Falling With Grace

“It’s fine.” I moved forward and placed my hand on his chest, his rib poking against my palm. “If you think you can do better, go down there and try. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though.”

Viola, Carly, Rachel, and Maria led the way, followed by the quieter Duarte and Isabella. They descended the steep path towards the river.

I tossed my bruised and scabbed hands into the air, then stared at the remaining group. Jorge, Sarah, and Monica watched them with worried gazes. “I won’t fault you if you also wish to leave.”

Jorge slumped against the rock, and Monica copied him on the opposite side. “We know it’s smart to wait. They’re just eager.”

I shook my head. “Patience is a virtue.”

My mother used to say that to me when I’d get all worked up about Christmas or Easter.

The presents, the egg hunts—everything was so thrilling. I was like a child buzzing with sugar, incapable of waiting for the next day.

Monica’s shoulders slumped. “They won’t cross at night.”

“I hope not.” I shrugged, translating her Spanish words. “It only takes one of them to lose their footing, and they’ll all go down like Dominoes.”

My eyes followed the cliff’s edge, more akin to a steep hill with fragments of rocks, small boulders, and the river at the basin.

Jorgepatted my shin, slid down until his back rested on the compact dirt, and closed his eyes. “Get some rest.”

I walked over to the ledge. “She’s right, you know?”

Monica replicated Jorge’s movements as if she were his shadow, and Sarah slumped against a tree.

He raised a brow. “How’s that?”

“Thecoyotescross the river at night. It’s the best time to escape the authorities.”

Jorge sighed and rocked his shoulders side-to-side to settle as a set of baying dogs quieted in the distance. “The agents expect them to. They double their efforts at night. You made the right call.”

Had I?

It wasn’t just the river we had to wade through with its strong currents, but the mountain range on the other side.

Sure, some roads ran through the park, but it would draw a target on our backs if we were to use them.

Border patrol frequently combed through this area, hunting for those doing the same as us. We couldn’t risk one being corrupt or meeting up with the Mexican Federal Police or military.

“I don’t know…”

I glanced down at Isabella leading the way, the valley below shadowed and dark. She slipped, her barefoot swinging upward, and a delayed, echoed scream danced on the breeze.

Maria reached out, preventing her from landing on her backside. They continued down the path, their nervous laughter echoing through the rugged terrain.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I breathed a sigh of relief, then shuffled the dirt around with my sore big toe.

It wouldn’t be long now, and we’d be free.

“Do you still plan on finding your sister?”

I walked back to my boulder and sat beside Jorge, who threaded a rosary through his fingers, his lips moving with silent prayers.

He nodded. “I just have to find the family who adopted her.”

A sympathetic smile touched my lips as I rested my head against his shoulder.

“What about you, Sarah?”