Efrén Divided

Efrén makes two mistakes after he leaves the McDonald’s: He gives two young children money from his hidden stash of cash, unfortunately revealing to several people nearby that he has a large amount of bills. When he sees not one but two arches outside the shops, one of which is supposed to lead him from the marketplace, he chooses the wrong direction to look for the Taco Loco. Men follow him down the street. He begins to run, but there is no sign of the restaurant he is supposed to find. He stops, coughs, and looks behind him; the men are still there, smiling in a “menacing” way (184).

Suddenly, Lalo pulls up in his taxi and calls Efrén to get in. Lalo tells him he went the wrong direction and that both of them now needed to “hang low for a bit” (185). Lalo brings Efrén to his home, a tiny one-room shack with a shared outhouse in the back. Lalo makes Efrén some ramen noodles. He takes him to the Muro—the place where the US-Mexico border meets the ocean. Lalo reveals that his daughter is actually a teen now, and that her memories of him are through the fence at the Muro.