The day has arrived. The car drives us in a smooth journey to the hospital. I am placed on the foam bed. Tyrone stands off to the side. “I love you, Trin, do not ever forget that,” his soft eyes relax me. I have lost my strength to say anything back. I let my lids close.


I hear piercing cries. Shrieking so high pitched the glass windows could shatter. As my eyes open, I see my babies. I see the beautiful boy. A little tuft of dark hair rests on his head. Dull blue eyes and a beaked nose, like Tyrone. In the nurses other hand lays my little girl. Little wisps of light brown hair cover her small head like a blanket. Dull grey eyes reveal a full moon. Her lips are shaped in an O.
I feel a tear drop drip down my cheek and I reach my hands out to hold my boy and girl. The nurse rests each one in my arms and leaves the room. A doctor comes in just as the door shuts.
“Trinity Devlin, I am Dr. Axel. . . you must remember me?” His tone has changed and he wears a sympathetic look. “Have you thought of any names for your beautiful babies?”
I suddenly remember our decision and tears stream down my face. Through sniffles and coughs I manage to tell Dr. Axel which baby to take away. He doesn’t take my baby girl away, instead he runs to the door, rips out his earpiece and locks it.
“Trinity, listen to me right now. Outside the window in 47 seconds will be a transporter. Go into that immediately. Okay? Do not hesitate. Both your babies are safe,” his raspy whisper swarms my head. “Okay, now. Go!” He helps me out of bed and I stumble as I walk.
“Tyrone?” I spit out his name.
“You have enough food and clothes to get by for a while. You’ll be good. Now go before it is too late and you blow your chance.” Dr. Axel opens the window and helps me climb into the transporter. It is a metal cylinder with only a small half moon window on the side. “Good luck, Trinity. It has been a pleasure.”
“What about Tyrone?” I yell but the doors close and I can no longer hear anything. The transporter begins to lift off and I look through the small window. I see Dr. Axel unlock the office door. As soon as he twists the key, the door flies open and more than 20 Union Troops in their black uniforms tackle him to the floor and taze him to death. I see his lifeless body get dragged out of the room. Before I can see anything more, the cylinder blasts away so fast everything around me becomes a blur.
My heart races as if I just finished a marathon. My vision blurs in and out of focus. I make out two cradles in the corner with a little bedsheet. One pink, one blue. I stumble to put my babies in the cradle then slump to the floor. 


I awake to the cries of my twins. Their loud shrieks pierce my eardrums as I quickly pick them up and cradle them in my arms. Immediately, their wails turn to quiet whispers then silence. As I look into their grey eyes, names come to mind. Ebony and Talin. I kiss their soft foreheads one by one then lay with them tucked close to my chest for several minutes.
The ride is smooth. No bumps or shakes. My babies have fallen asleep so I gently lay them back in their cradles. I walk to the pile of cans neatly stacked in the corner. Sitting on top is a crumpled up note.
Trin,
Everything is going to be okay. I will meet up with you in America. When you arrive, hopefully you will be in Oakland, California. From there, it is an 8 mile walk to San Francisco. Maybe you can get a ride rather than put yourself through such a journey. I will be there in a month. Meet me by the Golden Gate Bridge. You can’t miss it, it is a mile long and a vibrant orangey-red color. In exactly a month, bring our twins to the very middle of that bridge. If everything works out I will be there by 5:30pm.
I love you don’t ever forget that.
Tyrone
“‘If everything works out’, what works out?” I say aloud to myself. Only silence follows. I lay on the cold ground with the note crumbled in my hand. I stare at his writing. His soft cursive reminds me of his voice. The sweet voice that used to wish me goodnight before I went to bed. The voice that filled me with joy and laughter. Made me happy every day I woke.

San Francisco Palm trees dance in the wind like ballerinas. The sun bakes down on my skin. I lay on the sand with Ebony and Talin sitting beside me scooping grains of sand that pour through the spaces in between their small fingers. I check my watch every five minutes waiting for 5:00 to come so I can meet Tyrone by the bridge.
“You guys get to see Daddy soon,” I say in a high pitched voice. Toothless smiles return and I hug them and snap a picture with my phone. “Daddy is going to love these pictures.”
The time has come at last. Every inch of me shakes in excitement. All I want is to be in his arms. Sitting on the couch together while Ebony and Talin sit next to us. Our perfect family finally becoming a reality.
I push the stroller over the bridge and stop in the middle. The ocean below looks vicious, like it’s waiting to claim a victim in its depths. The breeze is light, just strong enough to lift strands of my hair and let them soar.
My watch reads 5:30. A smile erupts across my face. I rock the stroller back and forth and pace in circles on the sidewalk. 5:31. My stomach twist in knots. I need Tyrone. I need to hold his hand and feel safe in his comfort. Only a minute has gone by but I am stressing. 5:32. My eyes switch between my watch and both sides of the bridge. Waiting to see his tall frame walking towards me. Arms outstretched ready to give me a warm hug.
I begin to walk to cover all parts of the bridge but my walk becomes a jog and quickly evolves to a sprint. Ebony and Talin begin to cry from the stroller but all I can think about is Tyrone.
A fire is beginning to ignite in the sky and my watch reads 7:26. My stomach aches with hunger and my screaming babies won’t give in. My legs burn like sparks have been searing through the blood in them. Beads of sweat cover my forehead. My eyes have watered over, blurring my vision but I am determined. Tyrone is here. He is waiting on this bridge for me, just like his note said. I have waited a month to see his smiling face. A month of raising our twins. I need him, now. I need someone to help me raise them. They need to see their father.
The moon is full and reflects it’s brilliant light over the raging ocean below. I sit on the sidewalk and feed Ebony and Talin. They swallow everything within seconds. I take the granola bar I brought and try to savor each bite but end up eating within seconds, as well. My watch says 9:46. The traffic which used to cover every inch of the bridge is gone leaving only me and my twins with the moon.
Tyrone isn’t here. It’s been over four hours since he said he would meet me in his note. I make my way back to the apartment. Each foot drags on the pavement. Each step takes more effort than the last. I burst in tears. Every part of me hurts. I can’t do this. I can not raise my twins without him. I need Tyrone. I need him like the moon needs its stars to keep company.

