July 5, 1983
"Harry! Come play!" cried out Mariela.
Looking up from the picture book Dahlia had given him, Harry responded, "'kay. I'll play!"
He ran after Mariela, who ducked quickly out of sight and hardly believed his life. He had played every day with children his own age, and was quickly picking up Spanish; almost as quickly as the other kids were picking up English. He wound up outside and looked up at the trees surrounding the house.
"Here!" called out Mariela. He looked to his left and found her halfway up a tree. He climbed slowly, still not used to the action, until he reached the branch below Mariela. He had learned quickly that Mariela was an expert climber of trees; his first attempt required the assistance of Mr. Paredes to get down. They spent part of their afternoon climbing trees, until the older boys joined them. After that they spent their time racing around the property until they collapsed in a heap in the living room. Life was good for Harry Potter.
