TRAITORS (16 page)

“Oh, I’m sorry… Pablo, it’s for you. It’s your Uncle Antonio from Mexico.”

Pablo picked up the phone surprised, since his uncle would rarely call and much less, so early. In a hurry, he asked worriedly:

“What is it, Uncle? What’s new?” Pablo exclaimed, then falling into a long silence. He closed his eyes and put his free hand on his head. “I will go out there this afternoon. Please take care of everything, Uncle. After the hearing, I will take the first available flight.” He hung up the phone and began to cry. Zina and Norma could not believe what they had imagined. Pablo, sobbing, confirmed the news he had just received: Grandma Andrea had died.

There had already been many tears shed. Pablo felt that the world was caving in on him. All his fears had come true and could not have been at a worse time. What he valued the most in life had gone forever and he was far away from her. He deeply regretted not being with her in the last moments of her life and not having the chance to say goodbye or at least give her a last kiss.

Now, with all the sorrow in his heart, he had to find a way to get to court with a smile on his face so as not to discourage Luis. He must then find a way to break the news to his brother. Norma and Zina embraced in silence, and in a short prayer, they prayed for the eternal repose of somebody they have loved so much. Pablo could not formulate plans. They were an hour away from facing his brother’s hearing, but now, he had sunk in the greatest pain he could ever imagine, the loss of his most valuable treasure in the world—the loss of his Grandmother Andrea.

After the arrival of Zina’s mother, and after explaining what had happened, they arrived at the meeting. Upon reaching the court, they beheld a great bustle. Aunt Lupita had already arrived. They told her the tragic news, and later joined the lawyer. Quintanilla had arrived early that morning to organize all the paperwork.

Norberto and his girlfriend remained in the parking lot talking to Jonathan who had arrived a little after the arrival of his schoolmates.

Mr. Mireles and his family had arrived at about the same time as Jonathan and his peers. They all headed towards the courthouse entrance, where Norberto and Mr. Mireles joined the rest of the group. Jonathan joined his other schoolmates who immediately made him aware of the opposing: the students who had decided to get together with teachers opposed to the principal’s presence.

“They have come to ruin the morning,” complained Jonathan, “but there is not much we can do, we can only pretend as if they are not here. Besides, only those involved will have access to the courtroom anyway. Everyone else will have to wait out here and wait for news from the inside.”

“It’s now 10:30 a.m.,” Quintanilla said to the family, “and not one of those who would testify in favor of Luis has arrived. Please try to contact them.”

Mr. Mireles took his cell phone and called Mr. Rolmes to find out what had happened to him. The first two calls were unsuccessful, but on his third try, the call was answered.

“We are waiting for you, Mr. Rolmes, are you on your way?” asked Mr. Mireles.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Mireles. I regret to inform you that, for personal reasons, I changed my mind. I will not be present to testify this morning. I heard on a radio station that a group of teachers had called informing them that this trial would be taking place. They are planning to send some reporters to gather information. Sorry, but I will not tarnish my image with negative publicity. I ask you to understand. This is a purely personal and I cannot find sufficient reason to attend and ruin my career or my reputation. I wish you all the luck and I pray you understand my position.”

Mr. Mireles did not want to be demanding. The very same thing that happened with Major Smith had happened again. They would rather protect their image than protect an upright person. Things had now gotten worse and they had to move fast to tell the group what had happened.

Aunt Lupita called the parish to find out what had happened to the priest. The receptionist answered and told her that the Father had left a little over an hour ago.

“But he did not say where he was going. He only said that he would be back after three in the afternoon,” said the secretary.

“Please, try to contact his cell phone!” Lupita implored, “We are waiting for him to show up for the hearing of my nephew. We only have ten minutes left before the start of the hearing and he has not arrived. Please try to find him by all means!”

“Don’t worry, Lupita, I’ll try to find him and tell him to call you immediately, please give me your phone number.” Lupita gave her, her number and immediately hung up.

A group of reporters from the well-known station KFM in LA had already arrived on the scene. It is most known for its attacks on undocumented immigrants and politicians in favor of these groups. The teachers’ calls had succeeded and these reporters were already interviewing teachers and upset students, criticizing the principal. The reporters had also called a television crew to be in court to gather more information and to sensationalize what was happening.

The school principal had just arrived on the scene and realized
the great commotion that was forming there. She noticed the two opposing groups and how hot-tempered they were. Among those in Jonathan’s group were Mr. Nyen, Mr. Ortega, and Mr. Frank Lessin, an African-American teacher who had decided to join the group of teachers in favor of. The heated discussion was mainly between students, but in their eagerness to calm the situation, teachers had to also enter the fray.

Principal Johnson saw it all from afar, yet no one had noticed her presence. The TV crew had finished setting up and started recording the verbal scuffle. The presence of the police had been necessary to separate the two sides. Principal Johnson turned her car around to avoid being seen.

What
shall
I
do
? She wondered.
I
believe
this
has
gone
beyond
what
I
anticipated.
I
cannot
let
them
see
me
here.
Is
there
another
way
in?
Or
perhaps
leave
this
place
without
being
seen?
I
can’t
take
criticism
at
this
point
in
my
career.
The
superintendent
warned
me
and
very
clearly
expressed
that
he
did
not
want
this
to
happen.
If
they
see
me
here,
I’m
sure
that
the
disgruntled
teachers
will
seek
ways
to
replace
me.
I
think
I
better
go,
I
still
have
time.

