I'll Be Here (Matters of the Heart Book 2)

by Yesenia Vargas

  I nod. “Something’s happened with his family, and he had to leave with his uncle. They’re flying to the border, to Brownsville, and I need to catch him before he crosses over. He hasn’t answered my calls or texts yet, but…it’s something I need to tell him in person, tía. He doesn’t get to leave without saying goodbye. And if there’s anything I can do so he can stay, well…I don’t know. I guess I need to hear what he has to say too.”

  “So you’re going to the airport? By yourself?” she asks, looking me in the eye.

  “I need to. I have to tell him the truth, and if he has to leave anyway, I need to see him one more time…”

  “Then I’m coming with you,” she says, standing back up.

  I do the same. “What?”

  “Well, it’s pretty clear that you’re going to go no matter what, and the Mexican border can be a dangerous place, so I’m coming with you.”

  “Tía, I know we had fun on the road trip, but you can’t just leave—“

  “Sure I can. I’m a grown woman, Katia. Don’t forget that.” She tightens her bathrobe around her and winks. “Give me five minutes, and we’ll drive to the airport together, and we’ll catch up to Brian if it’s the last thing we do.”

  ###

  I don’t know what it is about my aunt, but approximately four minutes later, she comes out in jeans, a cute shirt, and with her hair and make up done. Like, how does she look better than me right now? I can’t help but smile as I double check that I have everything I need. She does the same as she pulls out of the driveway. I see a glimpse of her own passport in her purse along with her pocketbook.

  “So what did my uncle say this time about you leaving?” I ask as we merge onto the freeway.

  She doesn’t look at me. “I’ll give him a call later. He’s a heavy sleeper, and I didn’t want to wake him.”

  I glance at her out of the corner of my eye and do my best to turn my laugh into a cough.

  “Why don’t you set up the GPS for us? I’ve been to the airport before, but it’s been a while and I don’t want us to get lost and lose time.”

  I nod and do what she says, the voice of the GPS the only sound in the car for the next several minutes.

  Finally, my aunt looks at me. “So you’re sure, huh? That Brian is who you want to be with? I really thought you might choose Adam after tonight.”

  I sigh and stare out the window. “Me too, actually. You should have seen us at prom. It was nice, and he was a complete gentleman, but I realized maybe I went with the wrong person tonight. I just kept thinking about Brian and what it would be like to dance all night with him, and you know…”

  I don’t want to go into all the details of what I had been imagining, but I’m sure my aunt gets the message because she nods.

  She smiles and glances at me before getting her eyes back on the road. “I understand. And I’m so happy for you. I think you made the right choice, not that either of them were bad choices. They’re both very handsome, and those green eyes of Adam’s…are to die for.”

  I give a small laugh. “Yeah, I feel kind of bad for him, but I don’t know…I thought I might be able to see him that way, but I can’t. Not now, anyway. Not while Brian is here.” I go back to staring out the window and then checking my phone constantly.

  I send Brian texts and leave him voice mails, but nothing.

  “He must be on the plane, sweetie.”

  “Or maybe his phone is dead,” I say, putting my phone back in my lap and trying not to worry.

  By the time we get close to the airport, and the voice on the GPS starts giving us more directions, telling us to make this turn and that, most of the adrenaline of the night has worn off, and I’m constantly yawning and trying to keep my eyes open. It’s not even night anymore. The sun is starting to come up, and I haven’t slept at all other than closing my eyes for a few minutes in the car.

  We find parking and drag ourselves into the airport. But then I remember why this is important, and I pick up the pace, waking up a little. Still no response from Brian, but I really hope we can catch him before he leaves the US. It sure sounded like they were leaving…

  My aunt buys us a couple of tickets, and I balk at the price. The two hundred dollars I’d brought with me would not have covered this. “Um, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” I say. Not if it means having her spend several hundred dollars. I guess I didn’t really think this through. If I had come on my own, I would spent all of my savings on just my ticket.

