. I’m hanging out with Anthony right now.”
“That’s okay. Tell him I said hi.”
“I will.”
She waited, wanting to give him the opportunity to say more, but all she heard was music playing in the background. “So when do I get to see my boyfriend again?” she asked.
“In class tomorrow for sure,” he responded.
“Okay, but how about outside of school? We haven’t done much since the fishing trip.”
“Oh. Uh… I’m off on Wednesday. I could stop by your work.”
“Okay,” she said, feeling anything but reassured, because “stopping by” didn’t sound like much of a commitment. But she would take it. “I won’t keep you then. Have fun with Anthony. I love you.”
There was a moment of hesitation that went on much too long before he replied with, “Yeah. Love ya.”