Boarders|Living with strangers

When I was a teenager, My stepdad started having friends of his come in from Mexico often.

They would live with us from time to time and some would stay for long periods of time and other would last only a little while.

All of my Stepdad's friends were from DF (Distrito Federal) in the main city in Mexico.

All of them had some kind of Nickname...all except for my Stepdad.

I have been over there a few times and it is unlike anyplace I have ever been to....the best way to describe it to me ....would be like in the movie..."Man On Fire"

They lived in Barrientos, which is not a rich neighborhood by any means and is filled with selfmade homes with huge gates in front of the courtyard and walls made of cement.

Anyways on our first trip I met all of them.....there was lobo, quico, largo, beto, pelon, etc...etc....

A few months after that they started coming in.

One the first boarders that we had was a guy by the name of Lobo...he was called lobo because when they were at a bonfire.....he was drinking and fell in the fire...he burned his face and arms and it left scars all over his face....so they called him Lobo.

He was into heavy metal and played really good guitar, but after a few days of staying at our house and not being able to find any work he asked my stepdad for a loan and went back to Mexico.

I saw this happen many times after that ....people would spend all kinds of money on a coyote and then come to stay with us til they got back on their feet and they would get cage fever...after a few days.

They would get nervous because they thought that they were going to get arrested and sent back home...I also think that they were just bored. Where they were from....everything was action....no sitting around and waiting and I think that they needed to be moving.

The first time I went to Df with my family, all we did was move...get there....on a taxi.....hungry? go get some food....go to the tortilla place to get tortillas...go to the butcher for meat....go to get the refills for the envases of coke or pepsi and the chelas also....

We went everywhere walking or on the combi (Taxi) or bus and Subway....gotta stay on your feet...no lagging behind or you get left behind...all action...no stopping....

Huge difference from City Terrace....come in...go in the car..go get get everything at the carniceria....have a bbq....eat and sit and watch tv....

after that go to sleep...wake up...eat breakfast...watch tv....was really boring compared to the high pace life that they lived in DF....you did not just sit around and watch tv....you would go hang out with your friend....help your friends with this or that....go hustle....nonstop all day...everyday....

Lobo came back a few times....but would always go back within a week of staying with us...He stopped trying because no one would lend him the money to come back over.

I tried to help him by teaching him english and the way to be but after a while I could tell that he was just humoring me and I just let him do his thing.

Other boarders took advantage of the opportunity and made a good life for themselves in the us.

So it was not all sad news for the boarders.

Evilchavo Out.