Walk & Hitch Hike

You and your family walk and hitch-hike your way to the border, spending many of your nights under trees or in abandoned buildings if you're lucky enough to find one.

You find other people who are walking towards the border, too, and together you form a clan of sorts to help eachother out.

On your final stretch, though, the heat of the desert becomes unbearable. You quickly run out of water, though no amount seems like it's ever enough. You trudge along for what seems like hours, only to find yourself back at what seems like the same place you started. You hold your children's hands tight. One more step. One more step.

Eventually, though, you all grow so tired that you have to sit down. You tell yourself that you'll all nap for a little bit and then keep going when you wake up. After an hour or so, you wake up to your children screaming. "Daddy's not breathing! Daddy's not breathing!" You shake and shake and shake him, but he does not move. He is heavy and his skin is so hot that it burns to the touch. You have to keep moving. You take your kids and go, trying not to cry as you leave.

In total, it takes almost a full year to get to Juarez, and when you finally reach the city, you are astounded that you even made it. Your children have lost their father, and halted their education for your journey, and you're hoping that once you get to the United States, you can finally focus on providing them with a good future.