Purple Heart

Family Together

The next day, Sara was up and got dressed for school, and then she went downstairs for breakfast. "Buen día," she smiled.

"Buen día, Sara," Enrique smiled back. "¿Como durmió?"

"Muy bien, Papi—gracias," Sara replied.

"Well, I'm going to run a few errands today," Luisa said. "What are you planning on doing, Enrique?"

"Cristobal and I are planning on seeing Mamá and Papá at the mall at noon since Rocio is working at the manufacturing company today," Enrique replied.

"Sounds like fun," Isabela smiled.

"I'm sure it will be, especially since it's the first thing we've done together in two years," Enrique said.

"Well, I hope you have a good time," Luisa smiled.

"Gracias, Luisa," Enrique smiled back.

After breakfast, Enrique drove Sara to school. It was a great way to spend more time together.

"Okay, nena, be a good girl and have a good day," Enrique gushed, hugging his daughter.

"Okay, Papi," Sara smiled. She went into the building, and there were many students who were beyond happy for her.

"Hey, girl," an older boy smiled.

"There's the Veteran girl," a sophomore girl smiled.

"Hey, how does it feel to have your daddy home?" a senior boy asked.

"Perfect," Sara smiled. "I mean, my uncle and grandfather are great father figures, but it's not the same as having my own real father."

"Maybe so, but every child deserves to have both a mother and father figure in his or her life," the older boy agreed.

"Oh, did he get you that purple heart necklace?" a junior girl asked.

"Yes, he did," Sara confirmed.

Many students were very happy for Sara since her military father had just come home. Little did Sara know that Robin was nearby, watching her get so much attention—and it made her very jealous.

"It's not fair," Robin huffed. "My McBride Pointe Platform was just released over the weekend, and I was sure everyone would be talking about it, which would've sky-rocketed me to the most popular girl in school. But no, Sara gets all the attention because her military daddy is home with her forever."

"Military people should get more respect than celebrities since they put themselves in danger to help the country," Clover said.

"But serving in the military is such a dirty job, which is why my daddy would never even think of doing it," Robin sniffed.

"Don't have a cow, Robin," Beth said. "Your next shoe design is sure to be a hit."

"Yes, and it'll be such a hit that everyone will have to forget about Sara Martinez," Robin agreed. She saw Sara and her cousins walk by happily.

"I swear, my life is even more perfect than before," Sara smiled. "It feels good to wake up in the morning with my father waiting for me at breakfast."

Robin heard what Sara just said, and she couldn't resist going over and cutting in between her and Dolores. "I was thinking the same thing," she chuckled sarcastically. "It feels really good to have your dad wait for you in the morning, and it's surprising how your dad can make you popular."