Luz and Arturo arrived at the Tijuana bus terminal forty hours later, exhausted and bloated from sitting in their cramped seat. As soon as they stepped out of the bus, they were approached by a woman who asked them if they wanted to cross the border that night. Without waiting for an answer, she told them she could be their guide. The price was five hundred American dollars apiece.
Luz stared at the woman for a few moments, caught off guard by the suddenness of what was happening. More than her words, it was the woman’s appearance that held Luz’s attention. She was about thirty-five. Old enough, Luz figured, to have experience in her business. The woman was tall and slender, yet her body conveyed a muscular strength that gave Luz the impression that she would be able to lead them across the border.
The coyota returned Luz’s gaze, evidently allowing time for the older woman to make up her mind. She took a step closer to Luz, who squinted as she concentrated on the woman’s face. Luz regarded her dark skin and high forehead, and the deeply set eyes that steadily returned her questioning stare. With a glance, she took in the coyota’s faded levis and plaid shirt under a shabby sweatshirt, and her eyes widened when she saw the woman’s scratched, muddy cowboy boots. She had seen only men wear such shoes.
Luz again looked into the woman’s eyes. She was tough, and Luz knew that she had to drive a hard bargain. She began to cry. “¡Señora, por favor! Have a heart! How can you charge so much? We’re poor people who have come a long way. Where do you think we can find so many dólares? All we have is one hundred dollars to cover the two of us. Please! For the love of your mamacita!”
The woman crossed her arms over her chest and laughed out loud as she looked into Luz’s eyes. She spoke firmly. “Señora, I’m not in the habit of eating fairy tales for dinner. You’ve been in Mexico City for a long time. I have eyes, don’t I? I can tell that you’re not starving. Both of you have eaten a lot of enchiladas and tacos. Just look at those nalgas!”
She gave Luz a quick, hard smack on her behind. Then, ignoring the older woman’s look of outrage, the coyota continued to speak rapidly. “Look, Señora. Just to show you that I have feelings, I’ll consider guiding the both of you at the reduced rate of seven hundred dollars. Half now; the rest when I get you to Los Angeles. Take it or leave it!”
Luz knew that she was facing her match. She answered with one word. “Bueno.”
The coyota led them to a man who was standing nearby. He was wearing a long overcoat, inappropriate for the sultry weather in Tijuana. The coat had a purpose though, for it concealed deep inner pockets which were filled with money. The coyota pulled Luz nearer to the man, then whispered into her ear. “This man will change your pesos into American dollars. A good rate, I guarantee.”
When Arturo began to move closer, the coyota turned on him. “You stay over there!”
Arturo obeyed.
Even though she felt distrust, Luz decided that she and Arturo had no alternative. However, she needed to speak with him, so she pulled him to the side. “Hijo, we’re taking a big chance. We can be robbed, even killed. Remember the stories we’ve been hearing since we left home. But what can we do? We need someone to help us get across, so what does it matter if it’s this one, or someone else? What do you say?”
Arturo agreed with her. “Let’s try to make it to the other side. The sooner the better. I think you made a good bargain. We have the money, don’t we?”
“With a little left over for when we get to Los Angeles.”
Before they returned to where the others were waiting, she turned to a wall. She didn’t want anyone to see what she was doing. Luz withdrew the amount of pesos she estimated she could exchange for a little more than seven hundred American dollars. She walked over to the money vendor, and no sooner had the man placed the green bills on her palm, then she heard the coyota’s sharp voice. “Three hundred and fifty dollars, por favor!”
She signaled Luz and Arturo to follow her to a waiting car. They went as far as Mesa Otay, the last stretch of land between Mexico and California. There, the coyota instructed them to wait until it got dark. Finally, when Luz could barely see her hand in front of her, the woman gave the signal. “¡Vámonos!”
They walked together under the cover of darkness. As Luz and Arturo trekked behind the woman, they sensed that they were not alone, that other people were also following. Suddenly someone issued a warning, “¡La Migra! ¡Cuidado!” The coyota turned with unexpected speed, and murmured one word, “¡Abajo!”
All three fell to the ground, clinging to it, melting into it, hoping that it would split open so that they could crawl into its safety. Unexpectedly a light flashed on. Like a giant eye, it seemed to be coming from somewhere in the sky, slowly scanning the terrain. No one moved. All that could be heard were the crickets and the dry grass rasping in the mild breeze. The light had not detected the bodies crouched behind bushes and rocks. It flashed out as suddenly as it had gone on.
“¡Vámonos!” The coyota was again on her feet and moving. They continued in the dark for hours over rough, rocky terrain. The coyota was sure footed but Luz and Arturo bumped into rocks and tripped over gopher holes. Luz had not rested or eaten since she had gotten off the bus. She was fatigued but she pushed herself fearing she would be left behind if she stopped. Arturo was exhausted too, but he knew that he still had reserves of energy, enough for himself and Luz.
Dawn was breaking as they ascended a hill. Upon reaching the summit, they were struck with awe at the sight that spread beneath their feet. Their heavy breathing stopped abruptly as their eyes glowed in disbelief. Below, even though diffused by dawn’s advancing light, was an illuminated sea of streets and buildings. A blur of neon formed a mass of light and color, edged by a highway that was a ribbon of liquid silver. Luz and Arturo wondered if fatigue had caused their eyes to trick them because as far as they could see there was brilliance, limited only in the distance by a vast ocean. To their left, they saw the lights of San Diego unfolding beneath them, and their hearts stopped when they realized that farther north, where their eyes could not see, was their destination.
Without thinking, Luz and Arturo threw their arms around one another and wept.