The day that the Salvadores family has been eagerly anticipating has finally arrived! It was 5am on a quiet winter's morning. All of the moving boxes has been shipped and are well on their way to America. In the last six days since Christmas, they visited everyone that they could to say goodbye. And now, they gathered together one last time before their cottage to say a final farewell to their home. "I'm going to miss it here." Eva said as she stroked Spud and Tater's fur. "Yes, so will I. One chapter's being closed in our lives, and a new one is about to begin." Craig said solemnly. "I think that this will be an exciting journey! Who knows what awaits us?" Said Bertha. "Well, it's that time. Let's go!" Craig said as he headed towards the car. As they headed towards the airport, Eva watched as the only home she ever knew passed her by. An hour later, they were at the airport.
Spud and Tater were put in crates and were sent to the loading facility for pets. "Are they going to be okay, Dad?" Eva asked nervously as she sat down. "Oh, they'll be fine. Heh, 'now' you worry." Miguel said yawning. "I'm going to get a coffee. Would anyone else like one?" Bertha asked as she grabbed her purse. "No thank you, my dear." Craig said. "I do!" Eva said. "Then come with me! Since you're the only one, we might as well go together." "Oh, okay." Eva said as she got up.
As they made it to the café, Eva noticed an attractive young man sitting at a table; drinking coffee as he read his book. He was a bit muscular and had golden-blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail. "Oh, Eva. Look at that guy!" Bertha said, winking. Eva looked a bit annoyed. "Why should I? I don't know him." Eva mumbled. "Ah, you're blushing!" Bertha said as she went on to look at the menu. After they ordered, they went to sit at a table. Eva didn't know why, but she couldn't stop glancing at this stranger. And at one glance, they met eyes. He just smiled at her. Eva quickly looked down at her coffee. "I can't believe that just happened!" Eva thought as she felt quite embarrassed.
It came time to board the plane. Everyone walked in a single-file order to their seats. First, Craig and Bertha sat together. Then, Miguel and Annabelle. Eva thought she was going to sit alone (and have all the elbow room to herself). But, to much of her surprise, somebody was already sitting next to her seat. It was the stranger from the café. Eva hesitated. "Oh, no." She thought. As she felt the people shoving her from behind, she went ahead and sat down. Eva blushed as she looked away from him. The pilot greeted the passengers through the intercom and gave instructions in the event of an emergency; and within a few minutes after finishing the engines turned on. "Here we go!" Miguel shouted as the plane slowly moved down the runway. It made a few laps and then, with a burst of speed, it took off into the early morning sky. It was sunrise and the plane was filled with a calm, golden light. Everyone looked out the windows. Craig pointed out their village as they passed it by. And before long, they were high above the clouds.
Eva quickly pulled out a book to make it look like she was reading. "I'm not going to get any sleep at all…" Eva thought as she buried her face in her book. "Hey." Eva heard the young man say. She slowly put her book down and turned to him. "Umm…hi." Eva said with a polite smile. "You're the girl from the café. What are the odds we'd end up on the same plane?" "Heh, heh…yeah…" Eva said, having no idea what to say. "I'm Leo." "Nice to meet you, I'm Eva." She said as she pulled her hair back a bit. "Where are you headed?" Leo asked. "My family and I are headed to America; in Jacksonville, Florida." "Heh, no kidding! That's where I'm going." Leo said. "Really?" "Yeah. My adopted mother recently passed away, and there's a kind lady who wants to adopt me there." Leo said as he smiled. "Oh. I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you can find happiness with your new family. I can't imagine having to be adopted…" Eva said sympathetically. "It's alright. Life can be hard. The secret is to keep on going." Leo said as he looked out the window. "Yeah, you're right." Eva said as she glanced down. "Is it my imagination, or is Eva talking to that handsome young man from the airport?" Bertha asked, nudging Craig. "Huh?" Craig mumbled, being awoken from his nap. "Oh, never mind." Bertha said as she smiled.
Towards the end of the flight, there began to occur some major turbulence. "Huh? What's going on?" Eva panicked. As the pilot announced that they were heading in a storm cloud, Leo put his hand on Eva's. "Everything will be fine." He said. Eva's face turned red. "W-what is he doing? He can't just hold my hand like that! What do I do?" Eva thought, fearing that pulling her hand back would be disrespectful. The plane trembled violently and swayed side to side. "Miguel-are we going to be alright?" Annabelle asked with a panicked expression. "Of course, my dear." Miguel replied, looking just as worried as she did. "Do you believe in God?" Leo asked as he looked intensely into Eva's eyes. "What? Why is he asking me this?" Eva thought, then said, "I-I was never religious or anything, but I did believe there was more to life than this, somehow." Eva said nervously as she looked down at her hand, surprised that he was still holding it. "I do for certain, Eva. Just trust that he will take care of us." Leo said calmly. "Okay." Eva said, mystified.