  “Don’t worry about it.” She hands over a credit card, and the total goes down to practically nothing after reward points.

  “I was going to use those for our anniversary trip to the Bahamas, but since we didn’t go…This is more important, anyway,” my aunt says with a smile.

  “No, I promise I’ll pay you back, tía. That was a lot of money either way, and my uncle is going to be mad at you for doing that.”

  “You have nothing to worry about, and I’m sure you’ll pay me back with lots of nieces and nephews. No matter who you end up with. In the future.” She smiles, pats my head, and leads the way to our gate. I swear my aunt is enjoying this way too much.

  chapter twenty-four

  Once we get on the plane, and it’s soon because my aunt had gotten the very next flight to Brownsville, Texas, I have to put my phone on airplane mode. Luckily, I can charge, it but I can’t make or receive any more calls or texts. I guess this is why Brian hadn’t texted or called, and I realize maybe I should have messaged him using another app.

  I’ve never been on an airplane before, though, so I’m completely clueless about all this stuff. I sigh in frustration and really hope we land before he makes any kind of decision about leaving the US. It takes several minutes for us to even get in the air, and once we do, my anxiety rises and my stomach turns. What if I don’t get to see Brian before he reaches his family in Mexico? What if he catches another plane in Texas and leaves for good, only to call me once he’s all the way back in Guerrero? There’s no way I can go all the way there. Not without my mom really freaking out by then (I’m wondering if she’s already begun) and not without making my aunt spend a ton more money. Not to mention we are in no way prepared for a long-term trip.

  No, I just can’t. I need to find Brian in Brownsville before he leaves for any other place, or I’ll have to call it quits and go home.

  The plane finally lurches and begins slowly wheeling down the runway. It gains speed, and just when I think that this plane is way too heavy and large to pick up enough steam to get off the ground, it does. My stomach does another flip, this time from the feeling of being in the air, not to mention seeing normal-sized cars and buildings turn into tiny ant-sized objects, like a play rug or something. I look away from the window and at my aunt, and she smiles. “I didn’t know you didn’t like flying on planes.”

  “Me neither.” My hand grips the seat under me, and I make her switch seats with me. Not looking out the window helps me push away the feeling that we’re all just going to fall through the air and crash into the earth.

  I start yawning again, and my aunt closes her eyes. I do the same, letting sleep take away the pulsing headache I have. My eyelids feel heavy and my breathing slows as one last thought goes through my head.

  In just a couple of hours, we’ll be in Brownsville. And I’ll tell Brian why I need him to stay.

  ###

  “We will be arriving in Brownsville, Texas shortly. Please put on your seatbelts now.”

  I sit up immediately as I hear that message on the intercom. I give my aunt a gentle nudge and let her know we’re about to land. I take a peek outside the window and see the city down below.

  I look away when I realize that landing means the plane will have to go back down again.

  Note to self: stick to road trips.

  I grip the seat again and close my eyes as the plane begins to descend. My stomach gives the biggest flip yet as we touch down on the ground. I take a couple of deep breaths and try to
get rid of that feeling, like when you get on an elevator.

  But much worse.

  We each grab our small bags and get off the plane, and I’m happy when my feet are finally on stable ground.

  I take my phone off of airplane mode, and I give a small scream when a couple of texts come in from Brian.

  My aunt jumps and stares at me like an alien took over my body. She knows I’m not the screaming type.

  “Sorry. It’s Brian. He finally answered.” I barely look up as I open the texts and read them.

  Sorry. Was going to call you as soon as we landed. We had to leave pretty fast. I’ll explain later.

  And then another message, probably answering my previous message asking if he’s leaving for good again.

  I hope not. Depends. I’ll call you as soon as I know for sure. Miss you.

  I call him now, but he’s still not answering. I tap out another text, telling him I’m here. In Brownsville. And has he left yet.

  I finally get a response.

