[Prompt was to write a short story set in another country]
“Bye, Mami! Bye, Teo! Bye Isa! Love you!” Sofía waved goodbye to her family before heading out the door to walk to school. Her father had already left for work, but Mateo and Isabella got to stay home today because the elementary and middle schools had the day off. Not Sofía, though; she never got a break. But today, she had a plan.
Sofía walked one block before circling back around to her house, being careful not to pass her Abuela’s house, as she’d be sure to tell her mother that Sofía wasn’t at school. As she reached her house again, she quickly slipped in the back door and up the stairs to her room, knowing that Mamá would be cleaning up from breakfast in the kitchen on the other side of the house. Now all Sofía had to do was avoid her younger siblings for the day. Easier said than done.
Mateo looked around his perfectly organized desk for his favorite pen. “Where could it be?!” he muttered to himself. Not finding it there or anywhere else in his meticulously clean room, he figured he must have left it in Sofía’s room last night when she was helping him with his pre-algebra homework.
As he walked over to her room he heard someone shuffling around. “Isa! I thought we talked about this! You can’t just go sneak around Sofi’s and my rooms when you’re bored!” he yelled through the wall. But when he opened the door, the ten-year-old was nowhere to be seen. “Huh.” He shrugged and started looking around for his pen when he heard something shift on the other side of the room. “Isa?” he said again as he looked around. “She’s probably hiding under the bed,” he said, rolling his eyes. But when he went to check— “Sofi! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at school!”
“Quiet! Mamá will hear you—she’s right downstairs in the kitchen!” she said as she climbed out of her hiding spot. “What are you doing in my room anyway? Is this what you do when I’m gone, just look through my stuff and blame it on Isa?"
“No, I was just looking for my pen! But you avoided my question; why aren’t you at school?”
“I’m skipping, all right? I just needed a day off.”
“No, not all right—you can’t just skip school!” Mateo was horrified. School was important! And Sofi was in the middle of high school, she needed to work hard to get into college! He’d always admired his sister for her dedication to school; he didn’t understand why she was doing this. Plus, he thought school was fun! He’d always assumed she felt the same.
“I can and I did. Please don’t tell Mami, Teo; I already feel guilty about it. I’ve just been so stressed lately.” It was true. Ever since their brother Leonardo left for college, she’d felt herself slipping. There was just so much responsibility on her now to set a good example for her siblings, as well as continue to excel in school and get into a good college. She loved her siblings and she even usually loved school, but sometimes eight classes every day plus dance class and then coming home to do her homework and help Teo and Isa with theirs was overwhelming, and she felt herself needing a break but never getting one. Leo would know what to do. He always knew just what to say to make her feel better, but now he was off in another city learning to be a doctor. She tried to help Teo the way that Leo helped her, but she wasn’t sure she was doing that. She found herself wondering how Leo had handled all the pressure without breaking.
“I just really need a day off; I promise it won’t happen again. Can you please just help me out here?”
“Okay, fine,” Mateo replied, “And don’t worry about Mami. She always listens to her music super loudly during the day; she won’t notice a thing as long as you don’t go downstairs.” He hated the idea of getting in trouble, but he loved Sofía, and this was the least he could do, seeing how much she helped him. “Good luck hiding from Isa, though. You know she hears everything. And if she finds out you’re skipping school she’s gonna freak.”
Right on cue, Isabella burst into the room, “You’re skipping school?!”
“Isa, what have we told you about knocking!” Sofía said sternly.
“Never mind knocking, you’re skipping school! I didn’t even know you could do that! Wait, can I do that?”
“Absolutely not. Skipping school is for overworked high schoolers, not nosy kids.”
“Ugh, you guys don’t let me have any fun,” Isa sat on the ground and pouted. It was hard being the youngest sibling. Sofi and Teo got to do all this cool stuff like hang out with friends and go to parties on the weekend (not that Mateo even wanted to go to parties, but he could if he wanted to!) and all she had to hang out with after school was Mamá. Leo had always made time to play with her, but now he was away in college, and Isabella really, really missed her oldest brother.
“Yeah, yeah, we’re so mean,” Sofía replied sarcastically, “Anyway, Isa, you can’t tell Mami, okay?”
“Hmmm, what’s in it for me?” Isabella asked, knowing that she’d help her sister no matter what, but also hoping that she could bribe her into hanging out with her.
“I’ll play cards with you like you’re always asking me to,” Sofía replied. Yes, exactly what she’d hoped for!
“Okay!”
“Can I play too?” Mateo asked, not wanting to be left out.
“Of course!”
