Nowhere Else To Go
The screams of mothers having their babies ripped from them echoed through the night. It was the worse day ever in the history of the poor, countryside village.
A few days before, José and Maria received a warning. This wasn't the first time they had been given a tip so they took heed and got ready to go.
Sadness crept over Maria. She didn't want to leave the only home she had ever known, but time was up. If they wanted to keep their family safe, they could no longer stay in their city.
No, it was worse than that, she realized. They couldn't even stay in the country.
So, in the middle of the night, Maria and José packed up everything they owned and fled for the border.
They were just kids, 17 and 15 years old, but José had made a promise to Maria that he would stay with her and protect her no matter what.
So, with their little one in tow, not even old enough to fully form a sentence, they took the 200 mile trip across the hot and rugged desert terrain.
Maria, however, worried the entire way there. She knew that there was a good chance that they wouldn't make it across the border. Even if they did, they might not fit into the new land and they didn't even know the language.
What were their choices though? Go to a strange and possibly hostile new land or go back to place where they would surely be killed?
The reports of the murders were devastating. It was mass genocide. No one wanted to believe that the government could be so corrupt but it was.
According to the rumors of those traveling in the caravan with them, no one was spared. Many children had been killed and José and Maria themselves had barely escaped capture.
No, she couldn't go back. She wouldn't go back. Not, until she knew they were safe. They had to take the risk on the other side.
José's parents had told them stories of a family relative (whom José was named after) who crossed the border years before by illegal means yet still found success. He had rose to the top of the ladder and had become one of the richest men in the new country.
It hadn't been all easy though, he had struggled for a while, doing menial work and manual labor. Many of the natives treated him with contempt and some were downright ugly and hostile with him. He was even falsely accused of a crime, arrested and unjustly jailed, but his conviction was later overturned.
Even with all of those setbacks, he had kept the faith and after he became rich, he brought the entire family over.
Now, they were going to do the same and try to make it in the new land. It wouldn't be easy but they had to escape the horrors of their old world.
During the journey, Maria used the endless hours preparing to learn a new language. José thought about potential jobs and he was ready to put his skills to use. He had worked construction for years and there wasn't a tool or a piece of wood that he couldn't handle.
After a week of travel, tired and desperate, knowing that odds were against them, José and Maria finally crossed the border into the new land.
Although they knew that life would be difficult, they were going to do whatever it took to stay there as long as they could, so that their little one, Jesús, could be safe.
A few days before, José and Maria received a warning. This wasn't the first time they had been given a tip so they took heed and got ready to go.
Sadness crept over Maria. She didn't want to leave the only home she had ever known, but time was up. If they wanted to keep their family safe, they could no longer stay in their city.
No, it was worse than that, she realized. They couldn't even stay in the country.
So, in the middle of the night, Maria and José packed up everything they owned and fled for the border.
They were just kids, 17 and 15 years old, but José had made a promise to Maria that he would stay with her and protect her no matter what.
So, with their little one in tow, not even old enough to fully form a sentence, they took the 200 mile trip across the hot and rugged desert terrain.
Maria, however, worried the entire way there. She knew that there was a good chance that they wouldn't make it across the border. Even if they did, they might not fit into the new land and they didn't even know the language.
What were their choices though? Go to a strange and possibly hostile new land or go back to place where they would surely be killed?
The reports of the murders were devastating. It was mass genocide. No one wanted to believe that the government could be so corrupt but it was.
According to the rumors of those traveling in the caravan with them, no one was spared. Many children had been killed and José and Maria themselves had barely escaped capture.
No, she couldn't go back. She wouldn't go back. Not, until she knew they were safe. They had to take the risk on the other side.
José's parents had told them stories of a family relative (whom José was named after) who crossed the border years before by illegal means yet still found success. He had rose to the top of the ladder and had become one of the richest men in the new country.
It hadn't been all easy though, he had struggled for a while, doing menial work and manual labor. Many of the natives treated him with contempt and some were downright ugly and hostile with him. He was even falsely accused of a crime, arrested and unjustly jailed, but his conviction was later overturned.
Even with all of those setbacks, he had kept the faith and after he became rich, he brought the entire family over.
Now, they were going to do the same and try to make it in the new land. It wouldn't be easy but they had to escape the horrors of their old world.
During the journey, Maria used the endless hours preparing to learn a new language. José thought about potential jobs and he was ready to put his skills to use. He had worked construction for years and there wasn't a tool or a piece of wood that he couldn't handle.
After a week of travel, tired and desperate, knowing that odds were against them, José and Maria finally crossed the border into the new land.
Although they knew that life would be difficult, they were going to do whatever it took to stay there as long as they could, so that their little one, Jesús, could be safe.
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