Within the hour, the turbulence stopped. The pilot then announced that they were out of the storm system. Everyone on board was relieved and began talking again; since they were silent during the storm. A little afterwards, the pilot announced that they would be landing in approximately half an hour.
"Phew!" Eva said, relaxing back in her chair. "I hope to see you again." Leo said. "Who knows? Maybe you will, seeing as how we're moving to the same place and all." Eva said optimistically. "In case we don't, would you like to exchange numbers?" "Uh, sure…" Eva said as she reluctantly pulled out her phone. They swapped numbers, and before they knew it, the plane finally landed. Everyone applauded, and rightfully so, considering the ordeal they went through. "I'm sure we'll meet again. Until then…" Leo said as he took his leave. "Goodbye." Said Eva.
It was about mid-day when they landed, and everyone was absolutely exhausted from jet lag. "It would be late if we were in Spain." Eva said, rubbing her eyes as they walked to the luggage area. "Let's go get the dogs!" She added with a sudden burst of anticipation. "We'll be right back." Craig said to the rest of the family. They went into a room where pets were being carted one by one. Finally, they saw Spud and Tater. "You guys!" Eva exclaimed as she rushed over to greet them. They were barking happily and wagging their tails. "I missed you so much, yes I did!" Eva said with her baby voice as she pet them through the bars of the crate. "Looks like they aren't too traumatized by the ride here." Craig said laughing. "Yeah, thank goodness!" Eva said. They wheeled them over to the luggage area where everybody already got their bags. "Is everyone ready?" Craig asked. "Yes!" They all replied. "Then, let's go!"
As they walked outside of the airport, Craig called for a taxi. As Eva took her seat, Craig carefully put the dogs on her lap. Eva just held them happily. And thus began their drive to their new home. Along the way, they spoke about many things as they marveled at all the stores and buildings. "This is nothing like Spain; but I must say, this place is incredible!" Bertha said as her eyes were glued to the window. "So Eva, I couldn't help but notice that you were talking to that nice young man from the café. What's his name?" Bertha asked enthusiastically. "Leo. But, I'm pretty sure I'll never see him again. Especially now that I realize just how big Jacksonville is." "I see." Bertha said, in agreement.
At last, they arrived at the gate of their neighborhood. (For it was a gated community). "Would you mind telling me the code?" Asked the taxi driver. Craig pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "It's 2343." As the gate opened, the driver drove slowly through the neighborhood. There was a variety of different looking houses, but all were equally impressive. The taxi pulled up to a large brick house with a spacious front yard that also had a pond. "Wow, it's beautiful!" Eva said as she got out of the car. "This place is incredible!" Annabelle exclaimed as she hugged Miguel with excitement. As the taxi drove off, a neighbor who was putting away groceries walked over and greeted them. "Welcome to the neighborhood! I'm Ms. Roberta!" Roberta was a friendly and outspoken lady who was well in her 50's. She had short, curly hair and wore trendy clothing. "Why, hello there! I'm Bertha, and we are the Salvadores family!" Bertha said as she shook her hand. As Bertha, Craig, and Ms. Roberta chatted away, everyone else went inside their new home. As Eva was walking inside, she noticed another taxi pulling up next door. But before she could get a good look at who was in the cab, Annabelle pulled her inside. "You gotta see this, Eva! The house is huge!"
As Miguel let the dogs out in the backyard for a much needed bathroom break, he exclaimed, "Whoa, there's even a pool!" "There is?" Eva asked as she rushed out to see. The pool was screened in and underground with stones mounted at the front of it to create a little waterfall. "And just look at how big the rest of the backyard is!" Annabelle said as she pointed out what looked like a fenced in meadow, with plenty of fruit trees along the fence. There were also patches of pretty flowers throughout the yard. "It's like a little paradise!" Eva said, clasping her hands. It didn't take long after sniffing around that the dogs started racing around the yard, playing their own version of tag. "I like it here!" Miguel said bluntly. "Me too, my love! Who would've thought that America could be so—spectacular!" Annabelle added. "Well, this is the place where dreams come true!" Eva said with her hands casually behind her back, with the wind blowing through her hair. "Wow, I can't believe I'm starting college this year!" Miguel marveled. "Any idea what you want to study for?" Annabelle asked. "That, I'm not sure." Miguel laughed. "Lucky! You get to figure out your career already while I'm stuck being a measly high school student!" Eva said as she crossed her arms. "It's a good thing you finished high school early!" Annabelle said. "I had to, if I wanted to marry you as soon as possible." Miguel said softly. Annabelle smiled and kissed him. "Heh, I bet I'll get discovered by the music industry before you finish college!" Eva said with a competitive smirk. "Hah! Even if that did happen, you'd still have to finish high school." "Darn…!" Eva murmured with a look of disappointment. "Oh, what about you, Annabelle? What will you study to be?" Eva asked curiously. "Well, actually. Miguel and I discussed this, and we both wanted me to focus on being a stay-at-home Mom." Annabelle said with a pleasant smile. "Oh, well, can't you do both?" Eva was confused. Annabelle paused. "If I went to college, then who on earth would watch after Spud and Tater while you were away at school?" "Annabelle." Eva said, a bit seriously. "Don't worry about me, Eva. It may be hard to understand at your age, but some people just want to be Mommies." "Okay, if that's what you really want." Eva said.