They played for hours (with a quick break for Isa and Teo to get lunch and sneak up some for her), and it was genuinely the most fun Sofía had had in months. It reminded her of her carefree days at home playing cards with Leo, when Teo was still young and Isa wasn’t born yet. It was then that Sofía realized how much her little siblings were growing up. She’d always considered Leo to be her friend, and Teo and Isa to be her annoying little siblings who she loved deeply but didn’t have the time to give the attention they wanted and the help they needed. But as she sat on the floor with them playing cards and hiding from Mamá, she thought that maybe she could be friends with them like Leo was with her.
As they sat and played, Mateo found himself glancing at Sofía. It was nice to see his sister so happy. He knew she’d been stressed lately. She was always worrying about grades and college and dance and helping Mamá around the house. He didn’t show it much, but he really looked up to her. He’d always known that he wanted to be just like Sofi and Leo when he grew up. As he grew up, though, he began to realize how difficult being like them actually was.
Isabella, too, was having the time of her life. Sofi never played with her anymore! Sure, she helped her with homework, but she’d missed just having fun with her big sister. She worried that soon Mateo would stop playing with her, too, as he became a busy high schooler just like Sofía was and Leonardo had been. It was hard seeing them all grow up, knowing that in a few years, they’d all be out of the house and Isa would be left alone with Mamá and Papá. But for now, she’d cherish these simple moments. If only Leo were there, too.
The day went by quickly as Sofía hung out with her siblings, and soon it became close to time when Sofía would be expected home. Mateo helped her sneak out the back door while Isa stood watch. She walked around the block the opposite way she had that morning, again making sure to avoid Abuela’s house (Isabella didn’t get her nosiness from nowhere). As she walked down the sidewalk, she heard a familiar voice call her name.
“Sofi?” She turned around quickly and couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw who it was.
“Leo!” She hugged her brother tightly and almost started crying, she’d missed him so much.
“Leo, why are you here? I thought you didn’t have break for another month?” she asked as they broke apart.
“If Mami asks, they gave us a long weekend, but honestly, I’ve been so stressed I just needed to come home for a few days. College is fun but it’s so much work, and I missed all of you so much.”
“Wait a second…you’re skipping school?! But…you’re Leo! You’re perfect, you don’t do that!”
“I know, I know, I’m supposed to be the responsible one, and I know you look up to me, but I was just exhausted. Please don’t be disappointed in me, Sofi” Leo replied, looking more vulnerable than she’d ever seen him.
“I’m not disappointed, I could never be disappointed in you! I’m just surprised and…impressed! I didn’t know you had it in you, Leo!”
“I guess you have to be the perfect one now,” he replied, grinning at her.
“Yeah, about that…” Sofía said as she looked away.
“What? Is everything alright?”
“Leo, I skipped school today, too,” she confessed. It was a weight off her chest to tell her brother, but still, she was scared that he’d be disappointed in her, even though he had done the same thing.
“Oh, is that all? I already knew that. Why else would you be walking away from the house right after you were supposed to finish dance class? Plus, I saw you avoid Abuela’s house, and normally you’d never pass up an opportunity for some of her freshly made marquesitas.”
“So you’re not disappointed in me?”
“Just like you said to me, Sofi, I could never be disappointed in you. You’re my best friend. And honestly, you’re probably more responsible than I am. I’d probably skipped school at least twice by the time I was your age!”
“What?!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, but those are a story for another time. And another place—we should head home before it gets dark.” As they walked home, Sofía caught Leonardo up on everything new at home, like Mateo’s new soccer team and Isabella’s new love for sneaking around. She also told him what they’d all been up to that day, and he said he was glad to see they weren’t tearing each other apart in his absence.
It was comforting for her to know that Leo, too, had struggled in high school. She’d always thought he was perfect and managed everything without stress, but today she was seeing a different side of him. Maybe it wouldn’t be too terrible to take a day for herself just every once in a while…
As they entered the house, Leo breathed in deeply, smelling the tamales Mami was cooking in the other room. Yes, this was what he was missing at college. This, and his family. Before he could say anything, Sofía yelled for all the house to hear, “Hey, guess who I found wandering around!” Everyone rushed into the entryway. Mamá started crying tears of joy and Papa exclaimed “Leo!” while Mateo and Isabella immediately ran up to hug him. Soon, they were all sitting around the dinner table eating Mamá’s delicious tamales as he told them all about college and how studying to be a doctor was going. After dinner and helping Mamá clean up, all the siblings headed upstairs. They sat on the floor in Sofía’s room, and he said, “Hey, I heard you were playing cards earlier, how about we all play now?”
“Yes!” Sofía replied, grabbing the decks of cards from earlier, “Be warned, though, Isa’s a cheater.”
“Am not!” their little sister replied.
Leonardo watched fondly as all his little siblings started to squabble. It was hard to see them grow up and learn to live without him, but for now, he could just play cards and pretend he didn’t have to leave and go back to being an adult next week. Oh, how he’d missed these simple joys.
