Home of the Brave

The Border

The tears in the plastic seat coverings pinched my legs. I watched miles of dust and yellow, spiky bushes whizz by over María's shoulder, who was ecstatic about everything.
"Look!" She said. "The white line has little bumps. And the grass is just a blur! It's so fast!"
Larrana was quiet, as usual, but she seemed uneasy. I could tell by her shifting eyes and fingernail-picking.
"Are you alright?" I asked. Larrana looked up at Aldo, then leaned towards my ear.
"Don't you think it's odd how we were able to get a ride for a third of the price? These guys are really picky...if you think he has any empathy - "
Aldo turned and offered us water.
"Thanks!" I said, handed one to María, then whispered back "I'm sure it will be fine." Larrana did her hair-curtain thing and I sighed.
We slowed to a stop. I looked out the window and saw a line of cars winding up the road. Someone blared their horn. Aldo came around to the back and opened the trunk, checking to make sure that there was no one behind us.
"Okay, you need to get in these," he said, unrolling three large bags that had pictures of tents on the outside. I helped María and Larrana into theirs, then tucked into a ball and crammed myself into the last one. Aldo fastened the top over my head.
The first thing I noticed was the heat. The bag was black, and by the time five minutes had passed there was a small pool of sweat collecting on my upper lip.
The engine rumbling and the rapid sound if my own breath were the only things I knew besides the darkness. Fear, hope, excitement; they were all uncertain, simply projections. Time stretched on, no slower though it seemed, and finally the sound of a window rolling down and Aldo speaking to someone broke through the ongoing numbness I had become accustomed to.
".....yes.....yes, they're.....illegal.....bags in the trunk....." My heart stopped. Was he talking about us? I slowly patted around me, feeling for the opening in the bag. Maybe if I could get out, I could escape...
Footsteps came around the side of the car towards us. I scraped my hands up and down, turning myself around and around in the bag. I couldn't find it, I couldn't find it, and all of a sudden giant hands were grabbing me, and I was screaming with fury, kicking my legs back and forth.
"Thanks! We appreciate all the help we can get," said an unfamiliar voice, "these illegal aliens won't take care of themselves." There was a round of laughter. I thought it was funny too, how we actually thought we could make it across the border, have a chance at greatness or at least a life worth living. Funny how we didn't think any different when Aldo said "56,000 pesos can only get you so far."