"The Unexpected Phone Call " by Brianna J

     It was the summer of 1968, in a little town named San Luis Rio Colorado in Mexico. My grandpa worked as a carpenter and my grandma worked as a maid to feed their four kids. During the winter months, my grandpa became ill and was unable to work. Months went by and my grandma discovered she was pregnant. Nine months later she gave birth to my uncle, Angel Jimenez.
     Within six months of Angel's birth, my grandma was tired of working two jobs and my grandpa was still sick in bed with no signs of recovery. My grandma was basically feeding a family of seven. With her unable to make ends meet, one spring in early 1969 she decided to come to the United States. Her plan was for everybody at home to come with her but my grandpa was still sick. He was unable to move and the newborn baby became ill with bronchitis. My grandma became desperate, so taking advice from a doctor she decided to leave my grandpa and her newborn baby behind. That early spring, my grandma along with my uncle and three aunts came to the United States. The agreement was that my grandma would keep in contact with my grandpa and provide some financial support until he was able to go back to work. Also, for them to reunite in the near future.
     During my grandmas time in the US, she struggled to find employment and a place to stay. She felt fear and desperation because she couldn't find shelter for her kids. This lasted for about a week until one of my grandma's sisters moved from out of state, to California. She provided them with a place to stay until my grandma was able to find a job. Under a month later, my grandma discovered that she was pregnant with my dad. The only means of communication that my grandma and grandpa had were phone calls and letters. Suddenly, my grandpa's phone was disconnected and my grandma's letters never got a response. The letters included money that was for my grandpa and the baby.
     After about a year my grandma decided to go back to San Luis Colorado to look for my grandpa but, when she got there the house was empty. During her time there, she put his picture in the newspaper as a missing person. She also put an announcement on the radio that she was looking for him. She never heard anything back so she decided to come back to the United States.
     Years went by and unfortunately, my dad grew up without ever having a chance to meet his father and his brother. The only thing he had was a 3x3 black and white picture of his dad that he carried in his wallet. During my dad's youth, he suffered emotionally. He lacked a father figure in his life. He always wondered what it would be like if he had a father to coach him through the challenges he was facing at that time.
     Fast forward 49 years and it was Sunday, September 23 of 2018. My dad received a phone call from his older sister telling him that they had found my dads father and brother through Facebook. At that moment my dad was filled with joy, confusion, and shock. I also was in shock because I never thought they would be able to find him. It took a while to process this information. A few hours later my dad spoke with his sister to confirm that all this was actually legitimate. My aunt told my grandpa about my dad, he was shocked because he didn’t know that my dad existed because my grandma was never able to tell him she was pregnant.
Later on, that evening through Facebook Messenger, my dad, grandpa, and my uncle officially met for the first time in 49 years. I could not help but to get emotional because I knew how important this was for my dad and that this day would be a day he would never forget. I was also excited because I now had a new family.

     A week later out of excitement, all my immediate family decided to go and reunite with our missing family. We didn't know what to expect, but we were just so eager to meet them. Especially my dad since he was going to meet his dad and brother for the first time. When we met them, it was such a warm-hearted moment they filled our hearts with love.
     I would never forget the look on my dads face when my he met my grandpa in person for the first time, his eyes filled with tears and his arms were wide open to embrace his father's presence. Months have gone by since then and we still keep in touch and hope to see them soon again. Overall, this whole story has shown me that God works in mysterious ways and I am so glad God gave us another chance to establish family ties. This whole experience has taught me to cherish my family and to be thankful for my parents.