Save Me

Epilogue

"Mama?" I asked as I crawled onto her lap.

"Yes querida?" She asked as her fingers brushed through my hair earning a yawn from me.

"Why did you and papa leave Mexico?" I asked. "Wasn't it hard leaving everyone behind?"

"Of course it was hard, but do you know what colibri?" She asked quietly as if she were whispering a great secret. "The most important decisions are never easy. If they were easy, they wouldn't be important. Sonora was not a safe place back then and I was pregnant with Angel so we had our own familia to think about. Santo Padre is our safe haven and it has become home but I will always miss the ones we left behind."

"Santo Padre isn't safe." I said and something in me realised this wasn't how the memory went, I had simply nodded acceptance and fallen to sleep.

Before I could grasp onto that thought the vision morphed into another time, years later.

"Mom!" I yelled from my bedroom as Angel raided my piggy bank.

"Shut up rata pequena." He shhh'd me as he tipped the jar upside down and rattled it until the notes I had saved up fell out.

I watched him take the money and shove it in his pocket as I cried at my hardwork being ruined. I had done hours of chores to earn that and he just took it all in one fell swoop. I had been miserable all day and didn't talk to anyone until Angel returned home with a big smile and a wrapped gift that he gave to me. Curiosity outweighed my anger as I took the present and began unwrapping it. I frowned as I found the book set I had been saving up for and I looked at Angel confused.

"It's the right one right?" He asked worried and his smile dulled at my lack of reaction.

"Um yeah, thank you Annie." I had managed to say before walking over and hugging him.

"You didn't think I would steal from my little sister did you?" He asked, hurt etched on his round face.

I felt terrible for even thinking that, especially now, when I knew I didn't have nearly enough savings to buy the set. He would have topped it up with his own savings he got for doing the lawns and heavy lifting at the butchery.

"You're my favourite brother you know." I smiled knowing that would cheer him up. "You'll always be my favourite brother."

His face lit up with a bright smile and he flopped down on my bed and listened as I read the adventures of Eragon to him. He didn't have the attention span to read a book but he did like to listen. I read the story about the boy whose family was killed and suddenly closed it to look at Angel.

"That only happens in stories right?" I asked. "Our family will always be together."

"Uh, Nessa, it's not that simple." Angel said running his hand through his hair. "But you shouldn't worry about that at your age, nothing bad happens when you are young."

"What a load of shit." I said interrupting the memory once again and drifted away from my mind.

"Mom! Ez and Angel are fighting." I said running into the kitchen where she was cooking Tamales.

She wiped her hands on her floral apron and walked out the back to stop the wild punches that were being thrown at each other.

"Mis hijos, why do you fight?" She said placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "You only have one brother, he should be your best friend. Now hug it out and go wash up for dinner."

The boys hugged before they broke apart laughing and ran inside together.

"Too bad you weren't there during their worst fights." I said to mom before she faded away.