My alarm beeps and I jump right out of bed. Having not changed into pajamas three hours ago, I rush to grab my twins and run to the bridge. I know he’ll be there. Sitting on the sidewalk holding two wine glasses and celebrating since I can finally drink again. Ebony and Talin laying in their cradles besides us. He’ll be on the bridge, laying on a beach blanket, waving anxiously at me when I am in his view. We will meet again.
The sun has barely risen. Remnants of the night are still present, the moon too stubborn to leave for the day. I get to the middle of the bridge and see no man. No signs of anyone. No note. No nothing.
I want to cry but I have cried out all of the liquid in my body. My puffy eyes could not be any bigger. I lean over the railing and look down into the vicious ocean. I begin to dry heave. I try to throw up but I have not eaten since that granola bar. My body is completely empty. I am helpless.
Days go by and each day I go to the bridge after four hours of sleep expecting to see him. Every journey from my apartment to the bridge gets slower. More solemn, more lonely. My twins are growing with each passing week. Teeth pop in. Hair grows longer. My little girl has retained Tyrone’s bright blue eyes. Every time I look into her soul, I see the Caribbean Sea, the same sea I used to see every morning I woke with Tyrone. Talin has the same facial structure as him. I see Tyrone every time I see my little boy. They are growing up. I am raising them alone. With no father.

“Mom, see you after school,” Ebony says as she runs out the door.
“Love you both,” I yell as they sprint to the bus. “More than you could know,” I say to myself. From the window I watch them step onto the bus. My children are beautiful. They are perfect. I know wherever Tyrone is, he knows they are wonderful children. I still go to the bridge every night at 5:30 but I come home at 5:45 because after ten years, he has not shown up. The only thing keeping me voyaging to the bridge is an ounce of hope deep in my heart that wishes he’ll show up.
An envelope slides through the door and I pick it up. The return address says nothing but “The Union” and the name on the front is Trinity. No last name, no address. Only a scribbled writing that looks as though it was written in 30 seconds. But I recognize those scribbles. Those are Tyrone’s scribbles. I tear open the envelope and a messily scratched letter falls out.
Trinity, my lovely wife,
  I hope life has been treating you swell and I hope our children have been living in this wonderful world in grace and peace. Your undeniable strength is something I need you to keep as you progress the following years and raise our children into wonderful adults––
I toss the note on the ground as tears well up in my eyes. I can not read anything more. Tyrone is never coming. The note has made it clear. I will never be reunited with the love of my life. My children will never meet their father. They will never have a father to look up to as a role model. I am alone. Alone is this world.
I run to the balcony and look down the ledge below. Palm trees are solemn as they stutter in the wind. There is no dancing. Clouds have covered the sun like they know there is no light left in my life. A drop sprinkles my forehead and drips down my face. It combines with tears that flow down my cheeks like a mad river. More drops fall on my head soaking me to the bone. I look like I just jumped into the raging ocean under the bridge, but that doesn’t bother me. I want nothing to do with anything. The rain has no effect. I shiver but feel no coldness. I shake but feel no emotion. I am alone.
The rain has passed and I find myself still standing on the balcony. Not one muscle has moved. I gain the energy to walk back inside, dragging puddles over the marble floors. My apartment has turned into a swimming pool but all I want to do is finish the note. These are Tyrone’s last words. I must finish what he intended me to read.
I love you, Trin. More than you can imagine.
As you know, I work for the government and having that job had many benefits for our family. I was able to steal one of their hidden transports and program it to fly you and our children from the hospital to America. Everything went as planned. The transporter sent the signal that you had successfully landed in Oakland. But, unfortunately, I was not the one who received the signal. Another man saw it, reported it, and an investigation followed, where every single worker was interviewed. I have been keeping quiet, although I am your husband, who else would have done this? They know it was me, Trin. I am writing this note with the only time I have. They are interviewing me in five minutes and I am turning myself in. What I have done- letting you leave The Union for America, is a crime. Now, I must serve the consequences. Just know, I love you. You will always be my special woman. I will watch you and our children from above with great pride and joy. I must go. I am out of time. Stay positive. I am always with you.
-Tyrone
My legs give out. I fall to the floor in a mess of tears and dry heaves. Hours go by and I remain frozen in the puddle. Screaming and crying. My throat burns but nothing can make me move or settle down.
Ebony and Talin arrive home but I remain stuck in shock.
“Mom!” They both yell simultaneously as they see someone who resembles their mother but looks like a crying zombie. The note is still in my hand but Talin rips it away and reads it silently. Ebony reads over his shoulder. I want to tell them not to read it. I want to rip it out of their hands. But I can’t. I have cried out all of my strength. When they finish the note, their eyes become coated in a sheet of gloss and they slump to the floor next to me. I wrap my arms around both of them and we lay there, all together. We cry for hours, all together, not saying a word. I hug them so tightly they squirm out of my grip.
“I love you,” I manage to say through trembling breaths.
“I love you, mom,” Ebony wheezes.
“I love you, forever,” Talin says strongly. And we lay there. We lay there, together, as a family.