The Book in Room 316

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

  I bit my bottom lip, fighting off curse words at the carrot that he’d just dangled. “Please don’t do this to me, Sergio.”

  “Anna, I’m just asking for an hour. Please? You work fast, so that’s all it will take. Rosa is the only one here. And there is no way she can get all these rooms done on time. We had a full house last night. I’m cleaning rooms,” he said, motioning to a cart behind him. “And you know I haven’t cleaned rooms in five years.”

  I nodded. That was the truth. Since they made Sergio a supervisor, he was excellent at supervising. And that was it.

  “I am desperate, Anna,” he said.

  I sighed and he seized the moment.

  “Just do your normal. The rooms on the third floor. We’ve already knocked out the first two floors, and cleaned up that disgusting mess from Mary Louise. If you could do the third and fourth floors, that would be great.”

  “Sergio . . .”

  “You can be out of here in an hour—two, tops. I promise I’ll make it up to you. I’ll give you that time off for the state fair.”

  I groaned. Sergio knew how badly I had wanted to go to the state fair in Dallas. One of my church members had given the kids and me tickets to the fair and vouchers for food and rides. Since we never got to go anywhere, I thought it would be a great outing for us as a family. But two other people had requested that day off before I did.

  “Ugh,” I groaned. “Okay, fine. Let me go tell my kids.”

  “You are a lifesaver,” he said, kissing me on the cheek and darting off down the hall.

  I took a deep breath, then walked back into the lobby. My kids jumped up when they saw me.

  “Time to go to the zoo,” Alejandro sang.

  The look on my face wiped the excited expression off theirs.

  “Uh, Mom, what’s up?” Miguel asked.

  I sighed. “Kids, Mommy has to work.”

  “What?” all three of them said in unison.

  “Not long,” I quickly interjected. “Just a couple of hours.”

  “Mommy . . .” Alejandro whined.

  “Please?” I said. “Just be patient. Here,” I said, reaching into my purse, which was wrapped around my body, and pulling out a twenty-dollar bill. “Miguel, take them across the street to get some ice cream.”

  “Ice cream in the morning?” Miguel said.

  “Yes. Is that okay with you?” I smiled, hoping it would ease their frustration.

  “It’s great,” he said, welcoming the consolation prize. I was a stickler on how they ate, so the fact that I was encouraging ice cream before noon was a rare occurrence.

  “Good. I love you all.” I took all three of them by the hand and kissed them each on the cheek. “We’re going to have a great time today. Just give me a little bit. I need to help out around here. Get the ice cream and then come right back and sit here in the lobby and eat it.”

  Thankfully, the thought of ice cream for breakfast had soothed them, and they bounced out.

  I went into the back, where I stored my things in my locker, put on the extra cleaning uniform I kept on hand, grabbed a cart, and made my way up to the third floor.

  Rosa was already at work. “Anna, what are you doing here?” she said when she spotted me. “I thought you were off today and taking the kids out somewhere.”

  “I thought so, too,” I said, removing my cleaning supplies from the cart. “Sergio sucked me in because he said Valencia called out.”

  I didn’t even like Valencia. Or rather, she didn’t like me. She claimed that I’d gotten her suspended because she was smoking on the job and I’d refused to cover for her. So ever since that incident last month, she couldn’t stand me.

  But I told myself this was about helping Sergio, not Valencia.

  “Chica, it has been an absolute nightmare around here. It seems like the whole third floor had a wild party last night.”

  “Mierda!”

  Rosa laughed. “Wow, Sergio has you cursing.” She shook her head. “Let’s just knock it out so you can get back to your babies. I’ve already done the rooms on this side. You can take your usual,” she said, pointing to the even rooms on the other side of the hall.

