Pedrito’s Diary, Day 4
Saturday, January 25, 2025
“Don’t cry. Everything will be alright.” I looked up. An older boy was talking to me. “I am Jose. I am 12. How about you?” He asked. With my voice still shaky, I answered, “My name is Pedrito. I am 8.” He added: “My 3 brothers are here. We also have one sister. We all were brought in here yesterday. We don’t know where our sister, Lucette, is. She is 10.” As soon as I heard the word sister, I started to cry again. I was so scared for my little Gabriela. Jose gave me a hug, after calling 3 names, Diego, Alejandro, and Jesu. I was now inside a hug circle of 4 brothers. As if in one voice, they told me: “Stay with us. You’ll be okay.”
My tears slowed down. I thanked them one by one. Diego took off his vest and handed it to me. “You are shivering. Those pajamas look quite thin. Here, wear this. You don’t want to get sick here.” I didn’t argue, as I was so very cold. “Thank you so much!” The next thing I sensed was how badly I needed to pee. Quietly, I asked Jose if there is a bathroom here somewhere. “Hmm, that’s a tough one. We have to find someone in a uniform to get permission. He will then lead you to the gates in the back. You can only pee outside.”
All 5 of us began to look for a man in uniform. My new friends were taller than me. Alejandro, the tallest, spotted a guard. He immediately walked toward him, maneuvering around tons of boys on his way. I couldn’t hold it much longer. So, I rushed behind him. “How many of you?” The guard asked Alejandro. “Just me,” I replied. I quickly thanked Alejandro and followed the guard. I just wanted to be outside ASAP so that I wouldn’t wet my pajamas like Gabriela.
© hülya n. yılmaz, February 2, 2025
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