Part 2: Baja Leai & the Road to New York
Two-day car journey to Chicago; Winston receives them; Jesus confesses to killing Rodrigo and calls Winston 'Dad'; Winston delivers a speech about loyalty.
The three travelers rode without speaking into Mexicali. At the border, the man paid an agent to let him pass. Jesus and Andrea slept intermittently, too nervous to surrender themselves to vulnerable unconsciousness. They learned the driver’s name was Pedro, but Jesus suspected that it wasn’t his real name. He didn’t say much else, except that they were bound for Chicago. The drive would take two days, almost nonstop. When they stopped for gas and food, the signs were in English. Pedro paid for Jesus and Andrea to eat.
“If anyone asked, I’m your uncle. This is your cousin, and we’re going to see your father for his birthday. That’s it,” Pedro told them. Andrea and Jesus both could feel they were part of something increasingly dangerous. He thought back to the suitcase Pedro’s partner had produced from the trunk and brought into Layla’s house.
She must be a part of all of this, too.
Jesus began to form a clearer picture in his mind of the characters surrounding him. Winston, Pedro, Layla … and Osito? Was Osito part of it? Jesus imagined the same man who was raising two young daughters as part of some criminal organization. He couldn’t see it, but the pieces fit. There was no denying that Osito’s closeness to Layla and Winston implicated him in whatever was going on here.
What was going on here? What was the nature of this strange game Jesus and Andrea had unwittingly bought into? What would become of them when they arrived in Chicago?
In his mind, he could see Christian smirk.
“You told me you wanted to go to America. Well, here’s your chance,” Christian said.
“Yes, but not like this,” Jesus replied.
“Sometimes you don’t get to choose the path you go down in life,” Christian said, “Sometimes your hand is dealt, and you have to play it to the best of your ability,” Christian said, sitting next to him, next to Andrea.
“I don’t want this. I never wanted any of this,” Jesus said.
“It doesn’t matter what you want. Sometimes life is thrust upon us.”
“Rodrigo deserved what he got. I was only doing what made sense.”
“Did you say something, Jesus” Andrea said sleepily. Jesus came to and realized he was talking to himself. Christian wasn’t there. It was just his mind playing tricks on him.
“No, it’s nothing,” He told her.
“Mhmm…” She grunted, still half asleep, and moved over to rest her head on Jesus’ shoulder. In a few miles, they were both fast asleep.
Pedro woke them up when he stopped in Albuquerque for dinner. They ate hamburgers and fries in silence. Andrea ordered a milkshake, which she shared with Jesus. The man tipped their waitress, a tall twenty-something brunette with tired, overworked eyes and an infectious smile, very well. They were off again. This time, they were fully awake, having gotten some decent rest on the road. Jesus watched the road signs and surmised that they were traveling East on Interstate 40 towards Oklahoma City. By the time Jesus saw a large sign by the side of the road that announced, “Welcome to Oklahoma,” The sun was low upon the horizon.
“We should practice English,” Andrea said, switching languages, “We are in the United States now. We will need to learn.”
Jesus agreed and the two proceeded to make small talk, commenting on the signs and sights they saw as they rode. The land was flat as a tortilla, filled with pastures and farms. There was very little to comment on outside of the rolling fields of corn and crops. The cars drove differently here. They made some attempt to stay within the lanes and respect and space of other drivers. It was a refreshing break from the cutthroat free-for-all on Mexican streets.
They were both adequate speakers of English after years of lessons from the Señora and almost two semesters of classes at Baja Leai, in which they were not permitted to speak at all in Spanish. Even so, the conversations were clunky, slow, and full of errors. Their accents were thick. At one point, Jesus asked Pedro what they thought of their English. Pedro usually didn’t answer his questions, and had a habit of remaining silent when Jesus or Andrea would attempt to talk to him, but this time he hazarded an answer.
“Your English is good. Not great, but good. You’ll learn quickly,” Jesus imagined himself in Chicago, speaking fluently like a native speaker. The thought filled him with pride.
