Chapter 1: The Lopez-Fitzgeralds
Pilar was in the kitchen cooking dinner for her family when Theresa came up to her with a piece of paper. "Mama, papa gave this to me to give to you." "Thank you, mi hija." Pilar opened the letter and it was from her husband, Martin, it read:
Pilar, take care of our family while I'm gone. Tell the children I love them dearly and I love you also my dear, Pilar. Tell Antonio that he is the man of the house now and tell Luis that papa loves him and trusts he will look out for the family. Tell Theresa that she is my sweetheart and Miguel that I want him to graduate and be a policeman just like he desires now at such a young age. Tell our daugheter, Paloma, that she is the apple of my eye and that I will carry her bear with me everyday. Pilar, I love you, never forget that.
Martin.
Pilar leaned against the cabinet and started to cry. Antonio came out of his room and looked at his mother. "Mama, are you alright?" "No, mi hijo, your papa has left us. You are the man of the house now. Go and tell Luis what I have told you and don't say a word to the others." "Yes, mama."
Antonio had told Luis just before they sat down to dinner. Paloma looked at her mother after saying grace and said, "Mama, don't we always wait for papa?" Theresa looked up at her mother, "Yes mama. Where is papa?" Antonio looked at Theresa and asked her to pass the rice and that was the end of that until a family meeting that night. It was a quiet night from then on.
Antonio and Luis had shared a room since they were little and so that night they talked about how things were going to change. They could hear Theresa and Paloma crying in the next room. Luis fell asleep, but Antonio continued to stay up. He thought the day was going pretty well until recently. That day he had met some of the Cranes that his mother worked for. He met this one guy by the name of Ethan who was a bit cocky and his younger brother, Fox. Well that wasn't his real name, it was Nicholas, but he liked Fox better. Antonio decided that he would take Theresa to meet Fox and Ethan tomorrow, maybe meeting some people her age would get her mind off her father for awhile.
Pilar was in the kitchen cooking dinner for her family when Theresa came up to her with a piece of paper. "Mama, papa gave this to me to give to you." "Thank you, mi hija." Pilar opened the letter and it was from her husband, Martin, it read:
Pilar, take care of our family while I'm gone. Tell the children I love them dearly and I love you also my dear, Pilar. Tell Antonio that he is the man of the house now and tell Luis that papa loves him and trusts he will look out for the family. Tell Theresa that she is my sweetheart and Miguel that I want him to graduate and be a policeman just like he desires now at such a young age. Tell our daugheter, Paloma, that she is the apple of my eye and that I will carry her bear with me everyday. Pilar, I love you, never forget that.
Martin.
Pilar leaned against the cabinet and started to cry. Antonio came out of his room and looked at his mother. "Mama, are you alright?" "No, mi hijo, your papa has left us. You are the man of the house now. Go and tell Luis what I have told you and don't say a word to the others." "Yes, mama."
Antonio had told Luis just before they sat down to dinner. Paloma looked at her mother after saying grace and said, "Mama, don't we always wait for papa?" Theresa looked up at her mother, "Yes mama. Where is papa?" Antonio looked at Theresa and asked her to pass the rice and that was the end of that until a family meeting that night. It was a quiet night from then on.
Antonio and Luis had shared a room since they were little and so that night they talked about how things were going to change. They could hear Theresa and Paloma crying in the next room. Luis fell asleep, but Antonio continued to stay up. He thought the day was going pretty well until recently. That day he had met some of the Cranes that his mother worked for. He met this one guy by the name of Ethan who was a bit cocky and his younger brother, Fox. Well that wasn't his real name, it was Nicholas, but he liked Fox better. Antonio decided that he would take Theresa to meet Fox and Ethan tomorrow, maybe meeting some people her age would get her mind off her father for awhile.