“You live in America Valeria! You should be so happy to go back home!” Giuseppe was in disbelief when I expressed disappointment about going back to the drear of Detroit. “Leaving this beautiful place is always hard,” I responded. “But you’re going to America!” he shouted. “The land of opportunity! Big buildings, Broadway Theater, Disney World, Madonna and Michael Jackson! Everything and everyone is in America!” My cousin put his hands on my shoulders and shook as if to wake me from a delirious dream. Only when the sadness in my eyes was obvious and real did the stars that danced in the blacks of his iris begin to fade. The sparks of excitement were quickly replaced with a brush of softness that held my gaze. We hugged and an ache pooled at my center. Squeezing my eyes shut hard to force the tears away. If only I could take him and show my America, I thought.
