It's 6:30 am on a Wednesday morning. I should be going to school but my mom says I need to go with her- on a road trip. I ask why and she says, “You’ll find out.” We got dressed, packed snacks for the road and pillows in case I got sleepy. We got on the road and I asked my mom to stop at Mc Donald's so I could use the restroom. She grows irritated because I didn't go before we left the house. I use the restroom and buy a Mc Chicken then climb back in to the car. Again I ask my mom where we are going and still she will not tell me. We enter the freeway and drive.
Three hours pass and I peeked out the window and seen nothing but dirt, a few trees, cacti, and tumble weeds. I still didn't know where we were or where we are headed. All I knew was that I was far from home and I didn't like it. We finally spotted some civilization; a restaurant or two, a liquor store and a little shop selling antiques. We pulled into the restaurant, grabbed a bite to eat and then got back on the road. It was about 10:30 am when we pulled into a huge parking lot facing a few giant cement buildings gated off with barbed wire topped fences. I asked why we were here and she refused to answer.
She said "And now we wait." We waited. An hour passed- nothing. I asked, where we are," Baby," she said,” we are somewhere that I never ever want to be again." I could tell she was on the verge of breaking down; but staying strong for my sake.
Another hour passed - Still nothing. I grew impatient; I was tired of waiting for something I didn't even know what I was waiting for. I wanted to go home. A white van pulled up and out of curiosity I stared. These were the first humans I'd seen in five or six hours. A bald Caucasian male, 5'11 maybe 6'0 feet tall, gets out of the driver seat. He worse a tan uniform, black boots, black hip band with a 45 on his right hip, a bunch of keys on the left and a couple pairs of handcuffs in back. He opened the side door and let 4 men out. 2 Latinos, 1 African American and 1 Caucasian. But there was another man facing backwards who was still in the van. My mom said baby get out of the car when the others walk away. I said, "Okay," then waited a couple of minutes as I watched the others reunite with their families.
I climbed out of the car as the sheriff closed the door and walked to the rear of the van. He opened the back door and let a man out, he un-cuffed him and said "Have a nice day." The man chuckled and said," Gee thanks.’
The man who came out of the van was not who I expected. Although I recognized his voice he didn't look at all like he did when I last saw him. He was weak, pale, and thin, as if he hadn't eaten in days. I looked at him from the ground up, over whelmed with emotions. I ran to him and with tears coming down jumped in his arms. No words, just tears and happiness. I finally had my dad back in my arms and he was holding me in his.
