I was five when our parents died, and everything familiar vanished overnight. My sister Emma was seven, and my brother Liam just nine, but that night he whispered a promise: “We’re all we’ve got. I’ll take care of you.” And he meant it.
Liam skipped meals so Emma and I could eat, protected us from bullies, and kept us together through foster homes. He reminded us of our parents’ dream: “We’ll get the café back one day.”
As we grew, we worked tirelessly—Liam at sixteen, Emma at seventeen, and I joined when I could—saving every dollar. At eighteen, we pooled our money, rented a small apartment, and stayed together. Years of sacrifice paid off when we bought back the café, then eventually our family home.
Now, each of us has our own lives, but every weekend we gather there. Liam still says the words he spoke as a boy: “Only together can a family survive anything.” That promise at nine didn’t just guide us—it saved us.