“Bye, Mami! Bye, Teo! Bye Isa! Love you!” Sofía waved goodbye to her family before heading out the door to walk to school. Her father had already left for work, but Mateo and Isabella got to stay home today because the elementary and middle schools had the day off. Not Sofía, though; she never got a break. But today, she had a plan.
Sofía walked one block before circling back around to her house, being careful not to pass her Abuela’s house, as she’d be sure to tell her mother that Sofía wasn’t at school. As she reached her house again, she quickly slipped in the back door and up the stairs to her room, knowing that Mamá would be cleaning up from breakfast in the kitchen on the other side of the house. Now all Sofía had to do was avoid her younger siblings for the day. Easier said than done.
Mateo looked around his perfectly organized desk for his favorite pen. “Where could it be?!” he muttered to himself. Not finding it there or anywhere else in his meticulously clean room, he figured he must have left it in Sofía’s room last night when she was helping him with his pre-algebra homework.
As he walked over to her room he heard someone shuffling around. “Isa! I thought we talked about this! You can’t just go sneak around Sofi’s and my rooms when you’re bored!” he yelled through the wall. But when he opened the door, the ten-year-old was nowhere to be seen. “Huh.” He shrugged and started looking around for his pen when he heard something shift on the other side of the room. “Isa?” he said again as he looked around. “She’s probably hiding under the bed,” he said, rolling his eyes. But when he went to check— “Sofi! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at school!”
“Quiet! Mamá will hear you—she’s right downstairs in the kitchen!” she said as she climbed out of her hiding spot. “What are you doing in my room anyway? Is this what you do when I’m gone, just look through my stuff and blame it on Isa?"
“No, I was just looking for my pen! But you avoided my question; why aren’t you at school?”
“I’m skipping, all right? I just needed a day off.”
“No, not all right—you can’t just skip school!” Mateo was horrified. School was important! And Sofi was in the middle of high school, she needed to work hard to get into college! He’d always admired his sister for her dedication to school; he didn’t understand why she was doing this. Plus, he thought school was fun! He’d always assumed she felt the same.
“I can and I did. Please don’t tell Mami, Teo; I already feel guilty about it. I’ve just been so stressed lately.” It was true. Ever since their brother Leonardo left for college, she’d felt herself slipping. There was just so much responsibility on her now to set a good example for her siblings, as well as continue to excel in school and get into a good college. She loved her siblings and she even usually loved school, but sometimes eight classes every day plus dance class and then coming home to do her homework and help Teo and Isa with theirs was overwhelming, and she felt herself needing a break but never getting one. Leo would know what to do. He always knew just what to say to make her feel better, but now he was off in another city learning to be a doctor. She tried to help Teo the way that Leo helped her, but she wasn’t sure she was doing that. She found herself wondering how Leo had handled all the pressure without breaking.
“I just really need a day off; I promise it won’t happen again. Can you please just help me out here?”
“Okay, fine,” Mateo replied, “And don’t worry about Mami. She always listens to her music super loudly during the day; she won’t notice a thing as long as you don’t go downstairs.” He hated the idea of getting in trouble, but he loved Sofía, and this was the least he could do, seeing how much she helped him. “Good luck hiding from Isa, though. You know she hears everything. And if she finds out you’re skipping school she’s gonna freak.”
Right on cue, Isabella burst into the room, “You’re skipping school?!”
“Isa, what have we told you about knocking!” Sofía said sternly.
“Never mind knocking, you’re skipping school! I didn’t even know you could do that! Wait, can I do that?”
“Absolutely not. Skipping school is for overworked high schoolers, not nosy kids.”
“Ugh, you guys don’t let me have any fun,” Isa sat on the ground and pouted. It was hard being the youngest sibling. Sofi and Teo got to do all this cool stuff like hang out with friends and go to parties on the weekend (not that Mateo even wanted to go to parties, but he could if he wanted to!) and all she had to hang out with after school was Mamá. Leo had always made time to play with her, but now he was away in college, and Isabella really, really missed her oldest brother.
“Yeah, yeah, we’re so mean,” Sofía replied sarcastically, “Anyway, Isa, you can’t tell Mami, okay?”
“Hmmm, what’s in it for me?” Isabella asked, knowing that she’d help her sister no matter what, but also hoping that she could bribe her into hanging out with her.
“I’ll play cards with you like you’re always asking me to,” Sofía replied. Yes, exactly what she’d hoped for!
“Okay!”
“Can I play too?” Mateo asked, not wanting to be left out.
“Of course!”