  A call actually. And I almost want to scream again when I hear his voice in my ear.

  “Katia, you came all the way here? By yourself? Are you crazy? What’s your mom going to say?”

  “Um, my aunt’s with me. So where are you? Tell me you’re still here, please.” I say, looking around the airport like I might see him any second now. My aunt follows me as I sort of spin around, trying to listen in to our conversation.

  “Um, yeah, actually, we are. I’m with my uncle. Listen—“ I hear some commotion going on in the background.

  “I have to call you back.” And he says some other stuff I can’t quite catch.

  “Brian, tell me where to meet you. You can’t leave, not without seeing me. I need—I need to tell you something.”

  But I don’t think he hears me very well.

  “Katia, I might need to leave soon. I don’t know. I’ll text you the address of where we’re heading, but I might be gone by the time you get there. I have to go—Bye.”

  And he hangs up.

  I’m left staring at my phone.

  ###

  A minute later, I get the address and we’re getting in a taxi outside the airport.

  “This is a convenience store, I think. A gas station. Just a few minutes from the border” I say, as I show the driver the address. I read it aloud to him and he takes a right out of the airport. “And, um, can you make it quick, please?” He looks annoyed already but steps on the gas a bit.

  I can’t help but stare at the GPS on my phone as we head there. My phone is starting to get low on battery from using the GPS so much.

  I stare at the minutes left to arrive like a ticking time bomb, hoping I can see Brian before he leaves.

  I send him another text telling him we’re on our way and to please not leave.

  He doesn’t answer, and that makes me start tapping my foot impatiently.

  I struggle not to groan out loud when the taxi driver stops at a light when he had plenty of time to keep going on orange. I look at my aunt, and she gives me a small smile and puts her arm around me for a second.

  “We’ll make it. And you’ll have your happily ever after. Just watch.” But I don’t think she completely believes that either.

  Finally, we’re pulling into a gas station with a convenience store and I’m paying the taxi driver.

  “No change,” I say, not wanting to wait. The begrudged look still doesn’t leave his face as he stuffs the bill away and drives off. But we’re already heading inside the store.

  There are seats inside and a menu high up on one wall with all kinds of things you can order. Looks more like a rest stop or something with all the people in here ordering and eating.

  I look around frantically and am ready to dial Brian's number again when my aunt pulls me to one side. “There he is.”

  I look up and put my phone in my back pocket.

  He is. He’s walking towards us, and the first thing I think besides relief is if I look as horrible as Brian does right now, with those huge bags under his eyes, his hair uncombed. But the smile on his face makes him cuter than ever, not to mention the way he outstretches his arms towards me about two feet before we meet.

  I think I do the same because we’re hugging, and my aunt and Brian’s uncle are just awkwardly standing there waiting for our moment to be over.

  I close my eyes and inhale the smell of Brian's shirt. We did it. We’d caught up to Brian, and even if he has to leave right now, I’m so glad that I was able to at least say goodbye once again face-to-face.

  And I couldn’t have done it without my aunt. I need to do something really special for her next birthday. And all her birthdays from now on.

  chapter twenty-five

  We haven’t even completely pulled away from each other when I’m already talking like a million miles an hour.

  “Brian, you can’t leave. Not like this and not yet, okay? You have to hear me out. I know maybe your family is going through tough times right now, but I promise I’ll help you figure it out so you can stay. I’ll do whatever it takes…I just—you can’t leave again, not when—“

  Brian takes a hold of my hands and starts laughing. “Whoa, hey, since when did you become a talker?”

  “Since she decided she was going to travel halfway across the country to—“ my aunt interrupts but then Brian interrupts her, and I can’t even figure out where I’m supposed to look.

  So I stick to looking at Brian.

  “Katia, I’m not going anywhere. At least not right this moment.”

  I start stuttering like a dummy. “But you said— that guy that lives with your uncle said—and your message—and you said on the phone that—”

  “I know I said all those things. But it turns out, I’m not going anywhere. In fact, we’re going back home.”

