BooksBarbecue
Back Indivisible
Chapters (36)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. PART ONE
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. PART TWO
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  33. Discover More
  34. A Sneak Peek of "Brighter Than the Sun"
  35. 1
  36. PRAISE FOR

I know it’s true. I know Kimmie and Adam aren’t to blame for any of this. They didn’t get to choose their lives any more than I got to choose mine. It’s not their fault that their families don’t have to worry about their immigration status, or that mine has been separated. The problem isn’t with them at all. But as I hurry down the steps of the subway, I feel bitterness inside me that I’ve never felt before, and now that it’s shown up, I have no idea how to make it go away.

9

BY THE TIME I FINALLY MAKE IT to Maria’s, I’m completely out of breath. I’m not sure if it’s because I ran all the way from the subway, or because of all the guilt that has been building up inside my chest, which makes me feel like I’m choking.

“I’m sorry, Sophie,” I pant, wrapping my arms around her as soon as I see her. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to get here.”

A part of me expected to find her in tears, desperate for me to come get her, but when I pull away and look into her eyes, there’s none of that. “It’s okay,” she says.

After I thank Maria and we start making our way back home, it occurs to me that maybe Sophie needed this as well—to be away from home, away from the bodega, if only for a little while.

My phone starts ringing the instant we walk into our apartment. When I answer, Pa’s voice comes from the other side, and I can tell right away that he’s calling with bad news.

“The bond was set at fifteen thousand dollars,” he says.

“But we don’t have that kind of money.” A couple of days ago, I locked myself inside the office, opened the safe, and counted the money inside. I just needed to know how much there was, so I can be prepared for when we actually need it.

Pa gives a long sigh into the phone. “I’ve been thinking about voluntary departure.”

“No!” Sophie and I yell at the exact same time.

“You can’t leave, Papi,” my sister says.

“You have to at least try. Try to come back home.”

Pa remains silent for a long time. “The lawyer your uncle Jorge found says we might be able to build a case so they’ll let me stay in the US, but there’s no guarantee that it would work.”

“But you—”