Mr. Wilkins is silent for a second. He remains still, looking down at the floor, but then he turns toward me and stares at me without blinking. It isn’t until that moment that I notice how blue his eyes are, how deep they seem. “Mateo,” he says, and I feel a chill running down my spine because Ma and Pa always call me that. “I promise that I will do everything in my power to keep your mom and dad in the United States. I’ll fight as hard as I can. As hard as I can.”

I nod slowly. This has to be enough for me. Even if I’m not one hundred percent sure I believe him, I have to hold on to his promise with all my strength.

Over the next couple of days, the air at Uncle Jorge’s seems to shift, and the baby starts crying at night again. It’s as if she knows that something is wrong—as if she’s also anxiously counting down the seconds until Pa’s hearing.

Wednesday at school feels weird. I can’t shake off a feeling that everything is about to change—summer is right around the corner. We’re about to be done with junior year, Adam is going to make his off-Broadway debut in July, and Pa’s destiny will be decided within twenty-four hours.

“Is Friday still happening?” Kimmie asks me when I run into her in the hallway.

“Yeah,” I say. “Of course it is.” No matter what happens at the hearing, I know it’s a good idea to have plans for Friday. If the judge decides to let Pa stay in the US, I’ll definitely be in the mood to celebrate. And if it turns out that he has to go back to Mexico… well, it’ll probably be good to keep busy. God knows I’ll need my friends if that happens.

That night, Amy makes burgers for dinner, but she burns the buns when she’s trying to heat them up, so in the end we’re stuck with having only the patties and a side salad of lettuce and tomatoes.

Uncle Jorge looks serious. He shaved in advance of the hearing, and this is the first time I’ve seen him without a beard. He barely looks like himself, and the fact that he’s frowning so deeply makes him look even less like the man I know. In the back of my mind, I feel like we’re sitting next to a complete stranger.

Sophie tells us about her day at school while we eat, and how her teacher asked her class to make a drawing of their favorite moment of the school year. I’m not sure she understands how important tomorrow is. Or maybe she does, and she’s only trying to make the air feel a little lighter.