  I immediately went about my usual routine, scrubbing and cleaning. Rosa was right, these rooms were unusually dirty. I saw why Sergio was freaking out. After I finished 320 and 318, I headed to Room 316. This seemed to be the only room in halfway decent order. I changed the sheets on the bed, then ran the vacuum. That’s when I saw an old tattered book on the floor next to the desk chair. I picked it up. This was that book that lady from the news station had asked me about. I flipped it open and started reading.

  My eyes scanned some of my favorite passages.

  “He shall direct thy paths,” I read, stopping on one in particular because it took me back to my days in Hidalgo.

  I shivered as I recalled the small pink Bible my mother placed in my hands the night Julio and I left.

  “Child, stop your crying,” my mother whispered. She used her hand to wipe away my tears.

  “But why can’t you and Daddy come with us?” I cried.

  “Because we are too old to make this journey. Plus, your brother is in critical condition.”

  Just thinking of my brother, gunned down by the drug cartel for God only knows what, I knew why we were leaving. We had to go before they claimed someone else we loved.

  “You must go with your husband and child now,” my mother continued.

  I’d been excited the whole time Julio had been planning our escape to America. He knew someone who knew someone, who arranged everything. Call me young and naive, but it never dawned on me that my parents weren’t coming, too.

  “But—”

  “No buts,” she said, cutting me off. “You are a woman now. A mother. And your family must always come first. You must go with your husband in search of a better life.”

  I looked back over my shoulder at Julio, who was waiting in the back of the room, a backpack with all of our belongings swung across his shoulder. He was so patient. I imagined I looked like a blubbering idiot.

  “Take this,” my mother said, pressing the Bible into my hand. “This shall be your roadmap to guide you on your journey.”

  I wondered how in the world a Bible was supposed to guide me.

  As if she read my mind, my mother said, “If you’re scared, this will help. If your faith wavers, this will help. Just keep it close and know that He will make your paths straight.”

  I nodded as I held the Bible close. “When will I see you and Papa again?” I asked.

  She put her hand to my face. “Soon. After you create this wonderful new life, we’ll come and visit.”

  Of course, I never saw my parents again.

  And my path had yet to be made straight.

  As a faithful woman, I knew God was capable of anything, but that was one area where I didn’t see Him working His magic.

  chapter

  * * *

  28

  I had long ago given up dreams of doing things the right way, of following the rules to gain citizenship. It was too risky. What if they denied me? What would happen to my children? I’d adopted the philosophy of it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and settled into my familiar existence. That was where I’d be until I left this earth. Though I didn’t regularly attend church now because I worked on Sundays, my Catholic upbringing was deep-rooted—but I’ll admit, when I looked at my struggles, sometimes it was hard to remain faithful.

  Julio would spend his evenings reading from our Bible, verses about faith. He always believed that one day we would be legitimate U.S. citizens. I didn’t see how that would ever happen, but I was glad my husband had been faithful until the day he died. It had given him something to hold on to.

  “Hey. My vacuum isn’t picking up good,” Rosa said, sticking her head into the room and interrupting my thoughts. “Let me see yours really quick. What’s that?” she asked, looking over my shoulder at the book that I’d just s
et down.

  “It’s a Bible,” I said, turning it to face her.

  “Ewww, that thing looks like it’s five hundred years old. Did somebody leave it here?”

  “Yeah, the other day when I was cleaning up, one of the people that was staying in this room asked me about it.”

  “Oh. Take it to Lost and Found,” Rose said as she wrapped the cord up from my vacuum. “Though I doubt anyone would be coming in search of that.”

  “I’ll take it to Lost and Found on my way out. Right now I just need to hurry and finish because my kids are downstairs waiting.”

  “Okay. I’ll go do my rooms, then I’ll bring the vacuum back.”

  “I told Sergio I’d do two floors, so after I finish here, I’ll do the fourth-floor even rooms, then I’ve got to go.”

  “Lucky you. Have fun with the babies today,” she said.

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Rosa headed toward the door. “Kiss them for . . .” Her words trailed off, and I turned to see what had made her stop talking mid-sentence. Standing in the door were Sergio and five official-looking men.

