By LARRY BALLWAHN | Wilton
Lydia was particularly aware that the drug cartels had moved into Acapulco. Not only were there the gruesome deaths associated with the gang warfare, but her husband, Sebastian Delgado, a journalist, wrote about cartel activity. Among his subjects was Javier Fuentes, the head of the dominant cartel in Acapulco. Lydia knew Javier as a friend and customer of her bookstore. Never did she suspect that the article would result in the violent death of Sebastian and all who were close to her but her 8-year-old son, Luca. He lived only because she hid with him in the corner of their shower until the massacre was over.
Fear for her life, but especially for her son’s life, governed Lydia’s actions following the brutal deaths of her family — 16 people gunned down by the cartel, apparently because of her husband’s article. Using a series of dodges, she and Luca manage to get to Mexico City. From there, the plan was to fly somewhere nonstop to a city that was near the border of the United States. She then hoped to find a way across the border, hopefully to relatives in Denver. Fortunately, she had money; she and her husband had saved, and her mother had died, making her bank account available to Lydia. The plan was shattered when Luca could not fly without a birth certificate.
Suddenly they were migrants. Migrants who knew Javier Fuentes and his cartel had a long reach. They needed to get out of Mexico. The fact that they had money available, while helpful, was not going to be the solution. They were migrants, but unlike most of the others, Lydia knew nothing about it except that they were going to have to ride freight trains north. How did people even get on the top of those trains? Most of the cities had “safety” fences to stop migrants from boarding while the train slowed. Climbing the cars as they gained speed was not realistic with an 8-year-old.
Fortunately, Lydia and Luca met Soledad and Rebecca, teen sisters who had already traveled from Honduras. The sisters explained that the overpasses were not yet fenced and showed them how to jump from overpasses to the top of freight cars. Luca and the younger sister made a connection, and the four were soon traveling together.
Traveling on top of freight cars was uncomfortable and dangerous. The reception at the various stops varied, but usually there was a religious group that provided the migrants with food and water. As they entered the last leg of the rail journey, the migrants were assured that they would be robbed and worse. Yet most of them went on. They had little choice.
There were additions to the traveling party, Beto and Lorenzo. That was not necessarily good; Beto had severe asthma, and Lorenzo had a working phone and the tattoo of a cartel member. There were the problems forecast and more. But the group did get to Nogales and did locate an honest coyote named El Chacal. They started the trip that would take them across the border, but they were not done with their problems.
