“I didn’t expect you home so early. Is everything okay, do you want something to eat?” Anna responded.
“No thank you, I had some food at the restaurant earlier,” Guillermo said.
Anna was in her early thirties, just a few years younger than Guillermo. From time to time, she helped out at the restaurant, but her main focus was looking after Isabel and making sure that the house affairs were in order. Anna was raised in a Catholic family, so she had high moral values. She was soft spoken and had a great deal of respect and admiration for her husband. She held firmly to the belief that Guillermo was a good man, and she trusted that he had the family’s best interest at heart. Guillermo also respected his wife and would do whatever it took to make sure that she was happy.
“Anna, my love, we have to talk.”
“What’s wrong, Guillermo?”
“Oh no, nothing is wrong. It’s just something that I have been thinking about for a while now. I didn’t say anything before, because I didn’t have all the information. I had to think things over before speaking to you about it,” Guillermo responded.
“Oh, I see. So, what is it?” Anna asked.
“So, what do you think about the three of us moving to America?” Guillermo said.
“America?! I think moving to America is a dream, almost impossible considering we are not in a position to get travel visas,” Anna responded sceptically.
“What if I told you that I know a way to make that dream come true?” Guillermo said.
“Okay, Guillermo, I need to prepare myself for this. I am going to the kitchen to make myself a drink. Would you like one as well?”
“No, I’m okay, thanks,” Guillermo responded with a smile.
Anna was a bit of a tea connoisseur, but because they lived in such a hot country, Guillermo couldn’t understand why she loved drinking it so much. She would make the tea from local herbs and add a bit of lemon and honey. Guillermo would try some from time to time, but he didn’t like it as much as she did. Anna came back to the living room with a smile on her face, turned off the TV, and perched on the old, dark-green sofa next to her husband.
“I left some tea in the tea pot, just in case you change your mind,” Anna said.
“Why do you have that grin on your face?” Guillermo asked.
“I’m looking forward to hearing what you have planned, I’m just a bit excited, that’s all,” replied Anna.
“You even turned off the TV and everything,” Guillermo said with a quiet laugh.
“Come on, Guillermo, just tell me! I can no longer handle the suspense.”
“Okay, all right. Gosh, you are really excited about this, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, you know the officer?”
“Officer?” asked Anna.
“Yeah, you know, the officer. The guy from the port authorities,” Guillermo said.
“Oh, him,” Anna replied.
“Yes, him, ha-ha. He has some connections with people that work on a cargo ship. With help from the officer and the guys on the ship, we will be able to travel to Miami,” Guillermo explained.
“How are they going to be able to help us?” Anna asked.
“Well, here’s the thing. It will cost $3,800 for each of us—half price for Isabel,” Guillermo continued.
“Wow, that’s a lot of money! The guys from the cargo ship, they will help us get visas?” Anna asked.
“Not exactly. The money that we are paying them will cover travel costs and bribe money for port authorities in Miami,” Guillermo explains.
“I don’t know, Guillermo. What happens if something goes wrong in Miami and we get arrested? Even worse, what happens if something bad happens to the ship? We could all die,” Anna responded sceptically.
“Come on, Anna, we are not going to die. These ships do hundreds of trips, and they are well looked after because of the amount of money at stake if anything was to go wrong with the ships. You know that I don’t really like breaking the law either, but I look at our lives now, and I don’t really see many good opportunities for people like us in this country. The restaurant barely keeps us afloat, and when you think about the kind of life that we want our daughter to have, it is impossible to achieve that on our current income. Listen, my love, I have thought about this long and hard. If these guys can get us to Miami, we will have an opportunity to build a good life there. Right now, though, Puerto Plata has nothing to offer us,” Guillermo said convincingly.
“Well, Guillermo, I trust that you will only do what is best for us, and I know that this decision couldn’t have been an easy one. So, I support your decision—let’s do it,” Anna said.
“Really, you mean that?” Guillermo said with excitement.
“Absolutely. I mean, we don’t have the money, but I am sure that you have already thought about that,” said Anna.
“Wow, I thought it would take a lot more to convince you,” said Guillermo.
“God forgive us for breaking the law, but it’s like you said, we don’t have good opportunities in Puerto Plata. I trust your decision. Besides, we have friends and family in America, and we should be able to reach out to them for support,” Anna said.
“Anna, you are the best, and yes, I have thought about the money. We obviously will have to sell the restaurant, the truck, the boat, and this house. All the money we get will go towards the trip and spending money for when we get to Miami,” said Guillermo.
The couple spent the rest of the night talking about their plans and everything that needed to be done. It was a life-changing decision, but one that would pay off in the long run.
Chapter 5
