TRAITORS

by Gerardo Robledo

  “I don’t know how some people could be so insensitive and give little or no importance to such sensitive issues,” snapped Aunt Lupita. “I know there are some immigrants who commit crimes, but the percentage is very low compared to those who are good and have come to this country to work.”

  “I agree!” Quintanilla said. “But right now, we have little time to spare so we must concentrate on the case. Without the support of the Major, what other option do we have? Are the three people we counted on?”

  “No,” said Mr. Mireles. “Father Carlos said we should speak with him if we lack one person. After this meeting, we will all go the parish and speak with him. The only sure ones are the school principal and Mr. Rolmes.”

  “Then I will meet up with Luis today to finalize details and I need at least one of you to go with me. Only two people aside from me can go see him, and we only have fifteen minutes to be alone with him,” said Quintanilla.

  “I think Pablo and I should go,” suggested Zina. I can’t lose this chance to see him even if it’s just for a few minutes.

  “Very well!” said the lawyer. “We need to communicate with the people who are going to the hearing. It is urgent that you go and speak with Father Carlos, and please inform everyone that we should be at court by 10:30 in the morning to register. The hearing is at eleven and we do not want setbacks. As for you both, I’ll see you at the detention center at two this afternoon,” said Quintanilla. “Please be there ten or fifteen minutes early, so don’t waste any time.”

  Everyone left the office and immediately went to the parish office in Santa Rosa. They arrived and spoke to the receptionist.

  “Is Father expecting you?” she asked.

  “He didn’t tell us what time to come,” said Lupita, “but he already knew that we would come see him.”

  “He’s almost done with the person he’s currently with. Please take a seat, and I will soon inform him that you are here.”

  The group of newcomers filled the small reception room. They sat in total silence. The ten minutes they spent waiting seemed eternal, until the priest finally appeared.

  “Come with me,” he said with joy that characterized him.

  They passed through the narrow hallway and entered into the conference room on the second floor of the parish.

  “We will have more privacy here. How’s everything? Tell me all about it,” said the priest.

  Everyone told their share of the story to the priest, as if venting out after so much stress. They explained how problems had arisen with people who refused to help: the problem of Zina with her father, the refusal of Pablo’s friend, and the cold response from the Mexican consul in Los Angeles.

  “You see, Father,” said Mr. Mireles “we really need you! Your presence is very important!”

  “Well, we must understand that this matter is especially delicate,” said the priest. “And we know that those involved are sometimes questioned by the authorities in case deeper problems arise. Let us not judge those who refused to cooperate. They have only been careful in their decisions. I have heard of many cases where people do get into trouble. To some extent, the orders and prohibitions come from their superiors and they get warned to be very cautious.”

  “Yes, but the superiors don’t know of the suffering that those involved are going through,” said Zina. “I think it’s a matter of justice, and justice can never be questioned.”

  “I agree!” said the Father. “But let’s not discuss the matter further. We’ll see each other there on Wednesday,” he said in a vague tone. The priest held a strong internal struggle to hide his fear of the situation, but he felt the obligation of providing aid to a servant of his parish, a son of God in distress. What else could he do but to come forward and support him? Love should be above fear of problems and fear of superiors.

  Jonathan entered the office of the school principal. She had summoned him.

  “There are some things I want to discuss with you,” she said. “I don’t want any riot in school on Wednesday. I learned that many students have agreed to skip class and go to court in a sign of support. Please remind your fellow students that there will be consequences if they make too much fuss and I may not be able to do much for them since I’m already having enough problems with my decision to attend. This morning, the teachers who are against me testifying came and again threatened to report me and make it seem like I was the one who orchestrated all this. I also found out that there is a group of students who also plan to attend and show their denunciation. I don’t want to cause an incident or confrontation. One of the teachers, and I will not name names, is even getting that organized. These teachers are not just content with reporting me! They are also planning to go with the students to express their dissatisfaction. There are even talks that they will contact some radio stations. Please be very careful. I do not want anyone to be affected—neither you guys nor the teachers.”

  Jonathan left the office a little upset about the situation, but convinced about not causing much commotion in school. He wanted things to continue as they were at that moment so as not to discourage the principal and prevent her from changing her decision.

  Zina could not hide her anxiety on the way to Lancaster. She was very quiet and was deep in thought. Her heart beat rapidly and this caused her to have a cold sweat. The road to Lancaster seemed endless. Although they had been there before and she knew the place was far, she felt as if they would never reach their destination. She wondered what she’d do when she was again in front of Luis. What would she say? She thought of thousands of ways to maintain tranquility.

  She had to assure Luis that everything would turn out fine. After all, she hoped that his martyrdom would come to an end on Wednesday. They arrived five minutes before two, the lawyer was already waiting for them, and they went into the waiting room.

  Luis was quietly sitting in the interview room while waiting for the lawyer. He never imagined that his brother and Zina would also come to see him knowing that such visits were not allowed, let alone just two days before his hearing. The three visitors came in all of a sudden. Luis sprung up from his chair unable to say a word. There she was, his beloved. It had been more than a month since he last held her in his arms. She seemed more beautiful than he remembered, but she looked tired from so many sleepless nights.

