“A sweet sixteen party for my American girl.” Mama kissed me gently on the cheek and handed me a box.
Grandma clasped her hands under her chin. Her smile spread across her entire face. “Mija, open the present.”
I ripped open the white tissue. Inside the small box was a gold necklace.
A small cross with a green stone. A medallion of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“The Guadalupe is from me,” said Grandma, “because of your faith and courage.”
“I had the peridot put in the cross. It’s your birthstone. It came from Mexico to remind you where we came from. The jeweler said this stone can protect you from negative things in the world.”
Mama smiled but sadness radiated from her eyes. “The cross was Papa’s.”
I held it in my hand and closed my eyes. I could barely remember his face. It had been almost five years since I had seen him. But I remember the feeling of being in his arms. Protected.
And then I remembered the way the cross would dangle out of his shirt.
I opened my eyes and looked down at the gold cross. It matched my memory.
I quickly pulled the chain around my neck. I opened the lipstick and smeared a little on my lips. I knew this was just the beginning of all the things I would do.
In the reflection of the mirror, I saw the tall buildings of downtown Houston and saw what my father’s hands had made.
I heard the rustle of the trees and knew there was something more.
He’s here.
He’s all around me.
Finally, we’re all together.
GLOSSARY
abuela—grandmother
aspirina y aceite—aspirin and oil
baño—bathroom
Banco de Nada—Bank of Nothing
Bollios, ten para un dollar—Hard rolls, ten for a dollar
Buen provecho—Have a good meal
cabrito—baby goat
calma—be calm
Calmate, calmate.—You calm down, you.
cartas—deck of cards
Cazar de Apestar—stink candle
Cazar de Espectro—spirit candle
cerrado—closed
¿Chica? ¿Donde está su Mama?—Girl? Where is your mother?
chimenea—chimney
chupacabra—the boogeyman
¿Cómo estas?—How are you?
coyote—human smuggler (slang)
cucarachas—cockroaches
¿cuanto?—how much?
decisiónes—decisions
despacio—slowly
Dios—God
¡Dios Santo!—Dear God!
dos minutos—two minutes
Ella es mi amiga.—She is my friend.
elotes—corncobs
Eres majadero.—You’re annoying.
escuela—school
¡Estaba tratando de matarnos!—It was trying to kill us!
Fabuloso—a heavily scented cleanser popular throughout Latin America
familia—family
frío— cold
fuerte—strong
fútbol—soccer ball
galleta—cookie
gordita—fat lady (slang)
ha muerto—died
¿Hambre?—Hungry?
Hola, mami.—Hey, sweet lady.
huaraches—sandals
Iglesia de Guadalupe—Church of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico
jabón—soap
jefe— boss
la iglesia—church
la luz—light
la migra—immigration (slang)
la voz—voice
ladillas—an STD similar to gonorrhea (slang)
lechita—milk (slang)
Lo siento.—I’m sorry.
los lentes—eyeglasses
mañana—tomorrow
magdalenas—a Mexican pastry
mas pesos—more money, more pesos
mensajes—messages
mentiroso—liar
mija—Contraction of mi hija; “my daughter” (slang). Also used as an endearment.
morenos—black people (slang)
mota—marijuana (slang)
los Negros—African-Americans
¿Niña, tienes servilletas?—Girl, do you have napkins?
¡Niños! ¡Cuidado!—Be careful, kids.
No entiendo.—I don’t understand.
No hablo Inglés.—I don’t speak English.
no mas—no more
no mas dinero—no more money
no para—don’t give
No problema.—No problem.
Nos estamos yendo.—We’re leaving.
para siempre—forever
pueblo—tiny town
Qué onda guero—a reference to a song by Beck, meaning “What’s up, dude?” (slang)
¿Qué más?—What else?
¿Quieres algo?—Would you like something?
¡Que terrible!—How terrible!
quince—a small tiara worn in the hair
quinceañera—the fifteenth birthday and celebration; a rite of passage
rumba—dancing party, not necessarily the specific dance
sangre—blood
taquería—small restaurant
Te amo.—I love you.
Tejano—Texan and Mexican fusion music
tetas—breasts (slang)
tía—aunt
Tiene misencordia.—Have mercy.
tipo de cambio—exchange rates
torta—sandwich
Un minuto, por favor.—Just a minute, please.
Vámanos. No es importante. No hoy.—Let’s go. It’s not important. Not today.
velas malolientes—stinky, smelly candles
via—the way
washatería— a Laundromat
Acknowledgments
I am grateful and blessed to have found my agent, Blair Hewes. Thank you for loving Nora and always standing in my corner.
Thank you to my editor, Katherine Tegen, for taking a chance on me and making this process so easy after eight years of no. And to Jennifer Christie, your detailed attention helped every nook and cranny shine. Thank you to the countless and nameless people who will touch, support, and love this book at HarperCollins.
It’s not really fair that only my name goes on this book, because I have been nurtured in so many ways. Thank you to Julie, Sally, and Risa—you made Dallas home. Thank you to Jenny, Mary Ann, and Joyce—you made creative Sunday afternoons over tea and cookies at the yellow house magical. My promise to you is that you never have to read this book again.
Thank you to Thaddeus Bauer for the letter that saved this novel—otherwise it might be in the trash.
Shout-outs to the organizations that have let me hang out by the watercooler: The Blueboarders, SCBWI, the Elevensies, and 2KII.
To all my friends from JLP and The Next Chapter who always ask, “When is that book coming out?”
And to the employees, families, and customers of Fiesta Mart—thank you for sharing your lives and stories. I am humbled.
Last, but not least, my husband, Tom, and my son, Allen. You keep me centered in my insanity and always ask, “What’s for dinner?”
About the Author
Bettina Restrepo received a BS from the University of Texas at Austin and is the author of a picture book, MOOSE AND MAGPIE. She worked as an internal auditor in the Hispanic supermarket Fiesta Mart, which is portrayed in this book. There she examined firsthand the challenges in the nuances of life for illegal immigrants. Bettina lives with her family in Frisco, Texas, and is the daughter of Colombian and German immigrants. You can visit Bettina online at www.bettinarestrepo.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Credits
Jacket art © 2011 by Jonathan Barkat
Jacket design by Joel Tippie
Copyright
Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
ILLEGAL. Copyright © 2011 by Bettina Restrepo. All
rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Restrepo, Bettina.
Illegal / Bettina Restrepo.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Nora, a fifteen-year-old Mexican girl, faces the challenges of being an illegal immigrant in Texas when she and her mother cross the border in search of Nora’s father.
ISBN 978-0-06-195342-2
[1. Illegal aliens—Fiction. 2. Mexicans—Texas—Fiction. 3. Texas—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.R3245Il 2011 2010019451
[Fic]—dc22 CIP
AC
FIRST EDITION
EPub Edition © February 2011 ISBN: 978-0-06-206978-8
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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