POST SCRIPTS

it was a happy home with lots of love. His father was stern but fair. And he was hardworking and successful by local standards. His mother was loving and attentive. He could not recall a time when they were in need of anything, food, clothes, shoes or anything important.

The only problem he was ever aware of growing up was a long standing dispute with a wealthy neighbor who owned a large banana plantation. The neighbor wanted to buy them out so he could have a shorter road to market and it also provided access to thousands of acres of undeveloped rain forest on their northern pasture. But, Luis' father had steadfastly refused to sell because he knew rain forest land would cut down and just as importantly he wanted to pass the farm to Luis. He and his neighbor often had angry exchanges and Luis worried that some day his father might be harmed by this man or that he would be forced to sell. Luis loved their home and he didn't want to move, but he also feared the neighbors. Luis' r farm was about 55 acres, 5 acres wide and about 11 acres long located in lush low lands. They had 30 acres of banana trees, 8 acres of melons and pasture for a dozen milk cows.

The years passed quickly and by the time he was 16, all of his older sisters had all married and left the home. One was still living about 100 miles away, another lived in Los Angeles and the oldest had gone to Northern California to live with her husband who managed a large corporate farm with his brother and three other cousins.

As Luis recalls, it was a spring day, school was out at 2:30 and the bus was due at 2:45. Luis ran with his friends to the local bus stop on a rural dirt road, it was a large open lean-two type building just big enough to keep the children out of the rain. They always ran to meet the bus, even though in all his years of attending school it had never once been early. So there they waited as usual. It didn't take long before they saw the old battered white bus lumbering up the road, puffing an occasional cloud of diesel smoke. It was already was about half full of local villagers returning from town. The bus stopped and a dozen children from 8 to about 18 piled on board along with Luis' school teacher Sra Ramirez who lived several miles past Luis' farm.

The bus arrived at his family farm about 25 minutes later after bumping along the red dirt road that bordered lush green grasses and splashing through mud puddles. Luis scooped up his books and dashed off the bus walked up the stone lined path to the small white adobe farm house with a sagging red tile roof. The smell of freshly cooked bread was in the air. Usually his father or mother would be outside to greet him, but the house was strangely silent today. Even his dog Beto was not around. Luis opened the front door and placed his books on the kitchen table next to two loaves of fresh baked flat bread, his favorite and it was still warm.

Luis walked into the living room and yelled Mama, Papa? There was no answer. What happened next was a confusion of thoughts, he remembers pulling back the heavy red and tan curtain that acted as a door to his parents bedroom and seeing a large pool of blood oozing out from under the wooden bed frame. Then his eyes focused on his mothers bloody bare feet that stuck out from behind the old bed. His father lay next to her. They had both been shot in the chest. Luis was nearly paralyzed in horror as he slowly sunk to his knees, he was shaking all over. Then in a split second realized he must get help, maybe he could still save them and ran all the way to his teachers house. Sra. Ramirez was inside brewing coffee as he burst through her front door and startled her! "My Mama, my Papa..he was crying...." Luis, out of breath and near collapsing, tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out, he gasped for a deep breath and blurted out that his parents had been hurt. "They are all bloody and not moving!" Mrs. Ramirez grabbed Luis and held him telling him to calm down and tell her exactly what had happened. In a few minutes Mrs. Ramirez had saddled up her horse as Luis jumped on behind her and together they galloped for nearly 5 miles taking short cuts across the farm lands to a small store and gasoline station that had a telephone. There Mrs. Ramirez called the policia and for medical rescue.