  “Hi, Mr. Baptiste,” Rosa said. “I . . . I was just coming to use Anna’s vacuum.”

  He didn’t say a word to her as she hurried around him.

  “I’m almost done on this floor,” I said, looking at Sergio and trying to decipher the nervous expression on his face. My eyes darted between him and the group of men, all of whom wore navy-blue windbreakers. And then I saw the words written on their jackets and my heart sank. ICE. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

  “Uh, Anna, I’m sorry, but you need to come with us,” Sergio said. He spoke in his supervisor tone, and that, in and of itself, frightened me.

  “Why? What’s going on?” My eyes continued doing that dance between them all. “I mean, I’m almost finished, but I have work to do if I’m going to complete the rooms in time for the conference. People will need to check in,” I said, moving to finish making the bed. I guess I was thinking if I could just get back to work, I could make the sight before me go away.

  “Ma’am. That wasn’t a request.” The ICE agent who spoke stepped around Sergio. His fiery red hair made him look like the devil.

  The devil had come to destroy my life.

  “Are you Anna Rodríguez?” he asked.

  I contemplated feigning ignorance, breaking out in Spanish and pretending I couldn’t understand English. But since I’d already opened my big mouth . . .

  “Yes, I-I’m Anna,” I said, stammering my words out.

  The devil reached down, took my arms, and put them behind my back, turning me around in the process. “Anna Rodríguez, you are under arrest for illegal entry into the United States, illegal use of a Social Security number, and felony criminal impersonation. Anything you say can be used against you in subsequent proceedings. You have the right to an attorney at no cost to the government.”

  “What? What’s going on?” I asked. My panicked eyes turned to Sergio. “Mr. Baptiste?”

  “I’m so sorry,” Sergio said. “I-I had no idea. They just showed up here . . . claimed an anonymous call tipped them off . . . I didn’t know . . .”

  An anonymous tip. Valencia had called in sick. She had to know they’d call me in. She’d made a comment a year ago, inquiring if I was undocumented. When I didn’t answer, I could tell she was suspicious. Was this her payback for me not covering for her smoking on the job?

  “Sergio, no, no. Why is this happening?” I cried.

  Another one of the ICE agents, this one a gray-haired, spotty-faced man, said, “Get her out, guys.”

  “Must you do that?” Sergio said, his voice filled with panic. “We have guests.”

  I didn’t know if he was more concerned about my well-being or how this looked for the hotel. It didn’t matter. I just needed to convince him not to let me go.

  “Sergio, tell them I’m a good worker. Please tell them they don’t need to do this!”

  “Sir,” Sergio said toward the devil. “She’s no threat! Please. Just allow her to walk with you without the handcuffs.”

  None of the ICE agents said a word as they led me out of the room, ignoring both Sergio’s and my pleas.

  I was mortified. I had worked here for so long and lived in fear of this day. “No, no. Please don’t do this,” I cried.

  But they weren’t moved by my words. They pushed me out of the door, toward the elevator. Tears started streaming down my face.

  “My children,” I said. “My children are downstairs.”

  Rosa came running down the hall just as the elevator doors opened. “Anna, what’s going on?”

  “Rosa, get my kids,” I cried as the man pushed me into the elevator. They all ignored my pleas. I only stopped when the elevator doors opened downstairs and I saw my children staring right at me.

  Miguel was the first to spot me. “Mama!” he yelled, jumping up and running toward me.

  Alejandro and Maria noticed and followed. The two of them immediately threw their arms around my waist as Miguel shouted, “Mama, what’s happening? Why do they have you in handcuffs? Are you going to jail?”

  “Nooooo,” Alejandro cried.

  “Mommy, what’s happening?” Maria said.

  With each outburst my heart broke a little more. Their tears made mine flow harder.

  “Get the kids out of the way,” the devil ICE agent said.

  Sergio and Rosa, who had bolted from the stairwell, tried to pull my kids away.

