Confidence in the President
Juan was quiet for a long time. When he was at home, he had a role to play. He was the head of the house, the decision-maker. But he’d grown up with Roberto. They’d worked the same jobs together back in Mexico. When Juan first came to the United States, Roberto supported him until he got on his feet. Roberto was one of the few people on earth Juan could confide in.
“All my life, all I’ve ever done was work,” Juan looked down at the can in his hands. He absently swirled the contents around. “Now, I feel like I’m losing everything. It’s getting bad.”
Roberto came around and placed a reassuring hand on Juan’s shoulder. “Yeah, sometimes I feel that way too.” For once, Roberto dropped the bombastic act and spoke to his brother from his heart. “It always seems like the system is rigged against guys like us.”
Juan looked up. Roberto held up a bottle of Modelo, rocking it gently, silently asking if Juan’s was empty and if he wanted another. Juan declined with a shake of his head, returning his gaze to the can he was holding.
“Let’s get some music going!” Roberto tried to change the somber mood. “Look, hermano,” he said over his shoulder as he walked towards the speaker. “Nothing ever stops the Torres men! We’ve been through a lot worse times than this. It’s gonna be OK.”
“Ay!” Juan cried as the first strains of “La Culebra” began to crackle from the speaker. Translated as “The Snake,” the song tells the tale of a man who meets a snake in his path. Its symbolism captures deeper aspects of Mexican folklore.
“See what I mean?” Roberto pressed another can of Coors Light into Juan’s hands. “A lot of people are going through tough times now. But we can’t lose hope. We’ve got to stick together.”
Juan grinned and popped the can. “You’re right,” Roberto was always able to cheer him up. “Salud!”
“To President Biden!” Roberto raised his Modelo. “Bidenomics is gonna make us all rich again!”
Juan knew his brother was teasing him, but he didn’t mind. “You might be surprised, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the President lately. Trump just won the Republican primary. But despite everything, I still got confidence in Biden.”
Roberto raised an eyebrow, “Why would I be surprised? I think Biden understands us. He made my little brother a citizen, didn’t he?”
“I think he’s doing a good job taking care of us.” Juan pictured the President’s role in the nation the same way he pictured his own role in the family. “He got us through Covid, and he ended Trump’s policy of separating kids from their parents at the border.”
“Yeah,” Roberto chimed in. “He put a black woman on the Supreme Court too.”
Juan grimaced. He wasn’t so sure about that one. But he said, “I wish he would cancel Sofia’s student loans.”
“Hey, that’s not right,” Roberto countered. “She took out those loans. She needs to pay them back.”
Juan shrugged his shoulders. “That’s true,” he conceded. “But it would be nice.”
“Well, he did give money during Covid,” Roberto seemed to be enjoying this review of Biden’s accomplishments. “Didn’t your shop get an emergency loan when you had to shut down?”
“Yeah, it kept us going too,” Juan nodded. “We’d probably have closed for good if he hadn’t helped us.”