“We can get cheeseburgers for a dollar. And pretty fucking good, too.” Manuel laughed as he led Juan out of the alley. “Not as good as your food, but it will do for now.”

“I see the Americans have been feeding you well,” Juan said and slapped his cousin in the stomach.

“Fuck you, man. Eating healthy is too expensive. And I just gave most of my money to that fucking coyote.”

Juan put his hands up in mock surrender but couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. As bad as the trip was, and though he wondered more than once if he would survive it, he was damn happy to see Manuel. His happiness was coated with a hint of regret for leaving his wife and baby girl back in Mexico, but they were safe with his mother-in-law, regardless if she was a bitter hag or not.

Manuel wrinkled his nose and then really looked Juan over. “Maybe we should get to my apartment first, get you cleaned up. You smell like you took a bath in shit.”

“Not too far from the truth.”

Juan took in his surroundings and felt his stomach plunge into his shoes; he’d never felt so lost in his life. He pulled the photo of his family from his pocket and stared at it for a moment, taking in their smiles, their captured happiness, and he could only hope they missed him too.

A FRESH START

Juan scrubbed the moisture from his head with a scratchy towel that stank of mildew, but he was thankful for the shower. His skin tingled and had already begun drying out from the hot, hard water and cheap bar soap. A scaly white film coated his hands and arms.

Manuel sat on his sofa and dug into a Chinese take-out carton with a plastic fork. He licked a few grains of rice from the fork prongs, eyes concentrating on the bottom of the carton, then looked up at Juan and smiled. “Better?”

Juan frowned. “Where did you meet that bastard anyway?”

“The coyote?”

Juan nodded, took a seat beside his cousin.

“He was waiting at the border at the same spot he picked you up, in that same truck. I showed him my money and he let me in. Sent so many others on their way, no matter how much they begged.”

“And you trusted him? I thought I was going to die.”

“It’s not like we have much of a choice, cousin. I paid him, he brought me here. Same with you. Same with your family one day.” He looked back into the carton, sighed.

“I don’t think I can let my family ride in that truck with that son of a bitch. Did you see he pulled a gun on me?”

Manuel tossed the carton to the floor amongst the rest of the filth in the efficiency. He wrapped an arm around Juan, pulled him a bit closer. “Let me explain something to you. Out here, we are cockroaches. That’s how they see us. A dead illegal Mexican? Nobody gives a shit. Get used to it, cousin.”