His parents had been murdered. Although it was widely suspected, it could not be proved that their neighbor had hired gunmen to kill them. The case remains unsolved to this day and the farm Luis expected to own, well, it was sold off and most of the money was used to pay debts and funeral expenses. It was purchased by the neighbor. The remainder of money was divided among the three sisters. Luis left the area to live with his oldest sister Juanita in Cuernavaca. He stayed there for about 9 months, but their home was small and Luis felt like he was a burden to them and there was no work. His sister was raising 2 babies, caring for the home and her husband's 12 year old boy from another marriage and he was determined he should move on. He heard life was better and much safer in California, so he soon found himself in the company of several other Mexican men also on their way north. He recalls one was coming from Guatamala and headed for relatives in Oxnard. He spoke of many great things about the United States and this only added to Luis' dreams of living in America. They all jumped a north bound boxcar and that took them to within a 250 miles of the border. Then it was a 2 day ride by bus. Luis had slept very little during this journey, fearing he might be attacked and robbed of his money.

Luis walked the last 30 miles until he came to camp used by hundreds of people preparing to sneak across the border. He still had $300 in Pesos and used $220 to pay a Coyote to help him get across the border and to San Diego. It was a late night crossing with about 50 others, young children, women and men. A hole had been cut in a chain link security fence and they poured through, everyone was yelling and pushing... caminar, rapido, caminar, rápidamente! Go, fast, hurry! Luis said they all ran together for about 300 hundred yards and many fell behind then stronger ones ran for about another mile. The large group had fallen apart to spread out in different directions and they now numbered about 15 men. His group of 6 met a pickup truck at a predetermined location driven by an older white man. He drove them out of the desert to garage, which was a secret drop off point. He waited there with about 20 other men until daylight. Luis walked a few blocks and found a telephone booth. He then telephoned his sister Maria and told her excitedly, "I am here! I am here! " He was crying and his sister was crying and they were so happy to be reunited again. A few hours passed before Maria and her mother-in-law drove up in an old GMC pickup. Luis hugged his sister and squeezed in between them and met his new M-I-L for the first time.

They drove for about an hour before entering a poor neighborhood with lots of graffiti on the fences that reminded Luis a Mexican town except the fences were made of wood here and in Mexico they were mainly adobe blocks. There were so many Mexican stores and Mexican signs it seemed like he had not yet arrived in America, he admitted he was a little disappointed because he had expected so much more, but being united with Maria again was wonderful and more was soon to come!

It was early in 1998 and life was not easy for him or his new family. The streets were tough. Luis had been attacked and beaten several times by gang members for no other reason than the fact they didn't like people who had just come from Mexico! He was told he was a lowlife peasant and they hated him. Luis quickly learned who to befriend and who not. Then one day Angel, one of Luis' two new brother-in-law's told him he had an idea how they could make some easy money. He said it was no problem and very safe all they had to do was sell some coca to Americanos who would drive up in cars to a special street corner. He said everybody did it, the cops really didn't even care because they got paid to look the other way!

At first Luis was very suspicious and said no it was wrong. He was afraid he would be arrested and deported, but he also felt obligated to help support his host familia and he was having trouble finding work without a legal ID. Angel on the other hand was very persuasive and finally Luis agreed. He was given 10 dime bags of cut cocaine from a mean street thug name Pedro Luna who advanced the cocaine telling Angel he was dead if he didn't bring back all the money. It didn't take long for his first customer to drive up, but when this white guy in his fancy new blue Camero rolled down his passenger window and Luis approached, Luis discovered his hands were shaking and he couldn't even remember the English words he was supposed to say! So he just held up the white paper bindle holding the precious white powder. The Americano was apparently freaked out and sped off thinking it must have been a trap! The next car with two white teenagers and a Hispanic teen arrived in about 20 minutes. This looked like a better deal. They were young and the Hispanic kid spoke Spanish. They wanted to buy 2 bindles and Luis pulled out all but three his bindles and started to separate them when the Hispanic passenger pulled a handgun and stuck it in Luis' face. He was stunned and just froze as the kid snatched up the bindles from Luis' hand.

Angel ran up as the teens car was pulling away, and yelled at Luis, calling him a fool and how they might get killed when Beto finds out! He had been robbed, he couldn't believe! Luis was sick to his stomach, he didn't know what to do. He was just standing there with his head hung low as Angel berated him, then a black and white pulled up. They didn't wait to see what they wanted, they both just took off running in different directions. Luis was confused and ran into an alley way that was blocked off by a corrugated steel wall almost 10 feet high. The patrol car followed him into the alley.

