There were no soothing words of comfort when the priest returned. Abuela Doria seemed to be occupied with other issues"he came back again," she lamented "What could he possibly want this time?" the priest asked with disdain. Just then, the priest's wife appeared, and the two conspirators changed the topic and spoke about the weather.The priest spoke about a recent visit he had had of a barren woman who had come to him to seek council. The grown-ups chatted merrily about the woman's fertility struggle. Ass aCatholic, I knew what the priest was doing was wrong. It was against our faith to share or discuss people's testimonies. Andrea and I were made to have dinner at the corner table. I had spent the remainder of my day hoping that since I had called my abuela she would take the very next taxi and come and fetch us but the hours went by without abuela "she is still coming" I convinced myself. She would know there had been a problem and she would come. When the day became darker,

"You can’t take the children," Maria Porte, the priest’s wife, declared, her voice trembling with a mix of authority and fear. "You don’t have custody of them, especially with everything happening in your life right now." She emphasized every word as if trying to anchor them in the air, but my abuela had already finished packing our belongings with sharp, decisive movements."And what exactly is stopping me?" my abuela asked, tightening my jacket with calm determination."Well… the law," Maria replied, her confidence cracking. "Please, Abuela Teresa, let the children stay with us just a little longer just a few more days while you sort out your legal and personal issues." Her tone softened into pleading desperation.I felt my stomach twist.The thought of spending even one more dreadful day in the priest’s house made my chest tighten. A few more days felt unbearable. My grandmother must have noticed the panic flicker across my face."Maria, I’m grateful—truly—that you took my gran

I slept on the spare mattress on the floor of my abuela's room, Andrea slept on our abuela's bed. I had arrived late that evening, numbed and dizzy from crying myself to a stoep, when I returned home the front door was unlocked, my abuela was sitting on the corner of her bed waiting for me to return, she offered me supper and prepared my place to sleep on the mattress "Andrea's will be sleeping in my bed for the time being" she told me.I crushed on the mattress buried myself into the soft cushy blanket, It rained shortly after, the sounds of the raindrops hitting rooftop lured me into a drowsy state in the far of distance I heard three loud bangs ring off in sequence, i felt like a dream but I knew the gunshots were real, suddenly I fell into a deep paralysis state unable to move and then suddenly it was all dark I fell into a deep comatose sleep. The morning that followed was chilly my abuela and Andrea were still sleeping, I felt guilty about my behavior the previous day though I

"Teresa Cardaso, do you have anything to do with the murders of Luis Porte and his wife Linda Porte and his helper Doria Salgado?"The young female officer asked finally. My abuela froze, and after a moment, she said in what may have sounded more like a stage whisper than a proper translucent sound. "I have information that may help in regards to their deaths." The tall trees stretched endlessly in the golden mist of the moonlight, the trees had a somber but dreamy sight against the backdrop of the dark purple sky with its millions of shinny stars, laying on the backseat of the police car the trees signaled distance. I was miles and miles away from home. I had an epiphany of what life would be like without my abuela, and the picture was bleak. I knew what life without my parents had been like for the past few months. The beautiful beach, the modest house I called my home, the school rush, arepas and many hugs and kisses and the recent drama( more specifically my odd behavior and

The ambulance rushed my abuela to the hospital whilst Andrea and I stayed behind at the police station.At the station the police supervisor had descended upon the remaining officers asking them in hushed tones about what had occurred, the middle aged supervisor dressed in a navy police suit with multiple badges fired question upon question to his subjects."Explain what happened here, now," he shouted The officers struggled to give conclusive answers as the guilty officer had left with my abuela in the ambulance, like a criminal escaping a crime scene."She tried to flee from the arresting officer, sir," thy other officer lied, unconvincing. The absurdity and the nerve to lie blew my fury her direction."She's lying. She was not under arrest she tried to leave, and she made her fall," i cried."She did it on purpose," I concluded.The supervisor didn't even look in my direction."What are the kids doing here?" He askedNobody responded. The officers pursed their lips as if they wer