"Answered Prayers" by Sandra F.

As teenagers, sometimes we belive we can overcome anything by ourselves. At least I have thought that when the person who I belived I had to succeed for didn't care about all the feats I've done. I wish this situation was different, but I can't change the way she is. I have the support of someone really special, who has help me a lot not only emotionally, but mentally. I try hard not to cry when I'm with my family because most of the time they tell me, "Don't cry, you have to be strong." Before I met him I would ask myself, "Who's going to be strong for me then?" With him I can cry my eyes out, although he doesn't like to see me upset he doesn't tell me to stop. He pushes me to work hard when I want to give up and forget my goals, he doesn't let me put myself down if I didn't reach my goal. He is a great person, but sometimes we need more than a person, something that will never leave us, something more than what we an see, something more.
It was summer now, many months had passed by since doctors said my grandfather, mi Guelo, had two months left of life. I never thought that he would last more than a year after that. My grandma had been calling more often now, but I didn't expect anything to happen since the same thing had happened before.
For the past months, at night, I'd prayed for mi Guelo. I would ask God to take what I loved the most, but not him. I would tell God to take me in his place. I would ask God to let him live until the moment when I did something really, really good to make him proud. I longed for the moment when he would say,"Chiripiorca -that's what he'd call me- estoy muy orgulloso de ti mija. Sigue luchando por tus suenos porque vaz a alcansarlos." In a way, he did.
It was like any other day, I got up, took a bath, changed, argued with my, but that day, July 24, 2007, on my way out I saw a napkin with my name on it. It read,"Sandra: Me siento tan orgullosa de ti y le pido a Dios por un mejor futuro para ustedes ojala y NUNCA cambies (Lucha por tus suenos, si no llegas que importa lo INTENTASTE) TE QUIERO MUCHO tu tia Cata para mi Ma de Lourdes:(Lucas, Lulu SANDRA) el original. I love you." I kept the napkin the whole day in my bag and read it over and over again during class. When I got home the routine continued, until my grandma called. My sister answered the phone and ran to my mom's room. My mom got the phone and went outside to the courtyard with my sister behind her like a little baby when her mother would go to work. I was playing tetris on the computer, when my aunt, who was in my room, asked who had called. I told her that it was my grandma and she came out, we both went out where my mom was sitting. My mom was crying and so was my sister, my aunt hadn't even asked what was wrong when my mom said,"Mi papa ya esta descansando en un lugar mejor." My aunt and I both fell to our knees crying. I cried like I've never cried in my life. Mi Guelo had been with me ever since I could remember, he was the only person in my family who said school was really important and our education is what will make us someone in life. He would always say that when we'd talk on the phone, eventhough he'd forget who I was sometimes. When ever he forgot me, my grandma would say,"Hablale es Sandra la hija de Claudia." I didn't mind, all I cared about was knowing if he was doing well. As I kept crying I remember the note I got in the morning... and I thank God.