Luis was booked for possession of cocaine with intent to sell, a felony. Within 24 hours Pedro Luna had come to the police department and posted bail. Luna was told by Angel that Luis had been arrested while trying to sell his cocaine and the cops had got it all. This somewhat let Luis and Angel off the hook and since Luis had not snitched, he was considered reliable, so Pedro provided the bail.

Luis was back on the street the next day and for two months he sold Luna's cocaine without incident, but he received almost no money because he "owed" Luna! Every day that he sold this poison he grew more fearful and felt more guilty, it was not right and his parents would be ashamed of him. Finally, he could do it no more and he decided to runaway. But, first he bought a social security card and a bus ticket with his last $100. Luis then jumped bail and with only the clothes on his back he traveled to Chico, California where he contacted his sister Sylvia. They took him to their home about 20 miles south of Chico where he lived with them their five children.

Manuel soon introduced him to one of the ranch owners where he worked and he was hired on the spot. There was no way to verify the SS card at this time so Luis was in and making $7 an hour pruning trees, laying irrigation pipe and planting new trees. It was hard work, especially in the heat of summer, but it was honest work and the pay was good! Within a year Luis had enough money to buy a small used camp trailer that he parked next to Manuel and Sylvias home. They each had their own garden and raised all sorts of vegetables. Luis was tutored in English by Carmen his 9 year old first cousin and over the next two years he stayed out of trouble, he worked hard, he paid his taxes, he saved his money and he even bought a used car, a Bronco. But, the transmission soon failed and now it was parked next to his trailer as he worked to earn enough to buy a used transmission from the auto wreckers in Chico. A small setback for sure, but to Luis who was always smiling, always so happy, life was good and he had no complaints! Luis would say happiness inside you it does not come from things. For him, life was very good and when he heard that he might soon have a chance to become a legal citizen he was elated! Except for that one thing, that drug bust. He thought, perhaps they would not know about this small thing and he could become legal anyway, so held on to his hope.

Luis worked just down the road from me and I came to know him when we had some the men come over for special short term projects, like pruning trees, trenching and help with the cattle. He was a funny young man, he always had a smile on his face. He was so determined to learn English he started taking classes in Princeton. I said this was good and he needed to stay with it. I helped him a little with his English and he helped me a little my Spanish...we had fun and laughed a lot at our mistakes. Much of the story I have told you so far came from these times.

It was just about a month ago that Luis was invited to go gambling at a cock fight outside the town of Colusa by his brother-in-law and not knowing this was even illegal, he agreed. There was a lot people there and a lot of beer drinking and money was changing hands with each new fight. It was all new and very exciting. By the end of the day Manuel was amazingly ahead over a $1500! Luis couldn't believe it, this was their lucky day! Unfortunately, Manuel was a bit too intoxicated from too many cervezas to drive home safely and since Luis didn't drink, he was asked to drive as Manuel slept.

It was just on the edge of town when a Glenn County Sheriff's vehicle spotted them at a stop sign and unknown to Luis a left rear taillight was out on Manuel 2001 Chevy pick up. They were quickly pulled over and then two more police units arrived as back up.

Manuel woke up and tried to explain they were only a few miles from home and would they please let them go? He presented his own license. However, Luis Morales was already being checked for warrants and he had been determined to be an unlicensed driver. Luis wasn't going anywhere for awhile. In a few minutes Luis was determined to have a no bail warrant out of Los Angeles for narcotic violations and failure to appear. He was hooked up and eventually extradited to LA. where his fate is unknown.

If he is lucky he will only get deported. If he is unlikely he could draw a prison term and then get deported. He will never become an American citizen because he is now a felon.

There is no moral to this story, there is no agenda, it is just a glimpse into a few years in the life of one Luis Morales, who came from Chiapas to live in America.