The first night they spent on the streets of Juárez, José left Roberto for awhile to go ask about getting across the border. He came back well after midnight, tired and silent. “Nothing.” He said. That was the only word Roberto could get from him.
The next day he went again and the next and the next. Walking up and down asking anyone who looked helpful, “What papers do I need to get across the border? Where can I get them?” But no one said anything helpful. The boys had no birth certificates, and so, no way to get legal papers.
Then José found a man who told him, “I’ll make you a deal.”
“What sort of deal?” José asked.
“I’ll make you papers and give you twenty dollars to start life in America. All you and your brother have to do is a little work for me.”
“What work do you need?” José asked, excited.
“Oh, it’s nothing hard. I have a man in El Paso who needs a few packages brought to him. You’ll carry them to him. That’s all.”
José paused and looked at him nervously. “Carry something across?”
“Nothing big and I’ll give you the papers and twenty dollars.”
José bit his lip and thought it over. He knew what the man wanted him to carry – drugs. If he was caught with his load, he’d be arrested. But, if he didn’t carry it, they would never get any papers. He had promised Roberto that he would get them both across. He told Roberto to trust him and now he had to do something. He would carry it all, that way Roberto would never be arrested. He had to take the responsibility. But he didn’t want to do it at all; he was scared. He wished he could go home, but there was no food or money at home. He saw no way out. Slowly, he nodded. “Alright. I’ll do it.”
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