After a few minutes, she turned her car back towards San Fernando without her presence being noticed by anyone. Yet another person had put her job and reputation above a humanitarian act.

“Mr. Carl has reneged,” Mireles announced. “What do you suggest, attorney? What steps can we take? I cannot think of anything. We only have five minutes left before we have to enter the court.”

Quintanilla replied, “All we can do is buy time. When we go into the courtroom, I will ask for an extension. I think the judge may give us about fifteen more minutes. As for those who will remain outside, please try to locate Father Carlos and the Principal. If we can convince the judge, with a little luck, we can win the case with only two people. We just need a little luck.”

Pablo, Norma, Zina and Attorney Quintanilla all entered the courtroom. No one had arrived. They sat and waited. A few minutes later came the judge, and everyone stood.

“Let the accused enter,” the judge ordered, and Luis immediately entered. They escorted him to the dock. The judge struck his gavel on the sound block and said, “The trial against Mr. Luis Arriaga for forgery, and use, of false documents has begun. Please be seated.”

The bailiff led Luis in. Attorney Quintanilla approached the bench and requested an extension of fifteen minutes to wait for the witnesses. The judge granted it but threatened that after this period, no matter what happened, he would begin the trial and there would be no other extensions.

Luis did not understand what was happening. He was taken back to a room where he would remain until the trial continued. It seemed strange to him that the witnesses had not arrived and that his family had not looked him in the eye.

Everyone left the courtroom and found Aunt Lupita in a sea of tears.

“What’s going on?” asked Pablo.

“I just got off the phone with Father Carlos,” said Aunt Lupita, “he has decided not to participate in the case. He did not explain much. He just said that he had many fears and bad omens about all this and that it would be better to leave it in God’s hands.”

Everyone was confused. They could not find any explanation behind such refusals. Why had everything changed course? How come everything had fallen apart in the last minute?

“We have very little chance of winning the case,” said Quintanilla, thinking that the Principal would arrive at any moment. “Let’s go inside, and if she comes, you can interrupt the session. It may bring minor consequences, but it would be better than not going in.” Unaware of the principal’s decision, they re-entered the courtroom to continue the hearing.

“Order in the court!” the judge bellowed. “Bring the accused back.”

“Now, Attorney Quintanilla, where are your witnesses?” The lawyer approached the bench again, now with a bit of desperation said, “I ask the Honorable Court for another extension to see through their arrival.”

The judge said with strong voice, “Absolutely denied! I think I was very clear. I will call out the names of your witnesses one by one, and if they are not present, the case will be closed.”

One by one, he called out the witnesses according to the names that appeared on the envelopes. No one answered. Deafening silence just followed each call. When he finished, the judge got up. In front of everyone present, he tore the letters he had received one at a time.

“The case is closed for lack of evidence pertaining to the defendant’s good behavior, and any kind of pardon is hereby denied. His sentence is as follows: he must get six months jail time in a federal prison for the falsification and use of legal documents; and at the end of this period, he will be deported to his country of origin within the first twenty-four hours.” He struck the sound block with his gavel and left the room. It was over.

Another commotion began to generate on-site. The lawyer suggested everyone leave.

“Don’t worry” said Quintanilla. “There is still the appeal, and I will fight with all my strength to win it.”

But the distress of the family was such that they failed to actually register the beacon of hope offered by the lawyer.

Luis was taken back to the waiting room.

There was nothing but weeping and confusion. They could not even say a word to each other. Pablo finally asked the lawyer to find a way for him to talk to Luis and to explain what had happened to Grandma Andrea. The lawyer immediately went to the courthouse offices to make his request while the others came out to explain what had happened. Everyone was outside waiting on pins and needles. They first approached the people who supported them, and while still crying, explained what happened. Mr. Nyen came up to them and told them that he had contacted the school principal and she confessed that she felt scared upon seeing the presence of the media and the teachers who were protesting. She said that the superintendent had already warned her about it and, seeing that reporters were interviewing disgruntled teachers, her courage faltered. Yet again, fear triumphed over justice.

“We’re sorry for what happened,” concluded Mr. Nyen.

They were immediately approached by the media radio reporters and saw the television cameras. Both English and Spanish were spoken. The questions were directed to Pablo and Norma, who, wrapped in sadness, just declared that there had been an act of cowardice on the part of certain people related to the family. They would not comment any further, but only said that they had lost the case and there was nothing more that could be done.

Quintanilla came out of the courthouse and approached the family bearing the approval for Pablo and Zina to spend a few minutes with Luis. They must go through the established protocols and again pass through a rigorous check. All those present started to leave. Jonathan said goodbye, encouraging them to move forward. In the end, only family and close friends remained. There was no conversation.

“I will tell Luis about Grandma’s death,” Pablo said as they walked towards the room where they would meet with him. “I appreciate all your support in every step we have taken,” he said to Zina. “I know that you’re suffering too, but keep in mind that divine justice is always served and will not come late, so you can be together for the rest of your lives.”

Luis had a distorted expression on his face. He still could not believe what had happened. He did not understand what went wrong in the process. He could not even talk to anyone as he was handcuffed to be placed back in prison. But he knew his family had done everything possible. There was not a single reproach to make; on the contrary, he just wanted to thank them for what they had done for him.