  Luis, meanwhile, looked thinner. His eyes reflected all the days he spent in sorrow, and the long hours he had spent crying beneath the blanket, waiting for the moment when he would finally be reunited with her and to make up for all the suffering he had caused her. They merged into an embrace, and no one said a word. They wanted that moment to last forever. At the same time, Pablo embraced them unable to hold back his tears from the emotion of seeing their great love for each other and the great affection he felt for his brother. He had dedicated himself to protecting him since the day he was with them. He felt remorse for not having fulfilled the promise of taking care of him; a promise he had made to their mother. His soul ached to see his brother.

  “Okay, give me a minute to explain the details of the hearing,” said the lawyer clearing his throat, “then I will leave you so you can talk at ease.”

  Blushing, the brothers separated from the hug and Quintanilla immediately told Luis about certain procedures for the hearing. He told him what he had to answer and what not to. He also set expectations of what would happen at the end of the hearing. He then left them to be alone.

  The three held hands. Luis broadly told them about his stay there while Zina and Pablo told him about the successes and failures of their struggle to free him. Although Zina had already partly told him those in her letters, she just simply confirmed the cowardice of the pastor of his congregation, about her father, and about Major Smith. They promised each other that they would recover every lost minute and be together forever. They were optimistic about Wednesday’s hearing and they also mad
e plans for the day that Luis was released.

  “There is something else you need to know,” Pablo told Luis, “this morning, Uncle Antonio informed me that Grandma’s health had again deteriorated. They had to take her to the hospital again. I’ll call to find out more about it this afternoon. When we’re done with the hearing I’ll go to Mexico and see her. I think my presence will help her recover sooner.”

  Luis burst into tears again. Something inside him knew that his grandmother’s health had been in a delicate state. He felt guilty because he had stopped calling her, knowing that hearing from her grandchildren was what kept her going.

  Blaming himself, Luis said “I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to my Sweet Granny, I wouldn’t be able to deal with my conscience if we were to lose her. If I manage to get out of here, I will find a way to be with her and make up for the lost time. I have made many promises and I must fulfill them.”

  The three of them hugged each other again, and promised to be together after Wednesday. They were interrupted by the guard, who asked the visitors to leave. Their time was up and they needed to bring Luis back to his cell. They parted with just a kiss and the promise of being together again to go on with the part of their lives which fate had frozen in time.

  With nothing much left to do, they all left the detention center. All they could do now was to wait for Wednesday morning to arrive to discover what fate had in store for them.

  That afternoon, Mr. Mireles called the Red Cross commissioner again to remind him of Wednesday’s appointment, but the commissioner did not answer. Mireles resigned to leave a message on the answering machine and wait for him to return his call.

  The day of the hearing finally arrived. Jonathan and about forty students were gathered outside the school readying a motorcade bound for Lancaster. It was 8:30 in the morning and most of the other students were already in class. Principal Johnson had not arrived, because she would directly go to courthouse. However, the one they did see was Vice Principal Kim Dru. She was with the other opposing teachers and ten students, also bound for Lancaster. But in their case, to protest. The battle had begun.

  Meanwhile, Aunt Lupita and her family were already out. Norberto along with his girlfriend Ximena were also on their way. Pablo, Norma and Zina had been unable to sleep and had been ready since an hour, or more, ago. The three were only waiting for the arrival of Mrs. Tamara, Zina’s mother, who was to fulfill her promise of being by her daughter’s side that morning. It was 8:37 a.m. when the phone rang. Zina ran to answer thinking it was her mother. In fact, she answered a little upset since she was already late.

  “Oh, I’m sorry… Pablo, it’s for you. It’s your Uncle Antonio from Mexico.”

  Pablo picked up the phone surprised, since his uncle would rarely call and much less, so early. In a hurry, he asked worriedly:

  “What is it, Uncle? What’s new?” Pablo exclaimed, then falling into a long silence. He closed his eyes and put his free hand on his head. “I will go out there this afternoon. Please take care of everything, Uncle. After the hearing, I will take the first available flight.” He hung up the phone and began to cry. Zina and Norma could not believe what they had imagined. Pablo, sobbing, confirmed the news he had just received: Grandma Andrea had died.

  There had already been many tears shed. Pablo felt that the world was caving in on him. All his fears had come true and could not have been at a worse time. What he valued the most in life had gone forever and he was far away from her. He deeply regretted not being with her in the last moments of her life and not having the chance to say goodbye or at least give her a last kiss.

  Now, with all the sorrow in his heart, he had to find a way to get to court with a smile on his face so as not to discourage Luis. He must then find a way to break the news to his brother. Norma and Zina embraced in silence, and in a short prayer, they prayed for the eternal repose of somebody they have loved so much. Pablo could not formulate plans. They were an hour away from facing his brother’s hearing, but now, he had sunk in the greatest pain he could ever imagine, the loss of his most valuable treasure in the world—the loss of his Grandmother Andrea.

