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""Leno and Maria: A Success Story"" by Vincent P. Cano - 1985

Page 16

guided his wagon up to the back door and locked the wagon's brake into place. The children anxiously jumped to the ground and ran playfully into the house leaving their parents behind. 

"What do we do now, husband?" Jesusa asked as she stepped down from the wagon. "I do not want you on the road selling as it is not safe. Like many of our friends, the Revolution has changed our means of livelihood. Besides Zeferino, you move much slower now compared to four years ago."

Zeferino wrapped the horses' reins around the brake's metal arm and carefully stepped on the front wheel and off to the ground. A sharp pain in the small of his back forced him to lean against the wagon's wheel. He remembered how his friends use to hoist him up by his feet from a nearby tree and then proceed to take turns striking his back with a large hoard. "To drive the pain from the body, compadre. You must endure pain to be rid of pain." they would shout. Strange as it seemed, this gave him a few days of relief. Now, however, the attacks were more frequent and severe and thoughts of such a remedy was quickly dismissed. Upon hearing Jesusa's inquiry as to his delay he straightened himself and slowly walked around the wagon to join her. 

"What is the matter, Zeferino?" She asked with concern. "You look so tired. Did you hear what I said... about how we are going to manage."

Zeferino stared down at the road before him as if to find an answer. Not to try to explain the whys of what had passed but what to do with what was left for him, Jesusa, and the children. 

A major cause of the Mexican Revolution was the serious need for agrarian reform and improved conditions for the peasants who made up the majority of the population. The struggles of the peon to free himself from the bondage that had been promoted in the last part of the nineteenth century by Diaz still had not been successful by 1920. The leaders of the Revolution were mostly dead or losing control. However, reaction to the Revolution still existed in the countryside. Many who were sick of the violence and terror began looking North for refuge. 

This was the beginning of Mexican migration to the United States. One of the ironies of United States - Mexican affairs is that American involvement in Mexican agriculture has had a considerable impact on the flow of Mexicans across the United States border. Landless peasants who had been squeezed off the land in part by expanding agribusiness, escaped North for jobs on American farms. 

The answer to Jesusa's questions lay to the north of Mexico. Zeferino knew this to be their best hope in attaining a fresh start. There seemed to be no other way. 

" I have seen much killing and pointless suffering." Zeferino answered as he leaned on the edge of the wagon's wheel. He stretched both his arms over his head, tipped his head to the sky and took a deep breath. Dropping his arms his tired eyes came to rest on the barren ground before his feet.

"I can only hope that out children will benefit in some way. I remember when I was little, Jesusa. I had a feeling in my heart that there was something special in store for me. I knew I must first walk in the footsteps

16.

Saving...

guided his wagon up to the back door and locked the wagon's brake into place. The children anxiously jumped to the ground and ran playfully into the house leaving their parents behind. "What do we do now, husband?" Jesusa asked as she stepped down from the wagon. "I do not want you on the road selling as it is not safe. Like many of our friends, the Revolution has changed our means of livelihood. Besides Zeferino, you move much slower now compared to four years ago." Zeferino wrapped the horses' reins around the brake's metal arm and carefully stepped on the front wheel and off to the ground. A sharp pain in the small of his back forced him to lean against the wagon's wheel. He remembered how his friends use to hoist him up by his feet from a nearby tree and then proceed to take turns striking his back with a large hoard. "To drive the pain from the body, compadre. You must endure pain to be rid of pain." they would shout. Strange as it seemed, this gave him a few days of relief. Now, however, the attacks were more frequent and severe and thoughts of such a remedy was quickly dismissed. Upon hearing Jesusa's inquiry as to his delay he straightened himself and slowly walked around the wagon to join her. "What is the matter, Zeferino?" She asked with concern. "You look so tired. Did you hear what I said... about how we are going to manage." Zeferino stared down at the road before him as if to find an answer. Not to try to explain the whys of what had passed but what to do with what was left for him, Jesusa, and the children. A major cause of the Mexican Revolution was the serious need for agrarian reform and improved conditions for the peasants who made up the majority of the population. The struggles of the peon to free himself from the bondage that had been promoted in the last part of the nineteenth century by Diaz still had not been successful by 1920. The leaders of the Revolution were mostly dead or losing control. However, reaction to the Revolution still existed in the countryside. Many who were sick of the violence and terror began looking North for refuge. This was the beginning of Mexican migration to the United States. One of the ironies of United States - Mexican affairs is that American involvement in Mexican agriculture has had a considerable impact on the flow of Mexicans across the United States border. Landless peasants who had been squeezed off the land in part by expanding agribusiness, escaped North for jobs on American farms. The answer to Jesusa's questions lay to the north of Mexico. Zeferino knew this to be their best hope in attaining a fresh start. There seemed to be no other way. " I have seen much killing and pointless suffering." Zeferino answered as he leaned on the edge of the wagon's wheel. He stretched both his arms over his head, tipped his head to the sky and took a deep breath. Dropping his arms his tired eyes came to rest on the barren ground before his feet. "I can only hope that out children will benefit in some way. I remember when I was little, Jesusa. I had a feeling in my heart that there was something special in store for me. I knew I must first walk in the footsteps 16.