When the morning came, Rudy and I got in the truck and started driving around El Paso. It felt different driving in a large city. I had grown so accustomed to country life that I felt out of place in the city, but for now, all we have to do is look for any landmarks Rudy would recognize that could help us. But it's no use, the city is a big place to be looking for two people.
While looking, we stopped at a restaurant on the south side of town. When I walked in with Rudy, an older couple who worked at the restaurant happily took our order, but a few minutes later, Rudy had a flashback to this. I knew this because he paused after he got his drink. I didn't know what he was thinking about, but I knew it was something heartwarming. While we were sitting there, a song called "La vida es un carnaval" by Celia Cruz started to play. It's one of my favorite songs of all time because of one line: "Ay, no hay que llorar, que la vida es un carnaval," which translates to,
"Oh, no need to cry, because life is a carnival." After we had finished eating, we started asking people if they had heard of a couple with the same last name, but nothing was found. So for an hour, and hours had passed, but still, there was nothing. I started to just give up on the fact that our parents were no longer in El Paso, but Rudy still kept trying. While looking, an old person started looking, it was like he recognised us, but he couldn't tell, then he finally asked what we were doing. I just told him that we were looking for two people whose last names are. Then, in the moment he looks at Rudy, his eyes widen, and he says
"Rudy you remember me"
When he said that I was confused "how could a random old guy" but then Rudy started to hug him like he was someone special. While he was hugging him I asked the guy how he knew Rudy then he said.
"Well, I knew Rudy when he was young. I used to feed ducks with him in the park near here, but ever since he got taken away from Javier and Maria, I felt like I would never see him again, but now my little man has gotten a lot bigger, and I have to say, "Who would you be?"
"I beg my apologies, sir. My name is Emmanuel Villalobos and Rudy is my little brother"
"Little brother? WAIT! " Your Emmanuel" he said with a shocked voice
"Uhhhh yes sir, I am"
"Well I heard about you from a friend of mine"
"Friend?"
"Ya your the boy that Roe was talking about"
"WAIT WHAT! Yo-your friends with Mr Roe!"
"Yes sir I do, Roe and I have been good friends for a long time now, in fact he actually told us about you and how you were really scared to see him but you grew attached to him very quickly and he also told us about Rudy and you were both brothers so that means Emmanuel you are Javi boy that he lost 18 years ago."
When I heard him say that, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. For 18 years, I could finally see what my parents looked like and maybe even ask them one thing that was on my mind.