I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. My dad and I have always had a special bond. My siblings would always say he favored me but he would always deny. But I know he did.

When I had just turned twelve my life completely changed. My dad was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I remember that day like it was yesterday. The house phone rang and my oldest brother picked up the phone. Me being the nosey little girl I was, I ran off to pick up the other phone to listen. It was the police station saying that my dad has been arrested. My brother asked if he had to go pick him up but they said he was being detained. My heart dropped. After the phone called ended it took my brother about an hour to break the news to my siblings and I. That same night my mom came home from work. None of my siblings had the heart to tell my mom what happened to my dad. But we didn't have to, my mom was too tired that night to wait for my dad to come home and decided to sleep. The next day when I came home from school my mom was balling her eyes out and my brother was sitting next to her. I've never seen my mom like this. For the next couple of days my mom barely talked to us. I could tell she was heartbroken.

After a couple of months of my dad being in jail we already knew how this was going to pan out. My dad's lawyer said she believed that my dad would get a second chance and would soon be with us again. Although the lawyer tried her best to keep our Family together, we  already knew that my dad would be deported back to Mexico. But I always had hope that fate would be on our side for once and my dad would get that second chance. My oldest brother who was twenty two years old at the time helped my mom pay bills and buy groceries. My siblings and I got oddly closer even though we almost never got a long. You could say that's the only good thing we got out of this.

Then came the day of my dad's court date. That day neither me or my siblings went to school. In the morning my aunt took my second oldest brother and my sister to the courthouse to read their letters hoping the letters would change the judge's mind. The whole day my mom was nervous and had the phone in her hand the whole time. Sometime in the afternoon my aunt came to my house with my siblings. My brother came in crying hysterically. My mom began to cry and so did I.  Our worst nightmare became a reality. For about a month my mom still didn't want to believe my dad wasn't coming home. That is what really broke my heart.

It's been almost 5 years since I've seen him. Although my family is still going strong we always have our moments where we reminisce on memories. I talk to my dad as often as a I can but that will never be same as being able to see him in person. To this day I still cry over it but I know crying won't do anything.  I still have hope that one day he will come back to us. But until then all I can do is call.