Border Crossings

by Michael Lee Weems

  “Well you’re just as pretty as you can be,” said the man. “I think I’d like to get to know her a little better,” he told Miss Lydia. He eyed her like a dog at a table waiting for the scrap to fall. “How’d that be?” he asked Yesenia. She said nothing.

  Miss Lydia released Yesenia’s chin and spoke for her, “She’d like that very much. I’m delighted you like her, but she’s a fresh girl. She’s never known a man, so it’s something I have to consider. Only one man will be her first, so I can’t just let it be anyone.”

  The man’s smile faded and he had a look of suprise. “Never known a . . . ? Oh, horse shit. How much we talking here? I didn’t come out expectin’ to spend my entire paycheck.” He looked at his watch. “And I ain’t got a lot of time.”

  “No, it’s true. Come inside, come inside. We’ll work something out.” She led the man towards her mobile home that had a little office in the front. The man looked back at Yesenia as though trying to decide if he was being bamboozled. “She’ll be waiting for you,” assured Miss Lydia. “Don’t you worry.” She looked like the sweetest little grandmother who was in actuality the silver-tongued used car salesperson of the year. She grinned and pat the man’s elbow as she led him inside. Then she called out, “Arnulfo, take the girls back inside, won’t you, dear?”

  Arnulfo herded the girls back in and stood outside the pink mobile home. Inside, Yesenia was frantic. She couldn’t understand the conversation the man had just had since she didn’t know English, but the body language had spoken volumes. “What am I going to do?” she asked Silvia. “She’s going to sell me to him. I can’t have sex with that man. I won’t!” Silvia sat silent as she had no answer.

  “Have you ever been with a man?” asked Evelyn.

  “No, of course not,” said Yesenia. “I’m Catholic.”

  “Well, there’s no use trying to fight it,” said Evelyn. “The first time is always the hardest, but believe it or not, it does get easier.”

  Yesenia began to cry angrily. “You don’t understand. I can’t do this! It’d be better that I should be killed than do something like this.”

  Evelyn tried to comfort her. “Don’t think like that. Look, all you have to do is lay there and let him do his business. It’ll be over before you know it.”

  Yesenia looked out the window. Arnulfo was sitting on the steps of the mobile home chewing on another toothpick. “Don’t even think about it,” said Evelyn. “You won’t get far, and there’ll be hell to pay. If you try to run, Miss Lydia will have her son beat you, and then they’ll put you in the hot box.”

  “I have to do something,” said Yesenia.

  “Don’t run,” said Silvia. “I don’t want them to hurt you. You know what kind of people they are. You saw.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Yesenia through tears. “I can’t become a whore. My Papa looks down from heaven. How could I let him see such a thing?”

  She ran to her room and pulled her still unpacked bag from the closet. “You don’t know the trouble you’ll get in,” warned Evelyn. “And there’s no place to go. There’s nothing but pastures and woods around here for miles.”

  But Yesenia was in a frenzy. “I don’t care!” she practically yelled. Outside, the door to Miss Lydia’s mobile home opened and she stepped forth with the man. Yesenia’s window was open, and through the screen she heard the affable tones of their conversation. They’ve made a deal and now he’s coming for me.

  She hurried to the back of the mobile home with Silvia and Evelyn watching on. She tried to push the back door open. “It’s nailed shut,” said Evelyn, “to keep men from sneaking in or us from sneaking out.”

  Yesenia hurried into the bedroom that they’d given Silvia. Her window faced out of the rear of the mobile home and Yesenia pressed her fingers against the edge of the screen and pushed upward until it popped out.

  “Don’t do it, Yesenia,” Silvia pleaded.

  But it was too late. Yesenia dropped out of the window and hurried towards a bob wire fence that separated the little clearing of homes from the woods. She was halfway there when she heard the barking. She looked back and the two Rottweilers were barreling down on her. Then she heard Arnulfo’s voice as he walked around from the front to see what the dogs were going on about. Yesenia managed to make it to the fence and just step in between the wire before the dogs were able to tackle her, but not before Arnulfo saw her. “What are you doing?” he called after her. “Get back here!”

  The dogs could easily have slid under the fence to continue after her, but thankfully when Yesenia looked back they merely stood by the fence barking at her and wagging their tales as if it were all a game to them. She tried to push through the brambles as Arnulfo called to Miss Lydia. “The new girl is trying to run away.”

  “Dios Mio,” cursed Miss Lydia. “Go get her!” She turned with her salesperson smile to the man. “She only arrived today. I’m afraid we haven’t had time to train her properly.”

  “Well, I don’t think I want that girl after all. She don’t seem like she’s exactly a willing participant, if you know what I mean.”

  “Of course she is,” she told the man. “She’s just being a spoiled brat. You know how these girls can be. They get used to getting their way all the time and throw fits when they don’t. Come with me and we’ll work something else out,” and she gingerly walked the man back to the trailer. He was shaking his head and lighting up another cigarette, but Miss Lydia wasn’t about to let his money drive out the gate without getting what she could.

