“What’s going on?” Juan’s daughter said with a yawn. She came flopping down the hallway in fuzzy slippers, wearing an oversized ASU sweatshirt, and her hair was loosely knotted into a disorganized bun.
“Dad chased off some bums who were sleeping in the alley,” Carlos explained. “We need to call the cops.”
“Don’t call them ‘bums’ Carlos,” Sofia sniffed disdainfully. “They’re human beings just like you and me. They have a human right to sleep.”
“I didn’t chase anybody off,” Juan confessed. “They’re still out there.”
“Let’s give them something to eat,” Sofia suggested brightly, looking at her mother as she took her seat at the table. “Maybe they’re hungry?”
“Are you crazy?” Carlos looked like he was about to jump up. “Aren’t you worried about Mom’s safety?”
Again, Juan waved Carlos back down into his seat. “We don’t give food to people like that.”
“Why not?” Sofia asked.
Maria brought plates of eggs and beans, then went back for a plate stacked high with warm tortillas. Bowls of homemade salsa were already on the table, a thin sheen of oil over the dark red chili sauce flecked with green cilantro. “If you give to them once, they just keep coming back.”
Juan nodded in agreement. He held rolled up a tortilla in one hand, with a fork in the other. “They’ll go away in a little while.”
“Aren’t you worried about Mom’s safety?” Carlos wouldn’t let it drop. “Dad, we’ve got to do something.”
“I’m ok,” Maria said. “I’ll just lock the doors when you leave.”
“What do you want to do about it, Carlos?” Sofia’s voice sounded unusually strident, “Deport them? Do you want to send them all back to Mexico?”
Juan wasn’t used to her arguing this way. College is changing her too. “They weren’t Mexicans.”
“It doesn’t matter if they were Mexicans, Salvadorans, Columbians, or even Chinese spies!” Carlos’ spoke louder and louder as he worked himself into a Marine Corps fueled sense of outrage.
Sofia rolled her eyes.
She knew how to push her brother’s buttons. “What’s Mom going to do if they come through that door right there?” Carlos practically shouted.
"That's enough." Juan raised his voice just enough to regain control. "You’re both guests in my house. Show me some respect.”
His rebuke brought the whole family up short. They all stopped talking and turned to stare at him.
What will Juan say next?
Choose Option 1: The System is Broken
Choose Option 2: Juan’s Story