Elijio

Elijio

Poor young guy who always wanted more than from where he came from.

The taste of sweetness from the sugar canes that his family harvested in the border town of Pedras Negras just south of Texas came to become the only rich pleasure Elijio got from working long hours during the harvest season. Watching yet again as dusk started to set in and money being exchanged between his brother and the cartel gave him anxiety and nausea knowing he barely had enough to get by for his wife and daughter.

As Elijio adjusts his body like every time as he has before and goes to turn away taking a brief step towards the truck, an altercation starts between his brother and a cartel gang member. The cartel raises a gun to his brothers head and releases a bullet from the chamber whipping back his brothers head dropping him to the floor. The loud shot shakes Elijio as he runs to hide behind the truck. He takes a small glance behind the tire making sure to hide himself securely in fear that the cartel member may have noticed him working in the field. As the cartel member looks around unaware of Elijio stammering around the trucks tire trying to conceal himself, the cartel lights a cigarette to his mouth taking only one brief puff of it then tossing it on elijios brothers body while walking back to his car, starting it up and driving off.

As soon as the car is out of his sight elijio quiclly runs to his brother to check and see if there’s a pulse or any breathe of air? Grabbing hold of his brothers shirt he lays his head on his brothers chest not understanding what just happened? Lifting his brothers body in the truck bed with barely enough strength he soon jumps into the drivers seat, starts the truck and drives off to his home.

Slamming the door open, frantically grabbing backpacks and small suitcases he tells his wife what happened to his brother. His wife not understanding what to do elijio tells his wife they need to leave because if they don’t the cartel can come to their house next and shoot them all including his little girl. Trying to hold back tears his wife grabs their daughter and gets her ready as quickly as possible.

Elijio quiclly takes out his flip phone and calls around in a panic to some relatives and asks if they can have a smuggler sneak them across the border tonight? As he hurries through hanging up abd calling again phone number after phone number he was able to finally reach a smuggler aka “coyote”. He scribbles down on his hand a number to call back on and a place to meet. Once upon hanging up he places his family in the truck. His wife placed their daughter between them and as she looks in the bed of the truck she gasps at the body of her brother in law shot and dead lying there. She quickly turns back around making sure to adjust her daughters head so as to not look behind them.

Once arriving in a location the coyote planned for him and his family to meet in the cold dark night of winter. The coyote collects the money that elijio brings him before they begin the move to the border. He notices the coyote pulling out a little black book kept in the side pocket of his bag to quickly glance at it then places it back in his bag.

When the time comes elijio and his family start to walk along with a group of others who plan to flee through the night.

As he clings to his wife and child they get overrun by a small cartel gang who try to rob them. The coyote grabs elijio and his family and makes a run for the border. With the cartel coming from behind they see the border patrol ahead of them. Trying to scramble in hopes to find an opening feeling frightened and boxed in all around. A whizzing sound slings by elijios ear and a bullet hits the coyote. Elijio yells at his wife and daughter to run for the border while he tries to help the coyote.

Bleeding out, the coyote gives elijio the bag full of money that he took from the people trying to be smuggled over and tells him to take it and try to live a life. As elijio takes the bag of money he finds the little black book found inside.

He takes it and as soon as looks up his wife and daughter are snagged in an instant by the border patrol and looking behind he sees the cartel spooked, slowly driving away. He stays in wait until morning where he tries to figure out how to find his family?

With the money, he tries to find another coyote in hopes he can take him across the border? As he walks back into town he sees another man covered in dirt as he is and noticing he was in the group of people being smuggled along with him who escaped the shooting of the cartel, it was the coyotes partner! The partner recognizes the binding of the little black book poking out of the bag that elijio is carrying and tries to snag it. Elijio demands for his help! The partner tells elijio what he knows about smuggling people? Elijio says he doesn’t know anything? The partner says to elijio that he can help him but the little black book is the key. It’s all the contacts, names and places to go that the coyote used to smuggle people. It’s whats going to help him get across the border.