When they finally pulled over and bedded down at a small motel outside of Oklahoma City, the sun had been down for hours. Andrea was anxious to use the shower, and for good reason. Neither of the men complained when she took a full hour in the bathroom. Jesus and Andrea slept together on separate sides of the bed, and Pedro slept on the other. There was no tension between them anymore.
In the morning, they rose before sunrise to an alarm Pedro had set, ate quickly at a diner down the street, and set off on Highway 44 towards St. Louis. They read some pamphlets Jesus had pilfered from the motel about the rich history and beautiful natural sights of Oklahoma. It was dry and boring. They rode in silence most of the way through St. Louis and finally, into Chicago. When they entered the city limits, the sun was already down. The second day of travel had passed much more quickly than the first.
Pedro drove straight into the heart of the city before taking an exit and navigating them to a densely packed, working class neighborhood on the West Side.
Winston greeted them at the door. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, which showed off his powerful build. It was the first time that Jesus had seen him without his fedora. His hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, with a few loose strands falling over his face. With his hair pulled back, it revealed a strong jawline and a stocky neck.
“Jesus! It’s good to see you. I’m glad you arrived safely,” He brought him in for an embrace, “Andrea, more beautiful than ever,” He kissed her cheeks in a traditional greeting.
“Thanks, Mike,” Winston said, “I’ll see you later.”
So I was right.
Jesus gave himself a mental point of recognition for knowing that, “Pedro,” wasn’t really Pedro.
He was willing to wager that, “Pedro,” wasn’t, “Mike,” either. The driver left without incident, and Winston invited them into the house.
“I rent out the bottom floor. We got neighbors upstairs. Came furnished like this. I’m not here much.”
Jesus and Andrea didn’t know what, “Furnished,” meant, but they got the point. The house was decorated and organized like a model 1950’s home, with flat, neutral paint, brown carpeting, a couch and loveseat facing the TV, and a waist-high half wall separating the living room from the stocked kitchen.
“Are you guys hungry, can I get you anything?” Winston said. Jesus and Andrea nodded. They were famished. Winston called and ordered a pizza, then proceeded to make small talk with the two, completely ignoring the elephant in the room, which was, what the fuck is going on? Winston showed them around. There were two bedrooms, furnished, and a covered area that led to the meager back yard.
“You can sleep in this bedroom. Jesus and I can sleep in the other one,” Winston said.
“I’ll just sleep on the couch. Do you have an extra blanket?” Jesus said.
“Sure, but in that case, I’ll sleep on the couch and you can take the bed,” Winston countered.
“Works for me,” Winston said, “Jesus, you can come with me to pick up the pizza. Andrea, you stay put. We’ll be back soon.”
Jesus and Winston went out to the car, another luxury vehicle.
“How long did the trip up here take?” Winston asked.
Jesus answered, “Two days.”
They turned onto the next street, “Any problems traveling?” Winston said.
“Why don’t you cut the shit? We just drove across two countries because someone died. Stop acting like everything is cool,” Jesus said, switching back to his native tongue.
Winston was silent for a beat, “So you killed him, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Jesus said.
“How’d you do it?”
“I bashed his head in with a rock.”
The engine rumbled as Winston turned onto another street.
“You ok?” Winston asked.
“Not really,” Jesus said. He waited for Winston to reply, but there was none. “Nothing feels real anymore,” Jesus said.
“I know the feeling.”
“It’s like I’m watching a movie. Like I’m just along for a ride.”
“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to stay in Chicago a little bit. It’ll be like a vacation. You’ll love it here.”
“I want to stay in the US.” Jesus said.
“I know you do.”
“So help me stay here.”
“I will.”
“Thanks,” Said Jesus, “Dad. I guess.”
“You’re welcome, son.”
