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Raymundo Apodaca
Professor Gina Lawrence
English 1311
June 12, 2014
I cant read the gauge!
Have you ever had and embarrassing moment that you could have probably avoided?
Imagine being illiterate and at the same time you have to go out and face the daily struggles of
life that require literacy. Simple tasks such as reading the fuel gauge on a vehicle will be a
burden and when you are trying to raise your children you will find yourself encumbered trying
to accomplish that duty. I have a good friend that perfectly fits this description and I will identify
him as Mayelo.
Mayelo was born roughly thirty years ago 85 miles south of El Paso, TX in Villa
Ahumada, Chihuahua MX. He is a hardworking man and has a young ten year old boy. He has
gone through numerous hardships throughout his life and unfortunately for him being illiterate is
a major one. He dropped out of primary school not even a quarter of way into it in order to work
and help his poverty stricken family. Extreme poverty and living in slum-like conditions took a
toll on him which caused him to become desperate. When he reached his teenage years he got
involved with drug trafficking and organized crime which led to his arrest by the time he was in
his early twenties. Upon his release and with the mentality of turning his life around, he meet
my uncle Javier at a rodeo event. My uncle Javier hired him to watch over his 50 hectare ranch
and all the cattle that lives there. In previous times there has been criminals dumping corpses,
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breaking in and stealing cattle, copper from electric circuits and numerous equipment used for
the excavation of wells.
On a windy Saturday afternoon of April 2014, Mayelo was patrolling the large ranch in a
1997 black Chevy Suburban that my uncle Javier provided in order for him to complete his job
more efficiently. As he was driving over dried brush and navigating up and down hills the SUV
came to a sudden stop. Concerned, he deliberately stepped out of the vehicle and took a quick
unsure glance at it. As his pulse elevated and he began sweating excessively (It seemed as if he
had just gotten out of the pool) he told his son to call Javier through a cell phone. Upon hearing
the news, Javier rushed to his White 2001 Chevy Silverado to go over and assess the situation.
I just gave him that suburban, I ensured that everything was working properly. What could
have possibly gone wrong? he thought to himself. Upon arriving to the ranch he briefly
searched for Mayelo and he found him in less than five minutes. What happened Mayelo? The
vehicle is not starting? No, I was just driving and it stopped all of a sudden Let me take a
quick look. Javier got on the SUV and turned on the vehicle. As all the indicator lights came
on the fuel gauge caught his attention. The gauge read E, the suburban had ran out of gas. There
was no malfunction and nothing was broken. Frustrated, my uncle opened the back of the
suburban and pulled out a couple of jerry cans full of fuel. As he finished fueling the vehicle, he
instructed Mayelo to turn it on. As the engine was running, he glanced at Javier with a look of
embarrassment and defeat.
After this culminating event I began to reflect on his son. Is he going to school? I
thought to myself. Hopefully he escapes that mentality of school not being important for his
own sake. We live in a world were literacy is necessary in order to succeed. If he takes his
fathers example he could cause a chain reaction of illiteracy on his future generations to come.
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Literacy can go beyond reading and writing but we have to remember that they are a
foundation that you will have to build on in order to function more adequately. With a solid
foundation we will be able to keep feeding our minds with knowledge and stop certain
unnecessary struggles that life likes to throws at us. Like not knowing when your vehicles gas is
empty or even administering medicine to your children when they are sick. How will you know
the correct dose to give them? You could end up killing them just with a simple mistake. Dont
set a bad example to the younger individuals in your life, dont cause a domino effect of
illiteracy. Give your children that powerful tool, so that they can succeed.