Back to the Sea

Sitting Next to Daniella

Isabel sat next to a girl named Daniella in her seventh-grade classroom. Daniella was very chatty and often wanted to know about Isabel's journey from Cuba. She seemed to find it amazing that one of her "friends" was from a different country. 

Isabel didn't want to talk about it. 

This particular Tuesday, she couldn't get the memory of Lito out of her mind. She looked over the science notes that she'd written. 

Blah blah blah I miss my Abuelito. 

Wow, this is really hitting me hard, Isabel thought. I really, really miss him. 

This wasn't making it any better. She put her head down. 

"Isabel?" came Daniella's voice from the next desk. "Are you okay?" 

"Fine," Isabel replied quickly, fixing her notes. "Just... remembering stuff." 

I hope Lito's safe in Cuba. 

"Good," said Daniella, not getting the hint. "We need to remember a lot of stuff for this test." 

Isabel looked at her. "I'm remembering, if you must know, my trip to the United States. What my grandfather did to help the rest of us get in." 

Daniella didn't know much. After all, Isabel didn't really regard her as her friend. But she was concerned. 

"Wait, why couldn't he come?" she asked. "Why do you never tell me this story?" 

Isabel looked down at her notes, which still said I miss my Abuelito on them. Her eyes filled with tears. Why couldn't she stop thinking about Lito? 

Daniella took the hint and went back to her own work. 

Isabel's father yanked off his belt and Lito tied it as high around Iván's leg as he could, but the blood still flowed, colouring the water all around them in the boat a dark, sickening red.  

"No--NO!" Señor Castillo cried as the life went out of Iván's eyes. Isabel wanted to scream too, but she was frozen. There was nothing she could do. There was nothing any of them could do.  

Iván was dead. 

Isabel sat up in fright. Had her friend just died all over again? She started to calm down as she looked around and saw darkness, but light from the moon illuminating her room in her family's small apartment. 

Lito, now Iván? Isabel hoped she wouldn't have to relive the feelings of sadness from losing her loved ones again and again. Last night it had been watching the Coast Guard ship pick up Lito, Isabel knowing she'd never see him again. Now it was watching her best friend die right in front of her. 

For the second time. 

Isabel suddenly heard the sound of Mariano crying. It jolted her to the memory of first hearing him, while walking through the water to get to Miami. 

(She hadn't walked the whole way. She was just walking from the boat.) 

She then crept into her brother's room to see Mami, trying to get him back to sleep. She caught Isabel's eye. 

"Chabela, what are you doing up?" her mother asked. Using the nickname Lito had always called her made Isabel even sadder, and the tears finally flowed. 

She told Mami about the memories, about the single picture of Lito making them flow back into her, one by one. She told her about the memory of Iván's death, how real every single second felt, and the dread that poured into her. 

Mami did her best to comfort Isabel, and soon got both her children to sleep peacefully. 

The only difference was, Mariano didn't wake up.