Summary

One day, Jose does not show up for work. The author learns from the manager of the shopping center (Diane) that Jose has gone back to Oaxaca to be with his ill mother. A couple of weeks later, he is told that Jose has had to stay in Mexico to sort out his mother’s estate after her death. A short time afterwards, the author learns that Jose is having difficulty getting back across the border – he does not, Diane says, have papers. The author tries to find out how to get hold of him, already starting to worry about Jose trying to cross the border on his own in summer and recalling some of the bodies of summer crossers that he saw while working for the border patrol.

The author learns from Jose’s wife Lupe that Jose has been detained...