Under the Same Sky by Cynthia DeFelice

Author:Cynthia DeFelice
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Published: 2003-11-26T05:00:00+00:00

15

I was still in a daze when I walked into the kitchen after work. Automatically, I went to the refrigerator to get something to drink. There was a message on the notepad on the countertop saying that Randy had called. It seemed like ages since I’d talked to him. It had actually been the Sunday before, just eight days, but so much had been going on that it felt longer. After slugging down a glass of milk, I picked up the phone and dialed his number.

“What’s up?” I said when he answered.

“José! Guess what? You’re getting a day off from the salt mines.”

“Oh yeah? Why is that?” I was still so distracted by what had happened that afternoon that I could barely think. I tried to push all that out of my mind.

“Friday’s my birthday, man,” Randy answered. “Dad said I can take you and Jason to Darien Lake for the day. He’ll pay for all the rides and games and junk food we want.”

It sounded great. Going would mean I’d be out a day’s pay, but I couldn’t miss my best friend’s birthday, and going to Darien Lake was always a blast.

“We’ll pick you up at eight Friday morning,” Randy said, adding before he hung up, “and, dude, be sure to get me a really cool present.”

Leave it to Randy, I thought. Okay, I’d be out a day’s pay plus the cost of Randy’s present. But it would be worth it.

Dad had gone somewhere with Uncle Bud, so only Mom, Meg, LuAnn, and I were at the dinner table that night. I didn’t want to talk about the I.N.S. guys and their guns in front of Meg, so I waited until we were finished and Mom and I were doing the dishes.

“Mom?” I said, sinking my hands into the warm, soapy water.

“Yes, honey?”

“Did Dad tell you what happened today?”

She sighed as she took a clean dish from my hand and dried it. “He didn’t have time to go into all the details, but, yes. He said the I.N.S. came and threatened some of the crew, the ones whose papers aren’t legitimate. You were right there when it happened, I gather.”

I nodded. “But I don’t get it, Mom. You and Dad knew Luisa and those guys had fake papers?”

“No,” she said. “Not really.”

I waited, still not getting it.

Mom sighed again, then gave a little laugh. “It’s a very peculiar situation, Joe. I’ll try to explain.” She paused, seeming to gather her thoughts, then continued the circular motion of her dishcloth on the plate. “When Manuel arrived with the crew, we asked to see their papers. The law says we have to ask. They showed us papers. Now, your father and I had no way of knowing if the papers were genuine, but that’s not our problem. In fact, the law also says we’re not allowed to question the validity of the papers.”

“That’s weird. Why not?” I asked.

“To protect foreign workers from being harassed.”

“But why would that be harassing them?”

“Well, all farmers aren’t like your father, Joe.

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