  After the arrival of Zina’s mother, and after explaining what had happened, they arrived at the meeting. Upon reaching the court, they beheld a great bustle. Aunt Lupita had already arrived. They told her the tragic news, and later joined the lawyer. Quintanilla had arrived early that morning to organize all the paperwork.

  Norberto and his girlfriend remained in the parking lot talking to Jonathan who had arrived a little after the arrival of his schoolmates.

  Mr. Mireles and his family had arrived at about the same time as Jonathan and his peers. They all headed towards the courthouse entrance, where Norberto and Mr. Mireles joined the rest of the group. Jonathan joined his other schoolmates who immediately made him aware of the opposing: the students who had decided to get together with teachers opposed to the principal’s presence.

  “They have come to ruin the morning,” complained Jonathan, “but there is not much we can do, we can only pretend as if they are not here. Besides, only those involved will have access to the courtroom anyway. Everyone else will have to wait out here and wait for news from the inside.”

  “It’s now 10:30 a.m.,” Quintanilla said to the family, “and not one of those who would testify in favor of Luis has arrived. Please try to contact them.”

  Mr. Mireles took his cell phone and called Mr. Rolmes to find out what had happened to him. The first two calls were unsuccessful, but on his third try, the call was answered.

  “We are waiting for you, Mr. Rolmes, are you on your way?” asked Mr. Mireles.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Mireles. I regret to inform you that, for personal reasons, I changed my mind. I will not be present to testify this morning. I heard on a radio station that a group of teachers had called informing them that this trial would be taking place. They are planning to send some reporters to gather information. Sorry, but I will not tarnish my image with negative publicity. I ask you to understand. This is a purely personal and I cannot find sufficient reason to attend and ruin my career or my reputation. I wish you all the luck and I pray you understand my position.”

  Mr. Mireles did not want to be demanding. The very same thing that happened with Major Smith had happened again. They would rather protect their image than protect an upright person. Things had now gotten worse and they had to move fast to tell the group what had happened.

  Aunt Lupita called the parish to find out what had happened to the priest. The receptionist answered and told her that the Father had left a little over an hour ago.

  “But he did not say where he was going. He only said that he would be back after three in the afternoon,” said the secretary.

  “Please, try to contact his cell phone!” Lupita implored, “We are waiting for him to show up for the hearing of my nephew. We only have ten minutes left before the start of the hearing and he has not arrived. Please try to find him by all means!”

  “Don’t worry, Lupita, I’ll try to find him and tell him to call you immediately, please give me your phone number.” Lupita gave her, her number and immediately hung up.

  A group of reporters from the well-known station KFM in LA had already arrived on the scene. It is most known for its attacks on undocumented immigrants and politicians in favor of these groups. The teachers’ calls had succeeded and these reporters were already interviewing teachers and upset students, criticizing the principal. The reporters had also called a television crew to be in court to gather more information and to sensationalize what was happening.

  The school principal had just arrived on the scene and realized the great commotion that was forming there. She noticed the two opposing groups and how hot-tempered they were. Among those in Jonathan’s group were Mr. Nyen, Mr. Ortega, and Mr. Frank Lessin, an African-American teacher who had decided to join the
group of teachers in favor of. The heated discussion was mainly between students, but in their eagerness to calm the situation, teachers had to also enter the fray.

  Principal Johnson saw it all from afar, yet no one had noticed her presence. The TV crew had finished setting up and started recording the verbal scuffle. The presence of the police had been necessary to separate the two sides. Principal Johnson turned her car around to avoid being seen.

  What shall I do? She wondered. I believe this has gone beyond what I anticipated. I cannot let them see me here. Is there another way in? Or perhaps leave this place without being seen? I can’t take criticism at this point in my career. The superintendent warned me and very clearly expressed that he did not want this to happen. If they see me here, I’m sure that the disgruntled teachers will seek ways to replace me. I think I better go, I still have time.

  After a few minutes, she turned her car back towards San Fernando without her presence being noticed by anyone. Yet another person had put her job and reputation above a humanitarian act.

  “Mr. Carl has reneged,” Mireles announced. “What do you suggest, attorney? What steps can we take? I cannot think of anything. We only have five minutes left before we have to enter the court.”

  Quintanilla replied, “All we can do is buy time. When we go into the courtroom, I will ask for an extension. I think the judge may give us about fifteen more minutes. As for those who will remain outside, please try to locate Father Carlos and the Principal. If we can convince the judge, with a little luck, we can win the case with only two people. We just need a little luck.”

  Pablo, Norma, Zina and Attorney Quintanilla all entered the courtroom. No one had arrived. They sat and waited. A few minutes later came the judge, and everyone stood.

  “Let the accused enter,” the judge ordered, and Luis immediately entered. They escorted him to the dock. The judge struck his gavel on the sound block and said, “The trial against Mr. Luis Arriaga for forgery, and use, of false documents has begun. Please be seated.”