The topic loomed over our heads as we sat apprehensively around the table in silence.

Not knowing how

to start or break the tense stillness in the air, I thought of what I could say to get my father to talk. The questions
I had been wondering my whole life came to the forefront of my mind: why? Why had he decided to leave
everything hed known behind and come into a land of unknowns? Why would he risk so much for a future he
had no security in? Little did I know how much pain this simple question, as it seemed to me, would cause him.
After a cue from me, he reluctantly began his story, one that I will never forget.
At 20 years old, his life was going nowhere. Fresh out of the army and with no college degree to support
him, my fathers options were slim. Days would pass with nothing to show for, as the mornings were wasted
and nights were spent drinking. One night, it was as if the haze he had been walking around in his entire life had
suddenly cleared, and he realized that there was no future for him in Ecuador. He decided to follow in the
footsteps of his siblings and go to New York City and try to make a future for himself. Wasting no time, he left
his home of twenty years. His first stop was to Mexico City and then Monterrey, where he would meet the
people who would take him on the most impactful and challenging journey of his life across the border.
The plan was as follows:
1. From Monterrey, get on a bus to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, but get off five miles outside the city to
avoid the checkpoint.
2. Walk two miles around the checkpoint and go to the car that would be waiting to take them to the
coyotes house. (A coyote is the term given to a man that would bring immigrants across the
border.)
3. Stay there for two days and then cross the Rio Grande.
4. Go to Laredo, Texas and wait for the perfect moment to head to San Antonio without the notice
of the guards.
5. Pay off the coyote and fly to New York City. Live Happily Ever After.
Only life is never that simple. He made it to Laredo, Texas without much deviation from the plan, but
everything went wrong on the ride to San Antonio.
(Flashback sound)
Im almost there. An hour down, two more to go. Then, I can finally head to New York. I hear a faint
sound. Why does it so familiar? Its getting louder. WaitI remember where Ive heard that before. I know why
it sounds so familiar. Its sirens. I look around the car to see everyones reaction. The driver keeps glancing at
the rearview mirror. He keeps going into other lanes. We violently swerve back into our lane, narrowly missing
another car. My breathing picks up, everyone is screaming. The car jerks onto the side of the road and we end
up in a ditch. Over the ringing in my ear, I try to focus on my surroundings. Everyone scrambles out of the car
and scatters, running in different directions. Something tugs me to the right and I follow, hoping to God Im
making the right choice.
(Flashback ends)
My father spent that night in the desert. He wandered for hours until he came upon a lagoon, where he
slept till the morning came, with the hopes that the new day would bring him a new plan. When the sun rose, he
woke and walked to the highway. He hitched a ride back to Laredo, with the intentions of going back to Mexico
and finding a different coyote. While he was sharing his story with us, he recalled one night in particular, where
he became resolute once more in getting to New York City.

(Flashbacksound)
WhyamIImean,howwait,wasthat?Ilookdownattheground,tryingtoignoremytrembling
handsandkeepabraveface.Rememberwhyyouaredoingthis,Ithinktomyself,youhavenothingleftfor
youbackhome.Thesoundofabranchsnappinginthedistanceechoesandvibratesthroughtheair.Welookat
eachotherandholdourbreath.Onesecondpasses.Threeseconds.Myheartpoundsharderandfasterasevery
secondpassesuntilthedrummingbecomessoloud(pauses,drummingheartsoundincreasesanddiesdown)
thatIcanthearmythoughts.Onlythepassingsecondscanbringmecomfort.OnlywhenIfinallysetfootin
NewYorkCitywillIfeelsafeagain.Onlythen,willIstoplookingbehindmeinfear.
(Flashbackends)
This time the journey was much more successful. He managed to make it to San Antonio and was able to
reach his siblings, who in return, sent $1,100 to payoff the coyote. Next thing you know, he was on a flight to
New York with a stop in Dallas, Texas. Unsure of how connecting flights worked, he asked the flight attendant
by repeating the words New York while showing her his boarding pass. The flight attendant responded by
waving her hands up and down, signaling him to stay put since he was on the right plane. Once he arrived in
New York and caught sight of his family, he became overwhelmed with emotion at seeing familiar faces after
what seemed like an eternity of hardship and desperation.
As he closed up his story with this, we could see a proud smile overcome his face, but if you looked
closer into his eyes, you could see the remnants of his past and the mark it left on his soul. Despite the pain and
suffering the journey may have caused him, he could not be happier with the results. All those challenges life
put in his way have made him the strong man he is today. After hearing his story, my respect and admiration for
my father grew immensely. I was moved by his unfailing bravery and learned to never give up or lose hope. He
always told me that I could do anything I wanted if I set my mind to it, and his story proved just that. I love him
endlessly as my dad, my best friend, my guardian, my role model, and above all, my hero.