Chapter 5 - Stand By Me
We were in Chile, the sun warm on our skin, and the day stretched out before us—free, endless. Marcela, Susi, Patty, and me. The sisters. Not sure where my parents had wandered off to, but that was the way of childhood—lost in the moment, trusting the world to hold us.
Susi’s idea was simple but perfect: let’s go to El Bato, our
secret corner of the beach—a place that felt like ours, even if it was just for
today. So, we hitchhiked, naive and fearless, not thinking anything could
happen to us. We got dropped off at the train tracks, and I fell into step
behind, hoping a train would come so I could run alongside it, just like in the
movies—like in Stand By Me. I remember pressing my ear to the tracks,
listening for that distant rumble, feeling the vibration beneath my cheek,
alive with possibility.
We pushed through swamps, the mud and marsh pulling at our
feet, until finally—the beach. Our haven. Waves towering and fierce, crashing
in threes as if challenging us to count them, to wait for the next surge. And
in that moment, we were nothing but pure happiness—present, alive, unburdened.
That’s the thing about sisters—our love is unconditional. We
look out for each other, stand by each other, hold tight even when the world’s
noise tries to drown us out. It’s forever. It’s us.
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