TAKING ON UNCLE SAM

You won’t execute my son.

I prevent it.

A hardworking man from Guatemala spends many years preparing to live the American Dream. But once there his Dream turns into a Nightmare. This story tells how family is the most precious thing in the world, and shows how far some will go to protect it. Don't mess with my son

CHAPTER ONE

 

Lorenzo was almost 50 but got out of bed some days feeling like he was only 30 years old … although other days he felt 90.  In fact almost every day of late he had felt 90 years old, but he knew his son needed him and he was fighting with all he had, like a young man of 30 years.

He ate healthily, exercised, kept a check on his blood pressure and heart rate – he was scared of dying and he couldn’t do that.  He was going through the most difficult phase of his life and he couldn’t die…

He was pondering all this one day with nails between his teeth, taking one at a time and hammering them into the wood.  The chair had been well reinforced, the harnesses were ready for the four limbs and the head of the condemned, and the electric cable had been correctly installed.  His electric chair was practically finished and ready to execute the first hostage.

He stepped back to admire his creation, then his face distorted and he let out such a scream – so terrible was that scream that resonated from that shady basement in Guatamala, that it must have crossed the land as far as the criminals who had condemned his son to death in the name of Uncle Sam, those murderers in the United States of America.

He thought back to his adolescence, 30 years ago …

CHAPTER TWO

 

Samayac public school, like so many others all those years ago, was very humble.  The lack of facilities was more than compensated for by the interest and love poured onto the students by the teacher – Mr Cesar – especially onto those so willing to learn, like Lorenzo.

The rudimentary teacher’s table was illuminated by the sun’s rays shining through the small, square windows, windows that had been disappearing gradually over the years.  It worked like this – one child challenged another to throw stones at a remaining piece of glass, then Mr Cesar took them by the ears and gave them both a good hiding.

Lorenzo was 12 when he was caught by the ear – Mr Cesar was furious.  “Have I not taught you better than this, Lorenzo?” he bellowed across the desk.  “Have I not drilled into you how you have to work to escape this depressive existence?” he yelled.  “What, you think you’re the only poor kid in this miserable town?  You think yours is the only dad comes home drunk?”

“Yes, Mr Cesar,” mumbled Lorenzo, “you have taught me all that,” he says, “but I spend most nights crying, mom works too hard, I …”

“Then help her and stop complaining!” he screamed.  “You are so intelligent, you have a great drive for learning … you will go far.”   The teacher leaned across the table, and in a low voice added, “I tell you, Lorenzo, if you keep learning, keep studying hard, you will go so very far, I promise you.  Your father … your father’s drowning his sorrows in liquor”.  Then he straightened up and said to Lorenzo, “Well, did you do your math homework?”  the student nodded.  “Yes?  You see, you’re the only one in the class capable of working at this level.  Let’s get on,” he said, coming around the desk and placing a hand on young Lorenzo’s shoulder, “you have to learn a lot of accounts to manage that fortune you’re going to make”.

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

School out, Lorenzo hit the street with his books under his arm.  He headed for his house – well, shack in the middle of waste land on the outskirts of town.  This wasn’t the best day of his life so far, and on approaching the house he heard his mom screaming.  He walked in to find his dad, completely loaded, battering his mom.

This wasn’t the first time he’d witnessed such an event but Lorenzo was determined it would be the last.  “Leave her alone, Dad” he said calmly.  Then he picked up his dad’s machete, put it to the old man’s throat and said, “And if you touch her again I will kill you”.

His dad, having just witnessed boy become man, immediately backed into a corner.  Lorenzo sat down at the kitchen table, took out his books, put his head down and began to study.  After a moment he looked up, caught his dad’s eye and said “Now get out of here and let me concentrate”.  And since that day Lorenzo was man-of-the-house.