Into America: Part 6

“Come on.” José slung his bag over his shoulder and motioned for Roberto to follow him.

It was morning and the streets were just starting to come alive with cars and people. Roberto silently followed him, his eyes wide and scared. He desperately wanted José to hug him and tell him again that everything would be ok, but all José was silent and unresponsive.

José turned and entered a low doorway. Inside, there was a man weighing square packages wrapped in plastic. Roberto followed his brother in and crouched in a corner, watching. “I’m here.” José said quietly.

The man jumped and turned to look at the boys. “Ah. Good.” He stepped behind them and shut the door. “Well, let’s get down to business. Stand up, kid. I’ll load you first.” He said to Roberto.

José jumped between the man and Roberto. “No. Only me.”

“It’s too much for one boy to carry.”

“You aren’t putting an ounce on my brother, I tell you.” José answered sharply. “If you touch him, I’ll fight you.”

The man shrugged. “Alright. Fine. Take your shirt off.”

José pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor. The man took tape and strapped the packages firmly to José’s thin body with bands of sticky tape. Roberto watched with his mouth open. The man was right. It WAS a lot to carry. By the end, José had packages strapped to his back and all around his legs. The man finished and nodded with satisfaction. “Two full pounds of top quality marijuana. Perfect. Be careful with that load, kid. It’s worth five thousand dollars.”

José nodded, pulled his shirt back over his head to cover the drugs, and took the papers. “Let’s go, Roberto.”

“That tape is too tight.” Roberto said. “It’s cutting into your skin.”

“Be quiet.” José snapped. He turned away so he wouldn’t have to look at Roberto. As José turned, Roberto saw his lip tremble and a tear sparkle in his eye.

Into America Part 4

The train slowed as it entered Juárez station. “End of the line! Get off! End of the line!” The conductor yelled.

Roberto and José waited clung to the side of the train and waited until the train stopped. As soon as it jerked to a halt, they dropped to the ground and started to run. No one noticed they ragged boys running out of the station. As soon as they were well away from the train, José stopped. “Juárez! We made it, Roberto! Look! That’s America right over there!”

They were standing on a hill and below them they could see the city spread out. Behind them was the famous mountain with the words “the Bible is the truth, read it” in large Spanish letters. Through the middle of the city in front of them, splitting the city in two was a river with high fences and walls on both sides. “See?” José pointed. “Everything this side of the river is Juárez and everything on that side is called El Paso. It’s in America.”

Roberto stared at America, so near and yet so far. “How are we going to get there? There’s a big fence. Can we take the big bridge over there? All the cars are going across.”

José shook his head. “No. I asked about that already. You have to show an I. D. and we don’t have one.”

“How are we going to do it then?” Roberto asked.

José shrugged, “Oh, there are ways of getting a fake I.D. We just have to ask someone.”

“But,” Roberto pointed out. “They might want money for a fake I.D.”

José grinned and ran his hand through his little brother’s hair. “Don’t WORRY, Roberto. I’ll figure something out. I have this under control.”

Into America Part 2

Here is the next part of the same series:

It grew dark and Roberto shivered. José walked endlessly back and forth, back and forth on the running board, trying to stay warm. The high desert at night can be quite cold. “What are we going to do in the United States?” Roberto asked.

José stopped and looked at him. “We will work. We will get a job.”

Roberto wrapped his arms around himself, trying to get warm. The train rumbled on; on and on and on. “Will they hire us? I’m only twelve and you are fourteen. Who will hire us?”

“Someone will hire us.” José answered, starting to walk again.

Roberto was quiet for a while then asked, “How will we get across the border?”

José shrugged and looked angry, “How should I know? Just be quiet.”

Roberto lay down and pulled a potato sack around him for a blanket. José stopped again and looked down the tracks. The train was slowing down. He ran to Roberto and shook him. “Roberto, wake up! The train is stopping.”

Roberto jumped up and grabbed his bag. “Police! Police!” The shout was passed from person to person along the train.

“Hurry, Roberto!” José grabbed his bag and ran to the edge of the train. In the dark, he could not see what was below him. He jumped, hit the ground and rolled on the gravel and sand.