siempre

summer heat

Summer months were never Emilia's favorite, especially in Texas. The sun rays beat down on her, unrelenting, but at least her brother, Moises, is enjoying himself. She decided to take him to the water park on the weekend since he didn't get to go out with friends that week. It's summer break, which means he has all the time in the world. Unfortunately, Emilia still has to work. She hates not being able to be with him, but those bills are not going to pay themselves.

"Moy, ven pa'ca," she calls out, beckoning him to come over. Moises makes his way through the maze of people, reaching his sister.

"What's up?"

"You hungry?"

"Nah. A little thirsty, though."

Emilia grabs a cold Gatorade and hands it to him. "I know you're having fun, but it's a hot day. We might have to leave soon." 

Moises chugs the Gatorade and hands her the empty bottle. 

"Okay. Lemme go down the slide a few times."

"Okay, be careful."

Before she could finish, Moises races to the water slide, flinging water everywhere. 

Emilia knew he had to be careful with his heat exposure. She couldn't afford taking him to the emergency room again. Ever since he was a child, Moises suffered from epilepsy. Dehydration is a trigger for an epileptic seizure, so Emilia made extra sure they did not stay out too long. It had been a couple of years since the last episode, but one can never be too careful. 

Moises made it to the top of the slide and slid down, grinning ear to ear. Seeing him happy made Emilia smile. She very rarely got to see him laugh and smile and just be himself. Keeping up with the apartment and hospital bills had Emilia running at a pace she could not keep up with. But she never told herself that. Her head was just enough above water to make everything work out. 

After he landed in the pool, Moises ran back around to get in line again. Emilia's focus was now on the sky. Her sunglasses gave the world a rose gold hue. If only life felt like the warm color she was seeing. To her, it seems like the colors, life itself, had lost their vibrancy. The sun was no longer a happy reminder. Flowers gave her no joy. And a weekend, what was that? Emilia watches the clouds glide in the sky and she wonders what it would be like to float above all the troubles of the world. Sometimes she wishes a cloud would glide her away to rest in a faraway place. 

"Emilia, watch this!" Moises calls from the top of the slide. Her thoughts are interrupted and she watches her brother. He slides down on his chest and dives into the pool head first at the other end of the slide. What he did was totally not allowed, but she let it slide this time. His head comes up from the water and his grin says it all. He was having the time of his life. 

"Very nice, chico. You ready?"

His face falls, but he gets out of the pool and walks somberly over to her. She grabs a towel and wraps him up. He stares at the ground, not wanting to leave. This breaks her heart, but she knew he couldn't be out much longer. She kneels in front of him. 

"Hey, I know you want to stay, but we have to be extra careful."

"I know," he replies almost inaudibly. 

"How about we grab some ice cream? That sound good?" A pause ensues, then he responds. 

"Yeah," he shows a small smile. 

"Bueno. Get your sandals on." 

Emilia stands up and Moy puts his sandals on. They leave the water park to find some ice cream to cool them off. 

As they sit inside the ice cream shop, Moises tells Emilia all about his summer plans. He was going to be a freshman in high school the next school year and he wanted to enjoy his last non-working summer. His two best friends were going camping with their parents and he wanted to tag along. 

"I don't know, Moy, I don't feel comfortable letting you crash their trip."

"I'm not crashing it, they asked me if I wanted to go."

"Okay. Do they need money?"

"No, they said they would cover it."

Emilia wasn't convinced. She didn't want some white family taking pity on her brother. 

"Por favor, Emmy?" He pouted and put on his best puppy eyes. 

"Ya, Moy," her response was final. He wasn't going. 

He huffed. Suddenly his mint ice cream wasn't so appetizing. Emilia noticed his disdain, but it didn't change her mind. Sure, she had let him hang out and have a few sleepovers with them, but she could not handle him being gone for a week straight. Too risky. They finished their ice cream in silence and she drove them back to the apartment. Though it was nearly evening, she had to get ready for work. On the nights she worked, Moises usually played his guitar and video chatted with friends, so she wasn't concerned. After she got ready, she made sure he had dinner and left him to his devices. 

Three nights a week, Emilia worked at a local diner until midnight. It was a shorter shift, but she made good tips. Anything to make ends meet. As she entered, she was greeted by her best friend-- Esther. They had been friends since early high school and they were inseparable. 

"Girl, you are never gonna believe who I saw."

"Who?"

"Isaiah Rojas."



translations:

ven pa'ca - come here 

ya - enough, stop it

bueno - good