They caught the next ferry to Ellis Island itself. As they entered the main halls of what had been the processing center, Kepa couldn’t help but imagine the throngs of people that must have passed through here when it was at its peak. People who had given up everything and stepped into the unknown to find a new chance at life. He couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been and was thankful that he had had more opportunities at home, that he hadn’t had to make such a choice.

“Ondo zaude? Are you ok?” asked Maite as she watched him. 

“Huh?” He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “Bai, ondo nago. Just thinking about all of the people who stood here, hoping for something better out of life.”

They wandered through the hall, looking at the various exhibits. Edurne, who must have walked the halls more than a few times, still stopped at every exhibit, still studied each memento that marked the existence of one of those passengers who was otherwise lost to time. “I always find this place so fascinating,” she said. “So many names, it’s hard to imagine what became of all of them.”

Just then, her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out and sighed. “I’m sorry, guys, but it’s work. I need to take this. I’ll be right back.”

“Of course,” said Maite as Edurne slipped back outside to take the call.

“Should we wait here or should we continue on?” asked Kepa.

“Let’s keep going,” replied Maite. “She’s seen it all and we don’t want to be late for the show tonight.”

Kepa nodded as they made their way up the stairs to the second floor and the Registry Room. As they climbed the stairs, Kepa felt a strange tingling in his hand, almost like it was buzzing. He started to hear a buzz in his ear. He turned to Maite.

“Do you hear…?” he began, but he knew immediately that she did. She was looking at her hand, which had begun to glow. 

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” replied Kepa. Pointing at a corner, he said, “Let’s duck over there for a moment to figure this out.” He reached out to grab her hand. As soon as their hands touched, there was a flash of light and immediately they were surrounded by what seemed thousands of people, all dressed in strange clothes. The men wore thick suits while most of the women wore dresses that fell to their ankles, many wrapped in thick shawls. Children were everywhere. They all looked bedraggled, the weariness etched on their faces. 

“What just happened?” asked Kepa.

“I’m not sure,” replied Maite, as she looked down at her own clothes. She was wearing a dress similar to the other women in the room. “But, I think we’ve gone back in time.”

Kepa and Maite stood in line to board the ferry to Liberty Island. In front of them, beyond the throng of people also waiting in line, they could see the Statue of Liberty. Whenever Kepa turned around, he saw the massive skyscrapers of downtown Manhattan. He couldn’t wait until tonight, when they would hit Times Square and then the show. 

Edurne, who had taken the afternoon off to guide them through the city, stood next to them, staring across the water at the Statue of Liberty. “It always takes my breath away, you know,” she said, to neither of them in particular. “I always wonder what it would have been like, to be one of those young Basque boys or girls that were coming across the ocean to find a better life. Not knowing English, not having any family to greet you.” She shook her head. “It’s almost overwhelming to think about.”

“I imagine it must have been exciting and frightening at the same time,” replied Maite. “Seeing that statue rise out of the water as your ship got close must have been inspiring.”

“Your parents didn’t pass through here?” asked Kepa.

“Inola ere ez, no way,” replied Edurne. “By the time they came over, they just flew to where they needed to go. I think you have to go pretty far back when people passed through here when they arrived in the United States.”

As the gates to the ferry opened, they made their way onto the deck, Edurne taking them to a prime spot against the rail to see both the Statue of Liberty as they approached but also the Manhattan skyline behind them. After the last passengers got on the ferry, it slowly turned, plowing through the water toward Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty loomed above them as they got closer. 

“It’s not as big as I expected,” remarked Kepa. 

Edurne laughed. “No, I guess not. But, I imagine if you were a young Basque crossing the ocean for the first time, it must have looked pretty impressive.”

“I think these days,” added Maite, “we are so bombarded with ‘spectacular’ things that we lose a sense of scale.”

Edurne nodded as the ferry docked at the island. “Time to get off,” she said as she led the three of them toward the exit. “We’ll take a look at the Statue and the museum and then take the ferry to see Ellis Island.” 

They strolled along the pathway encircling the Statue, it’s large patina form towering above them. 

“It’s still pretty damn impressive,” said Maite as they stopped in front of the statue, its benevolent face gazing across the waters behind them. 

All Kepa could do was nod in agreement.

The next morning, Maite and Kepa slept like rocks. Edurne tried to let them sleep in while she spent the morning working from her home office. However, it was still pretty early when Kepa could hear voices outside his door.

“Sweety, they just flew thousands of miles across the ocean. They are very tired, they need some sleep.”

“But, I want to play cards!”

Kepa rolled over. He watched Maite’s peaceful face as she slept in the other bed. While no one else in the house was particularly preoccupied with Maite and Kepa sharing a bed, they themselves weren’t quite ready for that next step in their relationship and had opted to pull the two twin beds apart. Kepa sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to fall back asleep. He pulled the covers off and got out of bed. He threw on a robe that Edurne had left for him and slipped as quietly as he could out of the room.

George and Amaia were in the hallway. They looked up as Kepa closed the door behind him. 

“I’m so sorry, Kepa,” said George. “We didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It is no problem,” replied Kepa. “I was awake anyways.” He looked down at Amaia. “Besides, I heard someone wants to play cards?”

Amaia squealed as she grabbed Kepa’s hand and pulled him toward the living room. 

“Can I at least get you some coffee?” asked George as Kepa plopped down in a chair. 

“That would be great,” replied Kepa with a smile as Amaia began dealing out the cards. “What are we playing?”

“Go Fish!” 

Kepa laughed. “I don’t know that one, you will have to teach me.”

Amaia’s face filled with disbelief. “You don’t know how to play Go Fish?”

Kepa shook his head as he accepted the cup of steaming coffee from George. “Mil esker,” he said to George. Turning back to Amaia, he replied “No, my parents never taught me that one.” 