Winston pulled up to the pizza joint, a dingy lower level family owned spot. Photos of Italian actors and memorabilia adorned the wall of the lobby. Winston talked to the cashiers. The pizza wasn’t ready. Winston decided to wait outside.
Jesus watched the wild atmosphere of Chicago at night. It was like a foreign landscape, an environment alien to his own. It put him on edge and excited him at the same time. There was an electricity in the air.
“You smoke?” Winston said, offering a square.
“Not cigarettes.”
“You shouldn’t smoke that shit. Robs you of your ambition.”
“Smoke what?” Jesus said, feigning ignorance.
“Weed, kid. Ganja, grass, marijuana. It’s no good for you,” He lit his cigarette.
“Yeah, so then what is it you’re messing around with then?”
“We’re not talking about that right now.”
“Then why are you telling me what to do?” Jesus demanded. Winston turned to him, calm and unperturbed.
“Look, I’ll never talk down to you as long as I live. You act like a man, I treat you like a man.
You’re a man now. You’re more of a man than most people will ever be, and you’re only- what?
Nineteen?” Winston said. He took a drag and exhaled, “I’m just saying that all of the people I do business with, and all the people I respect, they don’t smoke that shit. It’s for the birds. But you’re a man; make your own decisions.”
Jesus let it sink in. Before he could respond, the pizza guy came out with the pie.
“Thanks, pal,” Said Winston, and paid the man. They got in the car and left.
“So what about the girl?” Winston asked.
“What about her?” Jesus replied flatly. It was rhetorical.
“What is she, your girlfriend?”
“Hell no. She was at Nueva Casa, and she came with me to Baja Leai.”
“So why is she with you?” Winston asked.
“She was there.”
“What happened?”
Jesus told him, in detail the events of two nights ago. Winston listened without interrupting.
“I need some time to think about this. For now, the three of us are just gonna hang out. I’ll show you around Chicago. It’ll be nice. You’ll like it here.”
“I can’t go back, can I?”
Winston hesitated, then said, “No, you can’t.”
“What about her?”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll have to see.”
“What is it you do for business?” Jesus asked.
Winston pulled over into an empty parallel parking space and directed his full attention to Jesus.
“You already know the answer to what you’re asking.”
“No. I don’t.”
“Then why are you asking it?”
“I’m just curious,” Jesus said.
“Look,” Winston said, “There’s something you have to understand. Now, I’m not saying it’s imperative that you agree with me, but I just ask that you hear this out because it’s important. Are you ready?” Jesus nodded. Winston continued, “You are not safe.”
He was looking Jesus right in the eyes, staring straight into his soul with an icy intensity. “This shit isn’t a fucking game. The sooner you understand that, the longer you’ll be alive. This isn’t Nueva Casa. Sophia isn’t going to watch your ass while you keep fucking up. What you did back in Baja Leai made you a man. That boy inside of you is dead now, just as dead as that stupid fuck whose head you busted in. Yeah, I’m in business, and one day maybe you’ll be in business with me. Your decision. But right now, you gotta cut your teeth. No one gets a free pass, not even my son. There’s one thing I value over everything: Loyalty. Loyalty and trust are the only thing that matter to me. I’m speaking to you as a man now. What happened last time we saw each other doesn’t matter. If anything, that just showed me that you had the balls to speak for yourself.”
“And for the record, you’re right. I was a deadbeat and I wasn’t there. But you bet your ass I made sure you were cared for. Look at where you are now. I carried you through this, and I’m gonna keep carrying you until you hit the ground running. So you gonna run, or are you gonna sit around making accusations? Because I’ll buy you a plane ticket to anywhere you want to go and wash my hands of this, but if you want to play the game, stop asking dumbass questions you already know the answer to,”
Winston said, “Then we’re both in business.”
He held Jesus gaze until Jesus looked away, and they drove off. When they got back to the house, Andrea was already asleep, or at least she had went to her room and turned the light off. Either way, it meant that the large pepperoni deep dish pizza was for two now. It did not disappoint.