They beat me. They didn’t touch Tala, but they swore they would if I tried to escape or if you went to the press any more than you already had.
That’s why they never let me contact you. For months they moved us from place to place.”
The letters were becoming irregular, as if Ramón’s hand had struggled against something while writing. Lourdes pressed the paper to her chest for a moment.
Her mind filled with the image of Tala, small, sitting in an unfamiliar room, asking for her mother.
She continued reading, tears blurring her vision.
Time passed, and one of the men, an old man named Ben, took pity on the girl. Perhaps because he had a granddaughter her age.
Thanks to him, they let us stay in a remote village near Αbra, under guard, but with a less cruel life.
I worked repairing engines, carrying sacks, anything.
I told Tala that we were hiding for an important reason and that one day we would return to you. Every night I wondered when that day would come.
I tried, Lourdes. I swear I tried.
