To Forgive and Forget
Have you ever experienced something that made your life change or made your view of life change ? Throughout my life I’ve experienced many life changing events, but one specific one changed my life big time, the day I saw my dad get taken away. I was nine years old at the time, and it was during the summer before fifth grade. I used to go to the YMCA summer camp while my mom and dad worked, and I would go around seven­thirty in the morning until five o’clock in the afternoon. One morning though, I got a big surprise. I slept in the same room as my sister who was four at the time, still sleeping in a crib. That morning around six o’clock, everyone in the house heard a knock on the door; between two complete thoughts, we were heavy sleepers though so we couldn't hear it. The FBI and police were there for a while trying to get us up and kept banging on the walls, front door, and windows. The knocks got louder and louder each time, soon we woke up hearing them yelling, “Open up the door its the police and the FBI!”.
Me and my sister were both really scared seeing the shadows of the policemen and FBI men at our windows, so we ran to my parents’ room. We lived with my grandpa and grandma at the time also so they came out wondering what was going on. They all came out of their rooms and we all stood in the hall wondering what was happening. We stood there then after a couple seconds of being quiet, we heard a big crash through a wall; the police had broke down our door and came in pointing their guns at us looking extremely furious and irritated, telling us to get on the floor. All of us got on the floor including my grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, sister and even

my one year old brother was also forced on the ground. They kept saying “Put your hands over your heads or else we’ll shoot!”.
I remember getting down asking my dad “Whats happening? Why are they here?” but the police didn't want us talking. After they were able to surround us they got us up and handcuffed my dad and grandpa and made my mom, grandma, sister, and I sit against a wall while two officers stayed there watching us. The FBI went to all the rooms and searched through everything, throwing stuff around, breaking stuff and making it look like a tornado past by. The two policemen watching over us went up to my dad asking him to get clothes because both my grandpa and dad were in boxers, and once they got dressed the policemen started asking my dad questions and searching him up on their computer in their records. My dad was born in Mexico and had his green card taken away from him, so he wasn't supposed to be in the USA, but that is why they had came. They found him and caught him. Once the policemen had done their research and had finished searching our whole house, they were ready to leave. They told us they would have to take my dad.
I still remember when they were all walking out my dad stopped, handcuffed with a sad face, I asked him “Dad where are you going? I'm not gonna see you anymore ?”, he told me
“Don't worry baby I’ll be back in no time don't worry I’ll be back soon with you guys”. I watched as they took him away crying in my moms arms thinking to myself “I will never see my dad again”. I sat there while my mom told me “Everything will be fine, now get ready for the
YMCA”. On my way to the YMCA, that is all I thought about, my dad being taken away. When
I got their everyone noticed my sadness and how I was sitting on the sidewalk with my head down remembering what had just happened that morning. All the leaders would ask what was

wrong but I would just stay quiet and turn away with tears coming down my face. We went to play basketball but I sat out, my friend Mario and cousin Brianna stayed with me and tried talking to me, but still nothing. Finally I cried to them telling them what I saw and what had happened. briana also being my cousin and being close to my dad was hurt by what I