  He smiles and waits for me to smile back, I guess, but all I can do is open my mouth to try to say something and then I can’t.

  “Wait, why’d you even come here then?” I ask, almost mad. He made me travel across several states in a plane for nothing?

  Now I’m just a tiny bit pissed off.

  “He came here for me,” I hear behind me. I spin around, not recognizing the voice right away. I almost don’t recognize her right away.

  She’s taller, thinner, and definitely turning into a high school girl versus the middle school girl she was the last time I saw her.

  “Michelle,” I say.

  She gives me a half smile. Michelle never really liked me because I was way too nosy about her and Brian's little sister’s death last year, but I have to admit I’m happy to see her anyway.

  My aunt immediately goes to hug her and then I’m in front of her, and neither of us are huggers so we settle for nodding at each other.

  “It’s good to see you again,” I say, and it’s not a lie. Michelle and I had never gotten on, not like me and Sammy and Leslie, but it’s still good to see her.

  I want to ask what the heck she’s doing here, and I look around for the rest of her family. “Where are your parents and Sammy and Leslie? Are they here too?” I look to where she came from, the bathroom, but I don’t see anybody besides strangers.

  “It’s just me,” she says, her arms falling to her sides as she says it.

  Brian steps up beside me. “Yep, just her. Little rascal decided to run away from home.”

  “I think you mean run away to my home,” she says, walking towards the table where Brian and his uncle had been sitting at. We all sit down in the booth.

  Brian sits with Michelle and his uncle, opposite me and my aunt.

  “Are you serious? You ran away from your parents?” I ask.

  She shrugs. “I never wanted to move in the first place, and I wasn’t happy there.”

  She looks down, and I have a feeling there’s a lot more to what she’s saying, but I’m not about to pry in her business a second time.

  “You had mom and dad and everyone else really worried. I can’t believe you did that,
” Brian says.

  Me neither. Michelle must have traveled hundreds of miles on her own from Guerrero, Mexico to here.

  “Wait, how did you even cross over by yourself?” I ask.

  She shrugs again. “I walked right across, just showed my passport, and they let me through. Like twenty minutes ago. They saw I spoke English and everything, and I told them I was visiting family here.”

  Wow. Surprising, yet not surprising once I think about it. Michelle is definitely smarter than I give her credit for.

  “You know mom and dad want you to go back home. Like right now,” Brian says, one arm around her.

  She shakes her head. “I spoke to them already. I don’t want to go back. I hate it here.”

  “You haven’t given it enough time, maybe,” my aunt says softly. “But your brother’s right. Your parents are right. You’re still a minor, and you should be with them so they can take care of you, mija.”

  “Brian can take care of me. I looked it up. He can become my legal guardian. He’s eighteen.”

  Brian sighs and looks at her. “You know I work all the time, and you know my uncle’s house isn’t the right place for you to live.” He says it quietly, but his uncle finally speaks up and agrees.

  I have to agree myself.

  “We need to take you back home,” Brian says quietly. “Mom and dad said they’re going to make arrangements to travel to the border so you’re not on your own this time. We’re going to wait for them.”

  “You can’t do that,” Michelle says. “I don’t want to go back.”

  “I don’t have a choice—“

  “Yes, you do. I told mom and dad to let me stay until I graduate. I want to live here. Not in Mexico. I don’t know anybody there, and it’s just not home. I was born here.”

  “I don’t think they’re going to let you do that, Michelle. You’ve put them in a rough spot.”

  We all kind of sit there and just think about that.

  Michelle crosses her arms. “I don’t care. I’m staying. And if you and mom and dad make me go back, I’ll just run away again.”

  Brian sighs. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll talk to mom and dad, but I don’t know what they’ll say. It’s up to them. Dad shouldn’t be traveling right now anyway. He about had another heart attack when he found out you had run away.”