  Arnulfo casually jogged to the fence and flung his toothpick away exasperated as he climbed through.

  Yesenia was still wearing her sandals and the sticks and thorn kept whipping across her ankles until they were red and raw. She let out a little squeal as she walked face first into a large spider that had been sitting in the center of its web. It repelled from her chin on its web, scrambling to get away as she swatted at it. Behind her she could hear Arnulfo tromping along in his fancy boots. “Come back before you get into more trouble,” he warned her. But she kept the thought of what they intended for her in her mind and pressed forward, determined not to shame herself by such degradation.

  Having walked everywhere growing up, Yesenia was in excellent running condition. She was not, however, used to trying to run through the woods and was not dressed for it. For nearly half an hour she eluded Arnulfo through the brush and wood. When the brambles let up and she had a slight open area to run, she put distance between herself and his boots, but as soon as the thickets sprung up he closed in again. Finally, she had hit upon a patch too thick for her to make it through. Berry vines gripped her like barbed shackles as she tried to press through them. She had paid no attention when the poison oak leaves wiped her skin with malicious intent or when the fire ants bit her toes and feet, but the thorny vines were too much. She tried to step over them by lifting her knees high, but the further she went the more tangled up she got. She could feel her skin being slit like a thousand tiny paper cuts with each step. Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to keep going. Behind her, she heard Arnulfo, “Oh, come on now. Look what you’re doing to yourself.” He stood at the edge of the thicket watching her like she was a dinosaur sinking into the tar. Finally, the pain was too much and she stopped trying to move her feet.

  “Now see what you’ve done?” he asked her. He leaned down and picked a berry and popped it into his mouth. “Now what do you have to say for yourself?”

  She looked back at him with tears falling down her cheek. “I’m no prostitute!” she told him. “I won’t do it!”

  He seemed almost to have a moment of sympathy for her. “Sometimes life takes us to places we don’t like,” he told her. “Like into thorns, right?” he said, stepping into the thicket but nearly completely protected by his jeans and boots. Yesenia made herself move her feet despite the pain in an effort to get away, but with a short spurt he had caught up and grabbed her about the waist. She screamed and kicked but he held her
tight. “Enough of that,” he told her. “You’re in enough trouble as it is. Don’t make things worse for yourself. You’re lucky it was me she sent after you. Hector or Jose would probably let you keep hurting yourself in here.”

  “Let me go,” she pleaded. “Please, let me go. I can’t do what they want me to do. Please let me go. Just tell Miss Lydia you couldn’t find me.”

  “I can’t,” he said. “Miss Lydia has a contract on you. She’s paid a lot of money for you and if I let you go, I would be the one who would be in big trouble.” He pulled out the knife from his side and Yesenia’s body tensed. “Oh, come, now,” said Arnulfo. “I’m only going to cut some of these away.” He bent down and cut some of the blackberry vines that gripped her legs like a bear trap. Then he put the knife away and heaved her up over his shoulder and started walking back out of the thickets. She tried a couple of times to kick herself free, but too much of her energy was already spent.

  Arnulfo tried to carry her back, but after a while she began to feel too heavy and he set her down on her feet. “I’m putting you down so you can walk, but don’t try to run on me again or I’m going to be very upset with you.” As soon as her feet touched the ground she tried to jerk away, but Arnulfo had a handful of her hair and yanked her back hard. “What did I just tell you?” he asked. “Now behave yourself.”

  They made the slow walk back at Arnulfo’s direction. Yesenia cried most of the way pleading with him to let her go, but he simply ignored her and did not answer. Arnulfo didn’t seem pleased with his task but he knew if he didn’t bring Yesenia back now, not only would he be in a world of trouble, but Yesenia would likely face a much worse punishment if Jose and Hector were sent out to find her and teach her a lesson.

  It wasn’t long before they came to the fence again and the two dogs came running out from under one of the mobile homes to greet them with their wild barking. As they passed through the fence Miss Lydia came out of her house and walked towards them. She was not smiling anymore. Yesenia could see the white truck was gone and thanked God that she might perhaps be spared for the moment from being stripped of her purity.

  “You little bitch,” said Miss Lydia. She walked right up to Yesenia, who was still being held by the hair by Arnulfo, and slapped her hard across the face twice. “What took you so long!?” she screamed at Arnulfo.

  “She ran a long way,” he explained. “Got herself into some thorns and tore her legs up pretty good.”

  “Oh, the poor thing,” Miss Lydia said sarcastically. “Not here two hours and already making trouble. Bring her over here!” she said to Arnulfo as she began walking to the open court area between the mobile homes.

  “Do what she says and don’t talk back,” Arnulfo whispered into her ear. “And if she starts hitting you don’t do anything. She’ll just get Julio to beat you if you do, and you’re already in enough trouble.”

