A loud sigh makes me turn around. Ma is standing next to the coffee pot, the dark circles under her eyes even bigger than usual.

I walk toward her. “Morning,” I say before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

She grumbles a response.

“You okay?”

“Sí.”

I raise an eyebrow.

Spanish rolls off her tongue quicker than she speaks in English. “Stephanie called in sick this morning, so I’ve had to help your dad with his exercises instead, but my back is killing me now.”

“Mamá…” Pressure builds in my chest. Even though he’s been able to regain a lot of mobility in his rehab center, he still needs daily therapy to get as much autonomy as he can, and helping him with it requires heavy physical work.

It’s hard seeing her like this. Some days, like today, she reminds me of a robot. Functioning instead of living. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen her be her usual carefree self. I try helping out with Callie and the farm as much as I can to ease some weight off her shoulders, but it’s not enough. And that’s one of the reasons why Wren’s work means that much to me; someone needs to pay for what we’re going through.

After looking at the time again, I shout, “Callie, come on now!”

“It’s okay, I’ll make sure she has everything before she leaves,” Ma says, pushing me out of the way. “You should go have breakfast with your dad. He’s in the living room.”

I scratch my head, looking down. “Actually, I really need to start my work in the farm, but tell him I’ll see him later.”

“¿Estás seguro?” Are you sure?

I nod. We’ve fallen behind a lot in the past weeks, and Christmas season is literally right around the corner. I need to be out there yesterday. Plus, working outside will keep my mind busy. Patting her hand, I give her a reassuring smile, then go put my fleece-lined coat and boots and walk out the door.

The farm used to be synonymous with comfort for me. The fresh air and the seemingly infinite forest allowed me the quiet I needed to think when the house was loud, filled with friends and family and my parents singing to Juan Luis Guerra.