"Hey kids! Would you like to meet the rest of our neighbors?" Bertha asked, peeking her head through the door. "Alright, we'll be right there!" Miguel replied. As they walked out front, Craig started putting the luggage inside. "Come and give me a hand!" Craig said. As the kids helped with the luggage, Bertha looked around. There were a few kids playing on roller blades, but other than that there wasn't much going on. Once they finished putting away the luggage, they were ready to meet the neighbors.
"We already met Ms. Roberta, so let's start with the other house next door!" Bertha said. "Mom! Do we really have to meet everyone? It's such a big neighborhood." Eva complained. "Oh, don't worry. We'll visit just a few houses a day. I just want to meet everybody!" Bertha said as she eagerly headed next door. When they got there, they rang on the doorbell. And much to Eva's utter shock, a familiar face answered the door. "Leo?!" Eva said with her mouth open. "Eva?" Leo said, looking just as surprised. Bertha gasped. "You two know each other?" Miguel asked curiously. "Yeah. We met on the plane." Eva said. "Whoa, what are the odds, huh?" Miguel said laughing a little as he looked over at Annabelle, who just shrugged. "Who is it, dear?" A strict looking woman who had her hair tightly wrapped in a bun joined Leo. "These are our new neighbors!" Leo said pleasantly. "Oh, is that so? Would you like to come in?" The woman asked emotionlessly. "Um, sure! Don't mind if we do!" Bertha said as she walked inside. As the others followed, Leo closed the door behind them.
"I'm Mary." The woman said as she prepared a pot of tea. Mary was a slender woman in her 60's and she wore a traditional-looking green velvet dress. "Nice to meet you, Mary! I'm Bertha, this here is my daughter Eva, my son Miguel, his fiancé Annabelle and my husband Craig." "Nice to meet everyone." She said as she slowly poured the tea into sophisticated looking cups. "This is my new son, Leo. I adopted him overseas because his previous adopted mother unfortunately passed away. And foster care said that he had an interest in living in America." "Yes, well, I'm sorry for your loss, Son. But on the bright side, America certainly seems like the place to be nowadays. I'm sure you'll love it here!" Bertha said optimistically, and yet, with a sympathetic look at Leo. Leo noticed, and said, "It's alright. Bad things happen. That's life. All we can do is get back on our feet and keep going." "That's right, man. Just stay positive." Miguel said boldly. "Right. Besides, she's in Heaven now." Eva added. Leo looked at her and smiled. Eva just looked down and blushed. Mary began to hand out the tea and she set a plate of plain biscuits on the table. "So, what made you want to move to America?" Eva asked. "There are more career opportunities here." Leo said. "Leo hasn't told me what he wants to be yet, but I personally believe that he would make a great leader some day." Mary said as she took the tiniest sip. "Oh, what kind of leader?" Bertha asked. "The President." Mary said nonchalantly. They all looked at her in unbelief. "And I would know what it takes to be a great leader, because I was the former President's advisor." "What?!" They all exclaimed. "I decided to retire, due to my declining health, so I decided that the next best thing to do with my life would be to pass on what I learned. I believe that Leo was by far the best candidate to adopt: he was top of his class, made perfect grades since kindergarten, never broke the law and from what I can see, he's very mature for his age." "It's something I'll consider, Mother. But I'm still unsure what I want to be right now." Leo said. "That is fine, my son. But the door will always be open in case you want to step through." Mary replied.
"Anyways, what's your story? Tell me about your family." Leo said, looking intently at Bertha. "Well, we're really just your typical family from Spain!" Bertha said. "I lost my job, so I figured if we were going to start a new life, it might as well be here." Craig said. "And my little girl aspires to be a Rock Star!" Bertha said smiling. "Really? Well, I wish you luck." Leo told Eva. "Ha! I don't need luck. It'll happen." Eva said proudly. "Yes, and my son has long spoken about becoming a commercial pilot." "What better way to travel the world, huh?" Miguel said. "Your family is certainly filled with dreams. I'm glad you know what you want." Leo said smiling.
