The border is as crazy as I remember it. There are thousands of people here trying to cross the border either into Mexico or into the US to celebrate the holiday.

I’m about 30 minutes early. The attorneys not here yet and there are too many people for me to see if Dom’s on the other side yet or not.

I’m coming up on the check point. Jade’s being fussy, it’s hot and loud and people are bumping into us. Now nobody really wants their child to be uncomfortable but for once I am hoping that her crying will work in our favor. I’m hoping the already stressed officer isn’t going to want me to stand there digging out my ID while Jade’s fussing since I’m “only” taking Jade across to drop her off for her visitation with her other father. It’s only a small deception. I mean I am taking Jade for a visitation with her other father. But if this works I’m not coming back to US… I’ll be going home with my husband, with my family.

She didn’t think twice about it once I gave her my explanation she just waved us through… I’m scared. This is too easy, too simple to work. I just caught site of Dom. He’s staring at me in shock. This is it. I’m just over half way there now. Someone’s shouting behind me. I glance back and it’s the border officer that escorted me to my wedding. Just my luck to be seen by the one guy that can identify me without my ID; the one guy who knows I never should have gotten past the border check.

I’m clutching Jade to my chest and trying to push past the other people as fast as I can. I’m so close… I have to make it. I can see Dom pointing me out to the Mexican border patrol. I’m not sure what he said but suddenly they are trying to clear a path for me. I feel someone grab my arm. I turn my head and look into the angry face of the border officer that was chasing me. Out of no where Dom and Vince appear. Vince is taking Jade from my arms and Dom has latched onto my other arm while throwing a fist at the border officer.

A moment later we’re across that invisible line. We’re in Mexico, in the border patrols office. Jade’s screaming her head off yelling for me and her Papa trying to get out of Vince’s arms. The US officer is there to, yelling about how I’m an American citizen on parole. That I’m not authorized to be outside of the US borders. Dom’s yelling that I’m his husband, that I’m a Mexican citizen. I’m digging around in the diaper bag looking for the papers I got from the Mexican government in June. The Mexican patrol officer is yelling at everyone to be quiet. He takes the papers from me; looks them over and then tells the US border officer that my status in America is no longer an issue, I’m a Mexican citizen and have the right to refuse to return and protection from being forced to.

Dom is wrapping his arms around me, telling me I’m safe, that I’m home. I’m finally where I want to be, with my husband, with my daughter, my family. I told Dom the 4th of July was a family holiday. I’m going to go throw up now.