After the third game of Go Fish, Kepa was beginning to think he understood the rules, even if he kept losing every game. He heard the floorboards creak and looked up to find Maite standing over him, a cup of coffee in her hand. She sat down next to him, wrapping her arm around his back. “Egun on,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Egun on!” said Amaia enthusiastically. “Do you want to play?”

“Oh, no!” replied Maite. “I’m not a card player. Besides, I need to talk to your mom and dad about our plans for the day.”

“What are our plans for the day?” asked Kepa, as curious as Amaia.

“We were thinking of seeing the Statue of Liberty before going to that show with Unai and Eric. How does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect,” said Kepa. He turned to Amaia. “Do you have any sevens?”

“Go fish!” squealed Amaia as Maite chuckled and headed toward the kitchen.

Kepa hadn’t seen a feast like this since, well, the last time his cousin had visited the Basque Country and his mom had invited everyone to the baserri. Edurne’s parents had laid out the table with salads, beans, steak, roasted vegetables, and freshly made bread. In addition to Kepa and Maite, Edurne and her family, and Edurne’s parents, Edurne’s brother and his partner had also joined them. Kepa wondered when the last time so many people had been forced into this room, but then he remembered he was with fellow Basques and assumed it was likely last week.

Kepa poked at one of the brussel sprouts on his plate. “Zer da hori?” he asked for the sixth time.

Maite just laughed. “I guess we don’t eat many of these back at home, eh?” 

Edurne also laughed. “Don’t worry,” she said. She nodded toward her four-year-old daughter who sat across the table with her husband. “Amaia doesn’t like them either.”

A twinkle lit up in Kepa’s eyes as he looked at Amaia. “Nahi duzu?” he asked, pointing to the brussel sprouts. “Do you want?” He chuckled as Amaia shook her head vehemently. 

Maite stabbed one of the brussel sprouts off of his plate and put it in her mouth. “But they are so good. Goxoak dira!”

Amaia held up her plate. “Do you want?” she asked Maite. 

Edurne’s husband, George, nearly choked on his wine as he tried to hold back his laughter. “She’s too smart, this one. It’s hard to fool her, believe me, I’ve tried.” George was maybe a few years older than Edurne, with thick hair and a beard that were starting to show just hints of grey. Maite thought he must have been quite dashing when Edurne first met him.

“Maybe she’ll grow up to be a physicist like her cousin, eh?” asked Edurne’s brother, Unai. Maite knew Unai, now in his late twenties, from his visits to the Basque Country, but during those visits, they had never clicked. Even though Edurne was so much older than her, Maite had always gravitated more to her, maybe because she was like the older sister she never had. But, Unai had grown into a strong young man, not quite the mountain that his dad was, but still powerfully built. He looked like he had just come from the stylist, his hair immaculate. Maite couldn’t help but be thankful he didn’t sport the mullet that was still so popular back at home. Unai’s partner, Eric, who sat next to him, was more slender, sporting a ginger goatee that was neatly trimmed. He seemed rather quiet. 

“If she’s that clever, I expect she’ll find a different path,” replied Maite with a chuckle. 

“So, how are your parents?” asked Anton, Edurne’s father. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen Fulgencio and Rosario.”

It had been a while since Maite had seen Anton and Feliciana, her mother’s second cousins. They looked much the same as before, though a bit greyer. Anton was always a mountain of a man, and had seemed like a giant to Maite when she was young and first met him. He still seemed built like an ox, though most of his hair had disappeared. Feliciana was still the same striking woman she remembered. She had always thought she must be some American movie star, the way she lit up the room and drew attention wherever she went. Edurne was almost the spitting image of that young, glamorous woman Maite remembered from her youth.

“They are well,” replied Maite after a sip of her wine. “A bit sad that I might go to graduate school in the United States, but otherwise enjoying their retirement.”

“We had so many good times in their bar,” sighed Feliciana. “Remember that time, after Jose’s wedding…”

“Ah, dear, let’s not get into our long stories now,” interrupted Anton. “I expect Kepa and Maite are tired after such a long flight. Tomorrow, however, we’ll regale them with stories of old.” He turned toward the pair. “A night cap before seeing you off?”

Kepa and Maite nodded as they all retired to the living room. Despite Anton’s previous protestations, he sucked Maite, Edurne and Unai into stories of his childhood, growing up in the Basque Country, coming to America to work in the big city, meeting Felciana, and staying forever. “Maybe we’ll move back when we retire,” he said.

Feliciana elbowed him in the ribs. “We’ve been retired for years now,” she said. “And you say that every year.”

Kepa, meanwhile, sat around the coffee table with George and Eric sipping his glass of cognac. He chuckled. “I usually don’t get the good stuff back at home,” he said. 

“These guys never spare any expense,” replied George. “You should see how they spoil Amaia.”

“I can imagine. If I had a kid, I know my ama would go crazy.”

“What are your plans for your time in New York?” asked Eric.

Kepa shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest.” He nodded at Maite. “This is her show. I’m just here for moral support.”

“Well,” replied Eric. “My company often has tickets for shows, not always Broadway, but usually still pretty good. I could probably swing some tickets if you are all interested.”

“That would be nice,” said George. “I’m sure Anton and Feliciana wouldn’t mind spoiling Amaia for a night. And Edurne just finished a big project at work, I think she can get away.”

“Sounds good to me, but I can’t promise I will stay awake the whole time,” added Kepa.

“Great! Let’s check with everyone, but I’ll try to get tickets in the morning.”

Amaia approached the three men, her hands hidden behind her back. She then placed a deck of cards on the table. “Will you play cards with me?” she asked.

The three of them chuckled. “Sure,” replied Kepa. “But, you’ll have to teach me these American rules first.”