As the day grows into night again elijio tries to use the book to help him figure out how to make it across the border. The partner walks into the cantina where elijio is engrossed in the little black book all the while holding the bag of money. The partner slowly approaching elijio brings an elderly woman to him. She’s in need of medicine that she can’t get in Mexico but talked to her family in the US that can help her. Elijio asks why does she need medicine? The partner says she’s been having a cold but the doctors can’t figure out why she’s not getting better from the medicine she’s been taking? Hesitant in wanting to take the elderly lady by reasoning she’s slow, sick and old. The grandson who came along with her pleads to elijio and tells him he doesn’t want his abuelita to die. The little child’s eyes watering up in front of elijio, bringing back memories of his own little child, couldn’t keep looking at him and reluctantly was moved enough to say yes. The elderly lady feeling relief gives elijio a lump sum of money and the look of gratefulness, it doesn’t wipe the look of nervousness off of elijios face.

The partner turns to elijio and says we need at least 3 more people to pay us for us to try and make it to the border. Elijio is confused to as why? The partner says we need take another route because now the cartel knows where we plan to go now. As elijio looks inside the book he notices there’s another path to take but there’s needed more supplies than before and to have a contact to meet to help drive them all since the distance is further than the route they took before.

He calls the number found next to the contacts name. The dial tone starts and a voice answers. When elijio starts to talk a confusion on the other end of the phone on who elijio is starts to occur. elijio tries to reassure him that he’s the new coyote. And if the contact helps him he’ll double his normal rate. The contact sounding reluctant agrees and sets a date and time while elijio setting the place to meet.

Elijio and the partner get 3 more people to smuggle across the border. As they drive to the location elijio pulls out the little black book from his pocket and below the last name that was written in the book, his own name, he writes down the names of the people he’s helping smuggle across the border one by one.

As darkness approaches it gets close to the time to meet up with the contact. Elijio trying to find the contact he sees a flashing light from a distance and tells everyone to follow him. The elderly lady is coughing frantically and elijio tries his best to help her stay quite. While everyone moves ahead towards the light elijio stays behind to help the elderly lady. As he approaches hes faced with a gun drawn on him.

The contact demands the money promised by elijio. Elijio pulls out the some money to show the contact what’s in the bag and slowly hands it over. The contact looks at the money in the bag and throws it to the ground and demands from elijio the rest of the money! But elijio not knowing how much more he needed he tells the contact he has nothing more. The contact cocks the gun and points it at elijios partner and threatens to kill him first. Elijio begs the contact that this is his first job but he has more! And he needs his partner to help him smuggle people. Elijio tells the contact that they’ll stay behind and get more people to smuggle if he helps them. The contact agrees and takes them to the border to be security following behind them. As they arrive to the border opening, elijio looks off at each one of them as they start to cross through the cutted wire gates and the elderly woman with sad eyes turns to look at elijio drawing herself closer to him and tenderly kisses him, thanking him for his help.

As all three start to drive back the contact notices they’re being followed. Trying to outrun the vehicle behind them soon two more vehicles show up and cut them off forcing them to stop. It’s the cartels! But as elijio is looking at the group it’s a different set of them. A gang member steps out of the vehicle and approaches the contact. Demands who they are! The contact tells the gang member that elijio and his partner are coyotes. Elijio looks dumb founded and as him and the gang member locks eyes the gang member says they’re looking for coyotes who know the ways around the border could that be them? Elijio says we may not be who you want? Then before he takes another breathe the entire Cartel gang pulls out guns aimed at the vehicle. Elijio says BUT I CAN BE!! as the gang member approaches elijio he gives him a cell phone. He says he’ll call when he’s needed. The cartel begins to drive off and elijio realizes that not only is he now pulled in by a cartel family but he still needs to pay the contact the remainder of his money all the while trying to make it back across the border himself to save his family!

A couple of days go by and the partner tries to talk to elijio and tell him we need to start finding people to smuggle if we’re to make money and pay back the contact. Elijio looking depressed and doesn’t want to think of smuggling at the moment. Less than a moment after he hears a phone ring, it’s coming from inside his pocket, he pulls out the phone that the cartel gave him. Elijio picks it up and as he hears the voice over the phone he takes out the little black book and writes down nervously the information being given to him. He hangs up the phone and the partner asks elijio what was it? Elijio says, he wants us to pick up a package.

The partner tells elijio it’s drugs! And the only way to help with the smuggling of drugs is having people to smuggle with it. Elijio confused by that remark asks him how? The partner explains that the majority of the time the cartels know they may lose some drugs but if they get some people to load it with them and if some get away they don’t lose it all. So he tells elijio that unless they get people to smuggle they won’t be able to get the drugs across! So elijio reluctantly agrees and so the partner begins to find more people to smuggle.