They played for hours (with a quick break for Isa and Teo to get lunch and sneak up some for her), and it was genuinely the most fun Sofía had had in months. It reminded her of her carefree days at home playing cards with Leo, when Teo was still young and Isa wasn’t born yet. It was then that Sofía realized how much her little siblings were growing up. She’d always considered Leo to be her friend, and Teo and Isa to be her annoying little siblings who she loved deeply but didn’t have the time to give the attention they wanted and the help they needed. But as she sat on the floor with them playing cards and hiding from Mamá, she thought that maybe she could be friends with them like Leo was with her.
As they sat and played, Mateo found himself glancing at Sofía. It was nice to see his sister so happy. He knew she’d been stressed lately. She was always worrying about grades and college and dance and helping Mamá around the house. He didn’t show it much, but he really looked up to her. He’d always known that he wanted to be just like Sofi and Leo when he grew up. As he grew up, though, he began to realize how difficult being like them actually was.
Isabella, too, was having the time of her life. Sofi never played with her anymore! Sure, she helped her with homework, but she’d missed just having fun with her big sister. She worried that soon Mateo would stop playing with her, too, as he became a busy high schooler just like Sofía was and Leonardo had been. It was hard seeing them all grow up, knowing that in a few years, they’d all be out of the house and Isa would be left alone with Mamá and Papá. But for now, she’d cherish these simple moments. If only Leo were there, too.
The day went by quickly as Sofía hung out with her siblings, and soon it became close to time when Sofía would be expected home. Mateo helped her sneak out the back door while Isa stood watch. She walked around the block the opposite way she had that morning, again making sure to avoid Abuela’s house (Isabella didn’t get her nosiness from nowhere). As she walked down the sidewalk, she heard a familiar voice call her name.
“Sofi?” She turned around quickly and couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw who it was.
“Leo!” She hugged her brother tightly and almost started crying, she’d missed him so much.
“Leo, why are you here? I thought you didn’t have break for another month?” she asked as they broke apart.
“If Mami asks, they gave us a long weekend, but honestly, I’ve been so stressed I just needed to come home for a few days. College is fun but it’s so much work, and I missed all of you so much.”
“Wait a second…you’re skipping school?! But…you’re Leo! You’re perfect, you don’t do that!”
“I know, I know, I’m supposed to be the responsible one, and I know you look up to me, but I was just exhausted. Please don’t be disappointed in me, Sofi” Leo replied, looking more vulnerable than she’d ever seen him.
“I’m not disappointed, I could never be disappointed in you! I’m just surprised and…impressed! I didn’t know you had it in you, Leo!”
“I guess you have to be the perfect one now,” he replied, grinning at her.
“Yeah, about that…” Sofía said as she looked away.
“What? Is everything alright?”
“Leo, I skipped school today, too,” she confessed. It was a weight off her chest to tell her brother, but still, she was scared that he’d be disappointed in her, even though he had done the same thing.
“Oh, is that all? I already knew that. Why else would you be walking away from the house right after you were supposed to finish dance class? Plus, I saw you avoid Abuela’s house, and normally you’d never pass up an opportunity for some of her freshly made marquesitas.”
“So you’re not disappointed in me?”
“Just like you said to me, Sofi, I could never be disappointed in you. You’re my best friend. And honestly, you’re probably more responsible than I am. I’d probably skipped school at least twice by the time I was your age!”
“What?!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, but those are a story for another time. And another place—we should head home before it gets dark.” As they walked home, Sofía caught Leonardo up on everything new at home, like Mateo’s new soccer team and Isabella’s new love for sneaking around. She also told him what they’d all been up to that day, and he said he was glad to see they weren’t tearing each other apart in his absence.
It was comforting for her to know that Leo, too, had struggled in high school. She’d always thought he was perfect and managed everything without stress, but today she was seeing a different side of him. Maybe it wouldn’t be too terrible to take a day for herself just every once in a while…
As they entered the house, Leo breathed in deeply, smelling the tamales Mami was cooking in the other room. Yes, this was what he was missing at college. This, and his family. Before he could say anything, Sofía yelled for all the house to hear, “Hey, guess who I found wandering around!” Everyone rushed into the entryway. Mamá started crying tears of joy and Papa exclaimed “Leo!” while Mateo and Isabella immediately ran up to hug him. Soon, they were all sitting around the dinner table eating Mamá’s delicious tamales as he told them all about college and how studying to be a doctor was going. After dinner and helping Mamá clean up, all the siblings headed upstairs. They sat on the floor in Sofía’s room, and he said, “Hey, I heard you were playing cards earlier, how about we all play now?”
“Yes!” Sofía replied, grabbing the decks of cards from earlier, “Be warned, though, Isa’s a cheater.”
“Am not!” their little sister replied.
Leonardo watched fondly as all his little siblings started to squabble. It was hard to see them grow up and learn to live without him, but for now, he could just play cards and pretend he didn’t have to leave and go back to being an adult next week. Oh, how he’d missed these simple joys.
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