Roberto was sitting in the shade of a store building, leaned against the wall. His face was turned down and his fingers were wrapped tightly around his necklace. He had been waiting here in the tiny town of La Mesa for José for nearly two weeks. At first he had eagerly scanned the street, expecting José to come any minute, but now hope was fading. How long should he wait? What if José was still in an American jail somewhere? Maybe the police had killed him. What had happened to José after Roberto walked away?
Roberto heard feet walking towards him. They stopped right in front of him and he looked up, startled. A Border Patrol Guard stood over him. Roberto jumped to his feet and backed away.
“Roberto?” The guard asked.
Roberto licked his lips nervously. “Why do you want to know?”
“Do you have a brother named José?”
Roberto’s lip trembled. They had gotten José to talk. He had told them where to find them and now they would put him in jail too. He turned and ran. The Border Patrol guard caught hold of his arm. “Hey, wait kid. Listen to me.” Roberto screamed, jerked free, and ran away as fast as he could. He hid behind another store building.
A moment later, he heard a voice calling, “Roberto! Roberto! Where are you?”
He knew that voice. It was José calling him. Slowly he crept out of hiding and looked up the street. José was standing there, weakly leaning against the wall of the store. His shoulder was bandaged and his arm was in a sling. “JOSÉ!” Roberto yelled, running to him.
José put his good arm around him and pulled him close. “I told you I’d make it, Roberto.”
Then Roberto saw the Border Patrol Guard behind José, watching them. He pulled away from José and stared at him uncertainly. “Did you bring him?” He asked José.
José grinned and ran a hand through his little brothers hair, “It’s alright. He’s not going to arrest you. Everything is fine now.”
Fantastic story! You are such a great writer and I loved reading this! After each part was over, I was wondering what would happen next...I was glad I didn't have to wait and see on the last few. :) I think you should write a book!
ReplyDeleteHi Amy!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm glad you liked it. I actually have written a book. It's not about illegal immigrants, but it does have Hispanics in it. Grandma read it and liked it a lot. Here is the link where you can get it: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/church-on-the-line/10636717?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1
Sorry, it's a little on the expensive side (it's not my fault -- all the money goes to the publishing company), but you can download to your computer for only $3 if you like.
Thanks for reading my blog and commenting on it!
Martha