Having the date and location set for both pickups between gathering the immigrants and drugs. The partner is making sure to have everyone accounted for. The partner having skepticism of how things are to be executed takes precautions. Crossing every T and taking notice of everyone with all they’re taking along with them he’s even noticing the more subtle behaviors. It becames so apparent that’s he even recollects one person coughing in the same chaotic manner as the elderly lady did. The partner tries to not look too concerned and turns on the radio during the drive and over hears that there’s been a recent breakout of a virus that’s been showing early signs in the US and for all to be cautious, looking for signs of cold like symptoms. Approaching the destination Elijio soon turns off the radio and tells the partner we’re here at the meet up. They see the contact waiting to load the people with back packs full of drugs that elijio was told by the cartel to have every other person wear and instructions of where to go after they cross the border.

With elijio handing over the rest of the money owed to the contact they begin their hike with elijio behind all of them wearing one of the backpacks filled with drugs. The partner grabs elijio and tells him he better knows what he’s doing with that backpack. Elijio shrugs the partners hand off his shoulder starts to walk with the rest of the group. As soon as they see the border crossing one by one start to run over a long terrain of open space mixed with small hills and bushes trying not to draw attention by going all at once.

Just as soon as they’re all almost over there’s flood lights seen in the distance, it’s from behind them! A rival cartel gang found them and they start shooting in hopes to collect the drugs and money that they were carrying. The contact pulls out his guns and hands one over to elijio. the partner sensing that there’s no out gunning the cartel tries to run for it snagging the bag full of drugs from elijio. Dashing through the open terrain the partner gets shot. Elijio with his heart racing trying to find an opening as well tries to make a run for the border. The contact in screaming anger leaps ahead of elijio and has the fire drawn towards him leaving the bag full of money that was his behind for elijio to grab. Grabbing the bag Elijio sees his chance and makes a dash breathing frantically and scared. Trying to dodge through bullets he gets tripped up by the partner still alive but bleeding out. He tries to grab elijios gun and they both begin to wrestle. Elijio breaks free and grabs the gun quickly pointing the gun at the partner and no more than a split second and the partner gets shot in the head by a cartel bullet. As a gang member spots elijio on his back elijio raises his gun and starts to fire back.

Elijio getting up grabs a bag and frantically tries to make it the rest of the way to the border. His slides under the wire gates scratching himself and crawling to freedom he looks up to find the back end of a shotgun knocking him out.

He wakes up in a holding cell, handcuffed, dazed with blurry vision trying to adjust his eye sight. An officer walks in and grabs a seat from the wall walking towards elijio. Setting the chair in front of elijio he sits down. Opens a folder and pulls out pictures of the back pack with cocaine set to the side of it. Then placing another picture in front of him with the picture of the little black book with names written in them. He tells elijio he has charges on him for drug and human trafficking. The officer talks to elijio and says he read through the little black book and found his name in it as well. He asks elijio to be honest and tells him he believes that the man found shot with the bag of money next to him is the coyote and if he was one of the people trying to be smuggled in the country? Was he used to be a mule to carry drugs across the border for payment to come in the US? Elijio agrees with everything that the officer is saying and tries to explain that he’s just trying to find his family. The officer told elijio he can’t help him with finding his family but he can help him not face jail time if he can give him information on the routes used to smuggle across the border and information about the cartel family. So elijio tells the officer about the cell phone used to contact the leader of a cartel family. Than later opening the little black book to show the officer where he went to smuggle people. The officer gathering all the information from elijio told him he’ll be held until a trial and from there he’ll be sent back to Mexico.

Months passed and as elijio was being escorted on to a bus to be taken back across the border he reaches a drop off point where the border patrol opens the sliding bus door allowing for immigrants to exit. Elijio takes a cab back to a place where he once called home. As he rides in the backseat he overhears on the radio that a virus known as covid-19 is a global pandemic. The number of people who have been contracted by the virus spiked in the US with Mexico closing its borders to not allow any further spread to enter in their country. The car slowly pulls up to a house and there he see his wife hanging clothes on a wire hanger and his daughter turning to see him. As he smiles the cab door flys open and he rushes to his family. As they grab hold of one another tears flow from each of them as they recall the physical embracemoment that was missed with the time lost.