10 Years • Joel Pimentel

Chapter 25 - The End

I waited for my name to be called along side the other contestants. I felt the nervous kick in as I tried to breathe. The hot humid Miami wind hit making me mess California.

"Joel Pimentel." A lady wearing all black with a clipboard and holding a microphone called out. I got up and so did my grandmother and mom.

She handed me the microphone as I peeked my head to see the crowd. "Wait till Alejandra calls you out." She spoke. I nodded and looked up at the dark sky.

I heard my name and I knew that was my cue. Here it goes.

----

*months later*

"Welcome home!" my family cheered as soon as I opened the door. I've been away so long I missed them all--including the little ones.

"Felicidades." Cried out Leticia and brought me into a hug. I smiled and thanked her. I looked around hoping to see Alfonso but there was no sign of him. Leticia noticed it and sighed. I gulped brushing off the negative thoughts. Not him too.

"Está afuera en el árbol." She gave me a warm smile. Giving her a kiss on the cheek I rushed to the backyard. Sitting on the mini balcony of the tree house, I saw the figure of an old man staring at the sunset.

"Can I join you?" I asked loud enough while opening the gate. He looked down at me and smiled. "Claro."

I climbed the tree and the first thing I saw were our names written in permanent marker. I ran my thumb through Amelia's name as the flashback played in my mind.

Before she wrote on it, she looked up at me. "You wouldn't keep something away from me right?"

I looked up and smiled. "Of course not. We're best friends. And best friends don't keep secrets from each other." She sighed in relieved and wrote her name first on the wooden wall.

"Melia, what are you doing?" I asked coming over and looked at what she wrote.

"Promise me we'll always be best friends no matter what?" She said looking at her name.

"I promise. And once I get older, I'll buy us friendship bracelets." I chuckled.

A few tears escaped and I wiped them quickly. There's not a day I don't go without thinking about her.

"Estuviera muy orgullosa de ti, lo sabes?" I felt Alfonso behind me. I turn to look at him and smiled. "Más bien, ahorita mismo, está orgullosa de ti. Y todavía sigue apoyándote." I smiled just thinking about her smiling down at me. God how I miss that beautiful smile of hers.

"Lo sé." I said smiling. I looked around inside the tree house. Everything was starting to get dusty. Both of our childhood toys are left where we left them--nothing has been moved.

"I noticed the tree began to blossom after you left." Alfonso broke the silence. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at the branches that were sneaking in.

I let out a small chuckle. "I didn't notice it had flowers again." He nodded resting his back against the wooden wall.

"This tree is magical." He started. "It's like it knew everything that was going to happen."

"It started to die once you guys were deported." I spoke. "And once Amelia got hospitalized."

"Now look at it," he said admiring every detail. "It's blooming and more alive than ever."

"This place holds so many memories." I whispered. "Melia and I would come here to play, cry, talk about anything" I said smiling. "I miss her a lot" my eyes got a bit watery but I hold back my tears.

"We all do." Alfonso said. "But she's looking down on us." I nodded trying to control my breathing.

"The friendship you guys had was special since the start." He said placing his hand on my shoulder. "True Friendship is when someone knows you better than yourself and takes a position in your best interests in a crisis. Friendship goes beyond just sharing time together, and it is long lasting. Friendship can mean different things to different people."

I nodded and smiled as tears fell. "And sometimes that friendship can turn to something more than that."

"Ahora a que hecharle ganas. Especialmente que ya lograste tu sueño." He said patting my back.

"Voy a seguir luchando. For myself and for Amelia."