Read Online Illegal by Bettina Restrepo - Free Book Online

growing. The crazy man pushed his cart in the opposite direction we hadseen him go this morning, like he was returning from a long day of work.
    I banished the dark thoughts from my head. It was only our first day, and I couldn’t let my heart trick me into sadness. I observed a few houses with bars on the windows, but others had neat, green lawns and golden-orange marigolds lining the path.
    In the park, I saw a father pushing a little girl on a swing. Her head tilted back as she squealed for him to push higher. I stared at them just long enough to realize that I couldn’t recall the exact shape of my father’s face. I only felt an intense longing and silent heartbreak.
    A car passed by playing loud music. I felt like I was vibrating. Then it faded away, and the soft hum of the freeway danced in the streets.
    I walked past a large statue of a cowboy on a bucking horse. A plaque had lots of words in English on it. The white cowboy had one hand flung in the air. The brown horse had an angry look and the cowboy tensed with concentration to stay in the saddle.
    I decided I would be like him. I would hang on. I would tame my fear.
    Up ahead, I saw splashing inside a gated area.The water glowed blue like a clear sky, and kids were jumping and giggling. I could feel the droplets of water floating in the air as I stood watching. I could be one of those girls. Happy, with friends and clothes—with a complete family waiting at home.

C HAPTER 18
Legal or Not?
    In the morning, we went back to the market and met the woman. She snapped her fingers as if we were dogs lingering next to a bush. “Hurry up.”
    â€œ Señora , will these papers get me a job?” asked Mama.
    â€œWhere in Mexico are you from?” I asked.
    â€œI’m not Mexican,” the woman said, as if it were an insult. “I’m Colombian.” Her Spanish was very fancy. She drawled out her words with a flamboyant th sound.
    I didn’t know where that was exactly, except they had great soap operas that were funny. Was Colombia south of Mexico? All I really knew was that Texas was north of Mexico. The world was much bigger than I had thought. But these are things I would know if I had gone to school.
    She spoke so fast I could barely understand her Spanish. “Okay. We will take your picture and make several documents with a Social Security number.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” asked Mama.
    â€œYou need a number to get a job and an ID,” she said.
    â€œI’ll be needing papers also, so slow down,” I said firmly.
    This lady was acting as if she was doing us a favor. Her lipstick stained her teeth. It looked like she had blood in her mouth. “Never show these to the police or to someone you think really wants to see real papers. I don’t give refunds. These papers are fakes, nothing more. To be honest, most people don’t even care.”
    â€œThe police don’t care?” I asked.
    â€œThe police—they don’t care about you or your problems. Just like me.”
    In Mexico, you also had to be careful of the police.But who would protect us if something bad happened? Come to think of it, no one had come to help us as we fought to get off the truck. This is why we really had to find Papa—he was our protector.
    Mama whined. “I’m just trying to find my husband.”
    The woman sneered at Mama with disdain. “Look, I just make the papers. You should have thought about that before you swam the river.”
    â€œWe came on a truck,” I said.
    â€œAren’t you a fancy girl?” she said nastily to me, then turned to Mama. “Most people in this neighborhood don’t care if you are legal or not. Just ask around for work.”
    â€œB-but…,” stammered Mama.
    â€œAnd men are worthless. He’s probably with a new girlfriend up here.”
    â€œExcuse me, aren’t we paying you?” I challenged. “My papa wouldn’t do