Luis and the Cursed ‘American Dream’

[unhappycamper]

http://watchingamerica.com/WA/2014/08/31/luis-and-the-cursed-american-dream/

Luis and the Cursed ‘American Dream’
Guatemala
Published in Siglo 21 (Guatemala)
on 1 August 2014 by Juan Manuel Rodríguez García
Translated from Spanish by Chelsea Jones.
Edited by Gillian Palmer.
Posted on August 31, 2014.

Luis was the second of his seven siblings and was charged with taking responsibility for his siblings and parents, which is why he did not hesitate when the opportunity arose to get ahead in the United States.

The network of “coyotes” knocked on his parents’ door: “Doña Maria, we offer to take Luis so that he can meet up with his brother in Chicago. And since this is the second child of yours we are taking, we can give you a good price: For $10,000, we will take Luis and take good care of him.” As if he was talking about a time machine toward prosperity, Luis’s parents decided without any doubt that it was time to send him so he would have better opportunities in live, just like his brother.

Chicago: the Windy City. “You should come. There are jobs and you will see tall buildings. Don’t hesitate.”

During the journey through Mexico, 11-year-old Luis was raped twice; once in Zeta territory, and another time by the same trafficker who had promised to protect him and deliver him to his brother. It is how one must “pay their dues” to be able to enter the U.S. Luis thought that he would forget it all the moment he saw the buildings of Chicago. He would use selective memory and the power of denial, and he would be fine.