Chapter 16 - The DepartureThe day Sofia left for the capital, the sky over Monterrey was a clear, brilliant blue.
We stood on the bustling platform of the central bus station. The air smelled of diesel exhaust and roasted corn from a nearby vendor. Sofia held a single, heavy suitcase. It contained all her clothes, her books, and the laptop we had spent two years saving up to buy.
She looked at the massive bus, then back at me. For a brief second, the fierce, confident eighteen-year-old vanished, and I saw the frightened little girl who used to hide behind my legs when the world was too loud.
"Papa," she whispered, her grip tightening on the handle of her suitcase. "What if I'm not ready? What if they are too smart, too connected... what if I don't belong there?"
I stepped forward and placed both my hands on her shoulders.
"Sofia, look at me."
She raised her dark eyes to meet mine.
"You belong wherever you choose to stand," I said firmly. "The people in that university... they have money, yes. They have connections. But they have never had to fight for their lives. They don't know the value of justice because it has always been handed to them on a silver platter. You know its true price. That makes you stronger than all of them."
She took a deep, shaky breath and nodded. The fear in her eyes melted away, replaced by that familiar, unbreakable resolve.
"I'll call you every Sunday," she promised, throwing her arms around my neck.
"Make them listen, my princess," I whispered into her hair.
May you like
I stood on the platform and watched the bus pull away, merging into the heavy traffic, carrying my entire world toward the horizon. My chest ached with the distance, but I didn't cry.
I smiled. The bird had finally left the nest, not to fly away from the storm, but to conquer it.
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