“It is,” Pa says. “You know it is, Mateo. We don’t have a way to look after the two of you right now. There’s barely enough space for me and your ma here, and we don’t even know how long it’ll be before we have to pack up our things again and move to a new place.”

“It’s true, Mateo,” Ma says slowly. “You’re safer at Jorge’s. He and Amy can give you things that we can’t.”

“But staying at Jorge’s can’t be a forever thing,” I say. “We all know it’s only a matter of time before Ellie needs her room back, and what will we do then? Where will we even go?”

Pa’s face crumples up. I can tell he’s trying hard to find the right words to say. “For now, you have to stay focused. You need to take care of your sister and keep the bodega running, because the money you and Jorge have been sending our way is the only thing keeping us on our feet right now.”

“I just wish we—”

“I also wish for a lot of things, mijo,” he interrupts me. “But leaving everything you know is harder than you can imagine. Giving up your education in the US would mean a lot more than just saying goodbye to your friends. You might not see it now, but you’d also be leaving behind a lot of opportunities that you won’t have here, and then everything your ma and I did—all the things that we gave up so you and Sophie could have a good life—would be for nothing.”

Even though Ma nods, there’s doubt in her eyes. I can tell how badly she wishes things were different, that the four of us could be together.

“Just hang in there, mijo,” she says. “One day, you will look back and realize how strong you’ve become, and Sophie will, too. She’ll get used to life without us. We just have to give her time.”

I sigh, trying to figure out the balance between speaking a little louder and still being quiet enough so that my voice won’t reach the bedrooms. “It’s just… I’m worried about—”

“Mateo,” Ma says softly. “You feel too much, mijo. But right now, you need to clear your mind. Get some rest.”

A part of me wants to argue, but in the end, I choose to listen to her. “All right. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Mateo?” Pa adds right before we hang up. “I know things have been hard, mijo. But don’t forget that you and Sophie are all we care about. As long as you’re safe, and as long as you have a chance at a better life than us, then it was all worth it.”