Siege of Area 51 ✓

18. Rosario

Estimados padres,

I want to thank you both for everything you've done for me. Not just in the past couple weeks with the trial and everything that happened in between, but for always supporting and encouraging me.

It was strange for me to come back to a warm Nicaragua. I had always imagined what it would be like from the stories you told me. I was happy that I got to share some moments in the summer air with you both. Seeing the change in the landscape still boggles my mind. What was once blanketed in white snow is now vibrant and green. Everything just seems to be bursting with life.

The best part is that the North is once again teeming with life; that of plants, animals, and people. It's funny to think that my pictures of the US now match the scenes in the news. While the pictures I took of home only a few months ago hardly seem real. The past has become the present, I suppose.

I know that you're proud of my role in all of this. I know that you believe I made the right choice in saving Chris's life. That's why I hope that you can understand where I'm coming from when I say that I had to go back to him. I don't expect you to agree with this decision right away. But I hope in time you will come to accept it.

This decision has been anything but easy. I reflected on my life here. I thought about not being able to just come by the house for no reason except to say hello. Not being able to help mamá make dinner on Sundays. And not being able to hear papá playing his guitar on the front porch anymore. I'm holding back tears as I write this. I hope that someday you'll be able to forgive me.

If there was a way for me to be in two time-spaces at once, I would have gladly chosen that option. But as you've taught me, life isn't always fair. The best that I could do was to leave you the album of the place that I'm going. At least this way you can see what it looks like. I'm sure you will find it as beautiful as I do. Among the pictures, you will come across a photo of me and Chris. It was taken for us when we were at the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

He doesn't like to smile often, so it seems even more special when he does. His hair used to be longer (down to his shoulders actually), but he cut it just before that trip. It really does suit him better and I told him as much. You won't be able to tell from that picture (since he's squinting), but he has these beautiful hazel eyes. He's kind and a gentleman. This brings me to my second biggest regret about all of this, which is that you'll never get to meet him.

I know it's obvious by now, but I love him. And even though time is a boundary between us, it cannot change the fact that I will always be your daughter. I will carry you both in my heart forever. Give my best to Daniel and Alma when you see them next. Tell them that I'll miss them too. I pray that someday when you look at that picture of Chris and me, you'll smile too.

Sincerely yours,

Rosario