  “It’s okay,” I said to them. “Mommy is okay. Just go with Miss Rosa.”

  The officer snatched my arm to lead me away.

  “Can I comfort my kids?” I yelled.

  My raised voice frightened my kids even more because Alejandro started panting, the first sign of the asthma attacks that regularly plagued him.

  I leaned closer, adjusting my arms behind my back so they didn’t see my discomfort. I tried to push back my fear as I said, “Mommy needs you guys to go with Miss Rosa and listen to her until I come back, okay?” I looked directly at Alejandro. “And I need you to stay calm so your asthma doesn’t flare up. Can you do that for Mommy?”

  His chest heaved, but slowed just a bit as he nodded.

  “Why are they taking you to jail?” Miguel asked.

  The ICE agent lost patience. He grabbed me and all but dragged me out. As Rosa and Sergio fought to contain my crying kids, as patrons in the lobby stared in horror, they dragged me out like I was a wanted murderer.

  I knew this day would haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life.

  chapter

  * * *

  29

  This had been my nightmare for decades. The spotlight that had made me live in the shadows since I set foot on American soil. The fear of deportation had hung over me for nineteen years. I’d even skipped the photo shoot when I’d made employee of the year for the Markham because I didn’t want my picture and name to go on their corporate website. I didn’t want anything that would draw attention to me. All I wanted was a better life for my children. Was that too much to ask?

  I had a frightening thought. What if they deported me without letting me see my kids? What if they shipped me back to Hidalgo without even letting me say goodbye? The thought turned my stomach upside down and brought fresh tears to my eyes.

  I pulled my sweater tightly around me, a shiver sifting through me even though the room had to be at least eighty degrees.

  I didn’t know where I was, but it looked like some kind of holding center. I assumed for immigration since everyone in here was like me, Latino and terrified. I had been here at least six hours, and they’d been the longest six hours of my life.

  “You okay?” a lady asked as she sat down next to me. I’d noticed her earlier. She was the only one here who didn’t look scared. Maybe it was the tattoos across her neck or her stringy blond hair and dark roots, but she looked like this place was her second home.

  “I said, are you okay?” she repeated.r />
  I didn’t answer, just shook my head.

  “This must be your first time,” she said.

  I nodded.

  “Yeah, you looking all clean-cut, like J.Lo. It’s my third time,” she casually said, “so I know they will personally take me and drop me on the other side of the border.” She laughed. “As if that’s gonna stop me. I’ll risk coming back again and again rather than going back to what I came from.”

  Now my stomach wasn’t just in knots. I felt like I was actually going to be sick.

  The woman continued. “Have you had your one call?”

  “I get a call?”

  “Don’t you watch Law & Order?” she said.

  “No. I don’t watch much TV. But I thought, I mean, since I’m not a U.S. citizen . . .”

  “You thought what? That they would treat us like crap?” She shrugged. “They do, but that’s the beauty of America. We still have some rights. You get a free call, so make sure you ask for it.”

  She leaned back and closed her eyes, signaling that this conversation was over. I couldn’t believe how calm she was. But I was grateful for her knowledge of the system.

  I stood and gripped the bars as I called out to one of the ICE officers.

  “Excuse me, I’ve been here a long time. May I please have my one call?”

  The female agent first flashed a look of indifference at me. I don’t know if she saw the terror in my eyes, but she came over and opened the gate.

  “Come on,” she said.

  “Thank you,” I replied. Immediately, others started yelling and pleading. But she ignored them and quickly locked the gate.

  She directed me toward a phone hanging on a back wall. I picked up the handset and gave the operator who came on Rosa’s home number, grateful that it was one of the few I knew by heart.

  “Rosa,” I said as soon as she accepted the collect call. “Thank God you answered.”

  “Oh, Anna. How are you?”

  “Not good,” I said, struggling not to cry. “I don’t have much time. Are my babies okay?”

  “Yes, they’re scared, but they’re okay.”