  Faces were already at the windows as Yesenia was led towards the makeshift courtyard. As Miss Lydia had wanted, they were all watching to see what would happen to Yesenia. Julio and Hector stepped outside with beers in their hand. Julio knew he might be called upon, so he walked over close to where Yesenia stood. “You made a deal with Mr. Ortiz, did you not?” began Miss Lydia.

  “Yes,” said Yesenia. “But not for this!”

  Miss Lydia hit her on the head in the way Yesenia had already seen her strike Silvia. “Not for this, eh? Not for what?”

  “I’m not a prostitute,” said Yesenia.

  Miss Lydia hit her across the face with her palm, a hybrid of a punch and slap. It was enough to cause Yesenia’s lip to burst and she was stunned that the old woman was able to generate such force. “I’ll tell you what you are,” said Miss Lydia. “You’re a stupid little girl who owes a lot of money. You made a deal and now you’re here, but you have to work off your debt. And work it off you will!” she yelled at Yesenia. “Bring that other girl out here!” she told Arnulfo. He went inside the pink mobile home and came out with Silvia, who now looked a lot like Yesenia, disheveled and her head down. “Since you decided to run away, I had to give Silvia to your customer.” Yesenia looked over at her friend in horror. Silvia looked up at her for a moment and then dropped her head again as if in shame. “And I had to lower the price by half to make up for the trouble. You have to pay back that money, so I’m adding a hundred and fifty dollars to your bill!” she told Yesenia. “Plus another five hundred for running away!” The old woman stepped close to Yesenia. “What do you think about that?” Yesenia said nothing. “Come on,” goaded Miss Lydia. “I bet it makes you mad, huh? Want to say something to me? Maybe you’d like to hit old Miss Lydia?” She pushed Yesenia hard in the chest, but Yesenia said nothing and stood still. “Maybe you’d like to try and hit me back, no?” She cupped her hand and repeatedly hit Yesenia on the side of the head with it, but Yesenia heeded Arnulfo’s words and did nothing. “Oh, not so stupid after all, are we?” said Miss Lydia. Down at the fence a horn sounded. “Ah, we have another customer.” She smiled wickedly at Yesenia. “Get her cleaned up,” she told Arnulfo. “She has some entertaining to do. And if you mess this one up I’ll really make you sorry.”

  Julio had spent more than half the next day still hiding in his hole, convinced they were waiting for him to come out. He’d tied his shirt around his leg and the blood seemed to crust over the wound and stop bleeding, which he was thankful for. Finally, hunger and exhaustion took hold and he crept out around midday. He took another shirt off a clothesline, some food from a trash bin behind a restaurant, and then hid himself away in an empty old building.

  As he lay there that night, jumping at even the slightest of sounds, his leg began to feel numb and heavy. By midnight he was feverish, and by morning so sick he could barely summon the strength to stand up. He knew he needed help or he was probably going to die.

  That morning Maria carried the wares of their little store in a wagon she pulled and Aunty Nita followed along behind her in her usual wobble. They opened up their little tienda and Aunty Nita settled into her chair and then started a little fire in their hibachi and began cutting up the chicken to make kabobs. Maria stood near the front of the store pouring water into the huge jug. She had her sugar and lemons already prepared for mixing and was about to pour the sugar in when something caught her eye. Across the square she saw a little flag of some sort being waved around in the shadow between two stands. As she stared a little more she could see it was a shirt. A young boy had removed his shirt and was apparently trying to get her attention. Then she realized it was Julio, probably anxious for what news she had. She put her hand up a bit to let him know she’d seen him, and continued fixing the lemonade.

  “I have to run to the bathroom,” she told Aunty Nita.

  She headed towards the market’s public restroom and gestured with her hand that Julio should go around to the rear of the stores he was hiding between and meet her on the other side.

  When she turned the corner and disappeared from Aunty Nita’s view, she stopped short. Julio had crawled to the back of the store as she had directed, but he looked a mess. He had a dirty rag wrapped around his leg that was encrusted with an enormous patch of dried blood.

  “Julio! What’s happened?” she gasped as she crouched next to the boy. He was covered in dirt and sweat, his eyelids heavy and his complexion awry. She put her hand to his forehead, “My God! You’re burning up! And your leg, what’s happened to you?”

  “The men,” he told her. “We saw two men in the cemetery. They killed the American girl.” He began to cry uncontrollably. “They killed Juan. They told me. They killed him and left him in the desert.” His tears ran down his cheek leaving little streaks of clean skin through the dirt and grime he wore from his life on the street.

  “Your leg!” she cried. “Let me see.” She bent down and began to unwrap the shirt. The things he’d told her had not yet sunk in. She was still too much in shock from the sight of him. “What happened to your leg?”

  “One of the men
shot me,” he told her. “I ran as fast as I could, but one of their bullets cut my leg.”

  “They were shooting at you!?” she asked in horror.

  He nodded his head. “They almost killed me, too. I had to hide in a street ditch.”