Hello, Universe

by Erin Entrada Kelly

grade. He imagined all those years stretching ahead of him like a long line of hurdles, each of them getting taller, thicker, and heavier, and him standing in front of them on his weak and skinny legs. He

over. He should have been skipping home, ready to tackle the bright summer ahead. Instead he walked through the front door like a defeated athlete—head low, shoulders hunched, a sack of disappointment sitting on his chest like an anvil. Because today, it was official: he was a Grand Failure.

With the exception of Virgil, that’s how the Salinas family was—big personalities that bubbled over like pots of soup. Virgil felt like unbuttered toast standing next to them.

After Joselito and Julius scurried off—ever the helpful brothers—Virgil’s parents presented him like a rare exhibit they didn’t quite understand.

That was their name for him: Turtle. Because he wouldn’t “come out of his shell.” Every time they said it, a piece of him broke.

That was six years ago, and he knew he was still her favorite, even though she’d never said so again.

I only pray at night, because it’s my least favorite time of day.

anymore. I don’t think he knows how to be a dad to an eleven-year-old girl. You

She didn’t understand why anyone would want a pet guinea pig, but everyone knew what it was like to be lonely.

Then again, her parents were the ones who had bought it, and Virgil knew from firsthand experience that kids can’t pick their parents.

There’s always a footnote to her I love yous. “I love you, be home by four.” “I love you, be sure to answer my texts.” “I love you, be careful.” I wonder if she does it to my dad, too.

Right now I’m just a girl eating a sandwich, waiting to see what happens next.

“My dear Bayani,” said Ruby. “There is always a next time.”

channel. She tried to explain that the documentary was necessary for her to explore past-life transgressions, but he said it was March Madness and past-life transgression didn’t happen during college basketball season.

“Bayani, of all the things you ever tell yourself in life, never say, ‘There’s no chance.’”