Pedrito’s Diary, Day 17
February 7, 2025
At dinner time, we looked for Mr. Matias. He wasn’t there, so we picked up our food from another table. “HURRY UP,” yelled a guard, “we don’t have all night!” Dinner was the same as many times before, 1 banana, 1 slice of bread, and a bottle of water. “The water must last you until tomorrow evening,” he reminded us.
Also this time, off to the cold concrete we went. Also this time, off to the boulder we went. We all missed our families a lot. We talked for a little bit about our families. The brothers spoke about their sister, Lucette. “Where did they take her? Is she okay? Does she also sleep on a concrete floor? Does she have a blanket at least?” Each of them had a question. Sadness was all over their faces. Even little Jesu looked sad when he heard his older brothers speak about Lucette. “I have the same questions every day and every night,” I joined their talk, and then hugged Gabriel as if he was my sweet little sister Gabriela. “I often dream about Mama and Papa,” I added, “twice, my dream felt so real that I even talked to Mama out loud because I thought she was actually here.” I heard all the brothers sigh. We then said “good night” to each other, and settled in our small places on the floor. Gabriel scooted over to my spot more so than other nights.
I stayed awake for a while. I had many questions on my mind again. What will tomorrow be like? Will we get beds? Will they start giving us lunch? Will there be more food for dinner?
Will we ever get to see our families again? I really want to go back home.
© hülya n. yılmaz, February 18, 2025
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