“We fought last night,” Ma says. Even though the video is turned off, I can tell she’s crying. “After we spoke to Sophie, things got heated. I realized that you and Sophie are right, Mateo. You need to come be with us. It was hopeless to think that you two would be able to take care of yourselves, or that Sophie wouldn’t need us.”

“And what did he say?”

“He wouldn’t listen to me at first,” Ma answers. “But then… it finally got to him. He started to realize things can’t go on like this. He said that going to Mexico City was the only choice we have left. We’d talked about it a couple of times—how it might be easier to find jobs there—but we’d decided we didn’t want to go. The city is too big, and more expensive, and neither of us knows it well.” She pauses briefly. “Last night, I told him that it didn’t make sense to move yet again. I thought it would be better for us to stay where we are, to try and build a home so you and Sophie can come be with us, but your dad was set on the idea that we needed to leave Puebla. He’s just… desperate, and confused, and trying to do the best he can.”

All of the things I’d been planning to say have faded to the back of my mind. I stumble around the room aimlessly, trying to make sense of what Ma is saying—of what this means for us.

“I’ve been trying to call his cell, but I can’t reach him,” Ma says. “I don’t know if he’s just not answering, or—”

“What do we do, Ma?” I ask, my voice breaking. “What do we do?”

“We’ll wait,” she says firmly. “We’ll wait for him to get in touch with us.”

“Okay,” I whisper, trying to convince myself that Pa knows what he’s doing, that we should trust him.

“We’ll get through this, Mateo,” Ma says, her voice shaking. “Your dad will figure something out, and we’ll all be together again.”

I nod to myself, but I don’t say anything. We both remain there, together but alone, until we have to admit to ourselves that we can’t stay on the line any longer, that we each have to go on with our days, even if our whole world seems to be falling to pieces.

For the rest of the day, Sophie and I call Ma a lot. And I really do mean a lot. After I break the news to Sophie about what’s happened, she asks if we can call Ma back, and the three of us cry on the phone together, wondering where Pa is right now, if he’s made it to the city.