siempre

dim

On a cool spring day, Víctor and Agripina Díaz married in the city of Yerbabuena, Guanajuato, Mexico. Neither of them were well-off, but they had all they needed-- each other. Soon after their marriage, Emilia came along and started their family. 

Víctor did odd jobs around the town, but he was a master in carpentry. He would make the most beautiful and ornate wooden furniture of all kinds. One piece of furniture in particular soon became Emilia's favorite. It was a wooden rocking chair with birds and trees carved out on the sides. On the back of the chair were more animals and trees that represented the animals they would see at the nearby forest, la Cuenca de la Esperanza. Emilia would sit in this rocking chair with her father as he read stories to her. She loved those moments with her dad. When Moises was born, she did the same for him; held him while reading stories to him. 

Agripina was a small, gentle woman. Her jet black hair fell down past her waist, and she mostly kept it in a long braid. Though she was always working, her hands were soft and provided comforting meals to those in the neighborhood. Emilia remembers how she rarely said much, but when she did, there was always a lesson to be learned. Her mother was strong, and Emilia had always strived to be just like her. 

Neither Agripina nor Víctor had ever imagined moving to the United States-- until Moises had his first seizure at three years old. This decision was not taken lightly, as both of them had never thought about leaving Mexico. Yerbabuena was a small town with limited resources, and they wanted the best life possible for their son and their family. Víctor had heard about all of the possibilities in the U.S. and convinced his wife to think about it seriously. After two years of saving and applying for a medical visa, they decided to move to Fort Worth, Texas to have Moises treated. Emilia was confused and upset about leaving her friends behind. Her parents knew almost no English, and she knew enough to not make a fool of herself. While she hated to idea of living in Texas, she knew it would help her brother. She would do anything for that little squirt. 

As she flew over Mexico on her way to Texas, Emilia said goodbye to all of the trees, animals, family, and friends she knew back home. She didn't know what her new life in the U.S. would hold, and she was not too keen on finding out. 

After they made it through the busy and bustling airport, they took a taxi to an inn in Fort Worth. It was underwhelming to say the least. The outside needed some major upgrades, half of the lights outside weren't operational and the suite itself reeked from the smell of cigarettes. Víctor explained it was only for a little while, until he made enough money to get a place of their own. He wasted no time in finding work, and Agripina found a job, as well. Emilia and Moises both started school in the middle of fall, and all seemed to be well for a bit. 

A few months after acclimating to their new life, Moises had another seizure. It had been two years since the last one, and it caught them all by surprise. He was at school when the teacher showed a short video with flashing images. Agripina was devastated and demanded her son be evaluated at the nearby hospital. Of course, Emilia was there to translate it all. After a couple of weeks, he was seen by neurologists and they determined he had epilepsy. Both Víctor and Agripina were almost defeated. They knew there was no cure and worried about Moy's future. On multiple occasions, Agripina pleaded with Víctor to go back home since nothing else could be done, but he insisted on staying, just in case another episode occurred. At least in the U.S. they could be seen in a timely manner and given more options of treatment. This answer only quieted his wife for a few months. All the while, Emilia was trying to navigate her whirlwind of a life in the midst of the chaos. She could see both sides of the story. 

A year passed and the family was able to finally move into a place of their own. It was a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment. Emilia preferred having her own space, but it was better than having one big room that everyone slept in. The neighborhood was a step up from the inn, but still just as loud and obnoxious. Her time at the high school was fine. Her and Esther would hang out on the weekends, but Emilia soon found a job to help her parents make ends meet. Agripina always encouraged Emilia to focus on her studies so she could get into a nice college. While the thought was nice, Emilia really didn't want to stay in Texas, or the United States for that matter. In her mind, Moises would get enough treatment for them to move back home. But she never expressed these thoughts to either of her parents. 

Once Emilia became a senior, she began to realize her parents wanted to stay in Fort Worth. And while it wasn't a pleasant thought before, she began to start liking it there. She grew to love the bustling of the city and the options laid before her regarding her future. By the end of senior year, she decided she wanted to be a lawyer, and her parents were proud. She began her undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University. A few scholarships helped her out with tuition, but her parents had agreed to help, also. 

After what felt like forever, Emilia graduated with honors and was accepted into A&M's law program. She couldn't believe she was one step closer to becoming a lawyer. During the summer before she started her master's program, Emilia decided to stay home and enjoy time with her family. Her parents went out for a quick run to the store and would be back in time for dinner. It was a stormy July evening, and Emilia was watching tv when her phone rang. It was the Fort Worth police. Never in her life had Emilia experienced such agony in the span of two minutes. Not wanting Moises to hear of the news, she immediately called Esther to come over and watch him. The drive to the hospital was the longest one in her life, even though time wasn't a concept at the moment. She could hear her ears ringing and she felt the burn of blood rushing to her head. She prayed to God her parents would be okay. Emilia entered the hospital in a daze, not feeling her feet on the ground. She found the nearest nurse and asked for her parents. No one could understand her, as she was already in shock. Finally, a doctor came around, hearing she was asking for her parents and gave her the details. Her parents were gone. In disbelief, she demanded to see them. She had to see them for herself. They couldn't be gone. 

Emilia saw for herself and she will never forget the blood on her parents' faces. Since it was raining so heavily, the roads became slick. They had hit a slippery spot on the road while making a turn and went headfirst into a nearby oak tree. From that moment on, the world went dim and never gained its luminance back. The two people she loved the most were gone.