LA COYOTE

The desert does not care who you were, it swallow prayer promises names with the same indifference, not everyone who crosses the border gets to live the American dream, or get to seethe land at the other side of the wall, some gets swallowed by the desert. A little girl stood alone beneath the sky too large for a child to understand wind carries sand across the lifeless ground, stinging and Gray brown eyes, tears blood and vision she looked at the woman lying a foot away. M-Mama ?, No answer. she tried again her small voice trembling "Mama" She walks closer and touches the woman's arm Wake up" she tugged at her mother's sleeve "M-mama, wake up" Still nothing The little girl begin to cry "Por favor, mama" (please mom) she shook her mother's arm again "please wake up" Her voice broke "I will be good, I won't be a brat anymore" she wiped her tears with a back of her hand I will eat my vegetables without whining, I promise mama, I promise "Por favor....levante.(please get up) The whole scene was too painful to watch. The other crossers who traveled with them stood nearby, watching the body and the little girl with sad helpless eyes. the man who guided them through the desert gathered around in hushed voices. They weren't looking at the child. they were looking at the body "she's gone"one said . "I thought Diego not to let her in the woman looked sick" another said. "She said it was only a cold and she was paying more" Diego answer trembling someone that the girl "what about her" "we leave her here" one man shrugs. Antonio the one who asked step closer what if border patrols finds her "Their problem they will deal with her" jaun the one who suggested they leave her replied. "No" Diego said . "what do you mean by no", Juan answered. "I said no, we are not leaving her here " Diego answered. And who do you think you are to make that decision Juan retorted angry "You know who I am, we are not leaving her here and she's not for discussion" Diego answered "This ain't Tijuana, you don't call the shot here, Jefe does, you don't get to order us around here, you are the reason we are in this problem to begin with, you allow her in, she was never part of the baggage, and you don't get to order us around, we leave dead baggage and dead weight, so we leave her here, Juan said. Diego looks at Juan, you could read the anger in his eyes, he pulls out his gun aimed indirectly between Juan skull, I would like you to repeat that again amigo, he said. Anger clearly written on his face Antonio getting their middle relax guys, he shouts, Jefe brother where have you been, Diego almost killed Juan, Antonio explains when he sees Jefe coming Antonio and Juan, explains the situation to Jefe. Jefe, looks at Diego, he moves closer to the dead body, Diego my man what is this, she's dead, how did this happen, why you with a gun,he shoots with series of questions Diego looks at him," I'm not answering that Jefe, the most I've told you and I'm telling you again we are not leaving the girl here", Diego stated you know we don't do that what are you going to do with a girl, a young girl, are you selling a across the border, Jefe asked. "what I do to the girl, what happens to her, is none of your business", Diego replied. The three men exchange looks. "Let me see", said Jefe. "He crouched beside a woman, look how up and down found the bag nestled two around her hidden, like she was afraid it would be stolen, it took the bag opened it and immediately shouted", Diego is this woman helping you get money across the border, why does she have so much money with her, Antonio and Juan hurried and looked at the bag. Diego replied,Keep the money, I keep the girl, give me everything else in the bag except the money. That should be enough to buy your silent, if I hear about this again trust me I will come for everyone of you They notice he was on the edge. "Okay, we have a deal", said Jefe. "Round up these people we have to move, if we don't, there will be no American dream for any of them" Jefe said. "Diego you coming or what", Jefe asked. "Not anymore ,I lost interest", Diego said coldly. Diego looked at the girl. she's stared right back at him. "I want mama, por favor (please), tell her I'll be a good kid", she cried to him. "Baby look here, your mother has gone to the sky to be an angel", Diego told out with trembling lips and voice. "But why, she said she was going to get better", the girl told him. "Well people don't get to decide that" Diego told her pain clearly written on his face. Are you going to leave me here, uncle Diego said the girl. "No, Aluzma I would never leave you here, your mother will haunt me for life, if I even entertain the thought, you are coming back with me", he said. "What about mama", she asked. "Some really good people will come and take her", Diego answered. Third person POV He carried her, she stared at him, and back at her mother silent tears dropping from her face, and him a bigger turmoil in his chest, because he just lost a treasure,a treasure life never allowed him have. Long after the sun has fallen, long after their foot prints have been swallowed by the wind, Aluzma kept staring back, even if she couldn't see her mother's body anymore, she was still staring as if she believed, that if she stared enough,her mother will find her way back to her. she will grow to know that the desert was cruel, the life her mother envisioned for them in the United States, was already carried away by the wind and the sand, years later this same desert will know her by another name. LA COYOTE