“Come on, Sophie,” I say, leading the way to the office in the back. I set her up at the desk so she can do her homework, and then I get to work. As I start picking up boxes and restocking the shelves, I keep waiting for my phone to ring in my pocket, but it never does.

Where are they? I ask myself again and again. Why haven’t they called? During last period, I did a few Google searches under my desk. I ended up on a government website where you can find information on people who have been detained by ICE, but when I typed in Ma’s and Pa’s names, I found zero results.

I pick up a box of soap and head toward the Personal Care section, telling myself that maybe they’re busy fighting to stay in the country. Maybe they’ve managed to get a lawyer, and they’re doing everything they can to come back home.

A small ray of hope appears somewhere inside of me, and I hold on to it for as long as I can. Surely they’ll be given a chance to fight deportation, won’t they? They’ve been in this country for more than twenty years. They have American children. They’ve never gotten in trouble, and their love for America is so deep that it runs through their veins. Surely ICE wouldn’t be in a rush to kick out people like Ma and Pa.

They might be able to come home. The thought brings lightness to my chest, makes me feel as though I can breathe for the first time in twenty-four hours. Even when a million doubts start appearing in my mind, I use all my strength to push them away. I have to believe this is true. I have to believe that my parents still have a chance, that I won’t have to raise Sophie on my own, that they’ll be here to help me get through college, and watch me become an actor, and share all the good and bad moments we haven’t lived yet. I have to believe that not everything is lost, because if I don’t, I’m going to lose my mind.

Those thoughts are what help me get through the rest of my shift, and Erika and I close the store at eight, just as we do every other day.

“Thank you, Erika,” I say to her right after we walk out the front door. “For everything.”