It was a day like no other. The Estrada family always had big family celebrations. But this was different. There were so many people in Naya’s small house in Florida. She didn’t even recognize half of them.
They were all waiting for the big rocket launch. Everyone was having fun . . . everyone except Naya.
She was hiding out in her bedroom, hugging her favorite turtle pillow. Naya couldn’t pretend to be happy.
Her mother was sitting inside a rocket ship, about to blast off into space. She would be gone for three whole months. Plus, Naya couldn’t help thinking about everything that could go wrong on the mission.
“What are you doing?” Abuelo asked, pushing open the door. “You’re missing the party.”
Naya shrugged. Abuelo smiled and kissed Naya’s head. “Your mom has spent years training for this mission. Everything will be fine.”
“Aren’t you a little scared though?” Naya asked, her voice quivering.
“When you’re scared, you take a deep breath. Like one of your sea turtles coming up for air before it goes underwater again.” Abuelo reached out and held his granddaughter’s hand.
“Then you slowly let it out and face whatever is bothering you. I taught your mother that very same thing when she was your age.”
It was a day like no other. The Estrada family always had big family celebrations with aunts, uncles, and cousins of all ages, but this was different. There were so many people in Naya’s small house in Florida that she didn’t even recognize half of them. They were all having a good time eating, talking, and laughing while they waited for the big rocket launch. Everyone was having fun . . . everyone except Naya
She was hiding out in her bedroom. Her favorite turtle pillow was clutched tightly in her hands while she stared at her laptop.
Naya couldn’t pretend to be happy when her mother was sitting inside a rocket ship, about to blast off into outer space. Her mom would be gone for three whole months. Plus, Naya couldn’t help thinking about everything that could go wrong on the mission.