After some small talk, the Salvadores' we're ready to move on to the next house. "Well, it was a pleasure; Mary, Leo." Bertha said, extending her hand. Mary limply offered hers and they shook. "We'll keep in touch!" Craig said as he headed out the door. "Goodbye, Eva." Leo said shaking her hand. "I'll see you around!" Eva replied. As Leo closed the door behind them, Bertha turned to Eva. "It's him!" She said in a loud whisper. "I know! Weird, right? He's showing up everywhere!" Eva replied. "It's just a coincidence. Don't get too worked up over nothing." Miguel said smugly. "Oh, you're no fun!" Bertha said. "Anyways, on to the next house, shall we?" They visited the next house over, then the next. This went on for several houses until they finally went back home.
"The moving truck's here!" Eva said happily. "Yes, well, let's start helping the movers out!" Bertha said with a skip in her step. Everyone groaned. "Ugh, we're exhausted! Can't we just let the movers do it? That's what they're getting paid for." Miguel said. "No complaining. Chop chop!" Bertha said. "Fine…" Miguel replied. Bertha took a box and brought it inside. Miguel looked over at Eva. "Ha! I can bring-" Miguel said, grabbing the boxes. "Two boxes!" He said as he walked off proudly. "So what? I can bring-" Eva said, grabbing a heavy box and watching it slip through her fingers. "None." Eva said as she bowed her head in defeat.
By the time it was evening, all their belongings were inside. They thanked the movers and headed on inside for some much needed rest. "I'll prepare us some coffee." Bertha said as she rummaged around a food box. "I'm hungry! What are we going to have for dinner?" Eva asked as her stomach began to growl. "I saw a place called "Taco Shack," that looks pretty good." Miguel said. "I agree! Tacos sound amazing right now!" Annabelle added. "Alright. But not before coffee time." Craig said, as he puffed on his ol' pipe. "A man needs his coffee." "Alright!" Everyone agreed. While everyone was enjoying their coffee, Eva took the dogs outside to enjoy the sunset with them. "Oh, they need their dinner too!" Eva said as she went back inside. She pulled out the dog box and poured some food in their bowls. She brought the dishes outside to them and they ate. "What a lovely evening." Eva said, entranced by the beauty of her backyard. She noticed that the fence was spaced a little. Just enough to see Leo reclining on a chair and reading a book. "Oh no, does this mean I get no privacy?" Eva thought. She paused for a bit, then thought, "That's alright; I'll just grow some vines or something on the fence." Eva breathed in the sweet smell of Jasmine and felt the evening was just magical. "Time to go, Eva!" Annabelle said as she opened the door. "Okay! Come on, you guys!" Eva said as the dogs rushed inside. "We can unpack tomorrow. Let's just take it easy for the rest of the night." Bertha said, a bit scatter-brained as she looked around at all the boxes they would have to unpack. "Come along, Mother." Eva said, grabbing her arm.
For the very first time in their lives, they were at a Taco Shack. "Huh, a burrito place…" Eva said as she looked at the menu. "Is this what they call in America a "fast food" restaurant?" Bertha asked Craig. "Indeed it is. I heard that everyone's in and out within half an hour." Craig replied. "Good gracious! That's hardly enough time to taste what you're eating." Bertha exclaimed. "Welcome to America, my dear!" Craig said, laughing. They all sat at a table and began to eat. "Wow, this is really good!" Miguel said as he devoured his burrito. "Just be careful not to gain weight." Annabelle said as she cautiously picked at her food. "It's like they know exactly how to make a stomach happy!" Eva said, raising her burrito in the air.
As they finished eating, they headed towards the car to go home. "Eva?" "Yes, Father?" "Would you like to take a quick look at your new school? It's close to home; walking distance from it, really." "Sure!" Eva replied. As they passed it by, they saw an impressive large brick school that had two floors. "Mustang High, huh?" Eva said, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "You'll be starting next week, so we'll have to do some school shopping shortly." Craig said. "Okay…" Eva said, unamused at the fact that she had to go back to school already. "Where did Winter Break go?" Eva thought to herself as her eye lids began to feel heavy.
As they made it home, Bertha rushed to prepare everyone's sleeping bags. "I'll help you." Annabelle said quietly. "Thank you, dear." Bertha replied as they began to work together. Everyone else was lazily gathered around the fireplace in their new living room. "Heh, I actually start work tomorrow." Craig said as he lit his pipe. "Jeez, Dad. Don't they know you just got here?" Eva asked. "Yes, well, my new job is a bit demanding." "Be sure to set up two alarms, then!" Miguel said jokingly, then said, "Yeah, I think tomorrow I'll visit a few colleges." Miguel said as he threw his hands behind his head. "And…the rest of us will unpack." Eva added. "That's good to hear." Craig said, puffing on his pipe. "The beds are all ready!" Annabelle announced. And with that, one very tired family wobbled straight to bed.