Pedrito’s Diary, Day 9
Thursday, January 30, 2025
All 5 of us were sitting in our corner and waiting to hear the megaphone in the afternoon as that man said. I heard someone crying by the wall corner right behind us. I got up and walked toward where the cry was coming from. A little boy had crouched down, with his back against the wall, and he was sobbing. I sat down on the floor right next to him and asked him: “Why are you crying?” He looked up at me and said nothing at first. His face was wet with tears, and his nose was running. I asked him again why he was crying. “I am hungry,” he said very quietly. “Didn’t you pick up your food?” I asked. “No. When I was at the table, all was gone. I was scared of the men. I didn’t ask.”
I jumped up and went to my spot. I picked up my banana and my slice of bread, then rushed to the little boy. “Here, eat these.” He thanked me and started to eat both right away. I waited until he was finished eating, then asked him: “What’s your name?” “Gabriel,” he said. “Oh, wow! I have a little sister whose name is Gabriela. Do you have any sisters or brothers?” “No,” he said, “only Mama and Papa.” He started to cry again, and murmured, “I miss them so much.” I, too, was very sad because I also missed Mama, Papa and Gabriela so very much. To distract him, I asked him how old he was. “Four.” “Gabriel, you know what? My sister is exactly your age!” I then asked him when he was brought here. “Yesterday.”
“Gabriel, where is your blanket?” By now, he had stopped crying. “I don’t have one.” He was obviously too scared to ask for one in the food line yesterday, his first day here. “Come with me,” I told him, held his hand and took him to one of the tables up front where we picked up our food and blanket yesterday evening. “Sir, this is Gabriel. He couldn’t pick up his blanket last night. Could you please give him one?” The man looked at us both and asked: “Is this your brother?” “No, Sir. He is here all by himself. Please, Sir!” The man left his chair and disappeared behind a door near the tables. After a short while, he reappeared with a blanket in his hand. “Here you go.” We both thanked him many times. Then turned around and got back to our corner.
I introduced him to my dear friends, the brothers. Each of them first greeted Gabriel enthusiastically, then told him their names and how old they were. I saw a faint smile on Gabriel’s face. He looked up at me, said “Thank you!” and hugged me with his little arms. I so needed a hug. I hugged him back and whispered to his ear, just like Alejandro did for me, “Everything is going to be alright.”
© hülya n. yılmaz, February 7, 2025
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