Chapter Synopsis
Chuy never returned, but nine hours later another bus on its way to Tijuana pulls up beside them. It is full, but the driver says if they are willing to stand they may come aboard. The group moves to the new bus. By this point everyone is in bad shape. They smell, have ratted hair, Vampi’s makeup has smeared everywhere. They arrive in Tijuana, remarking that the US looks just like more Mexico. They wait for their bags to be unloaded. When they do not see them the driver tells them they have no bags and that he did not put any on the bus. Outraged they decide to go downtown to find a phone booth and call Chava. Vampi asks Nayeli for a sanitary pad as hers were in her bag, but all Nayeli has is a tampon. Bewildered by what it is Nayeli has to help her use it and Vampi starts to cry.
They head downtown in a taxi and walk past all the booths and hagglers to an eatery. They ask the waiter for a payphone and when Nayeli goes to use it he warns her not to call her coyotes to the shop. She does not understand what he means. He tells her she won’t make it across without one to which she wonders how he knew they were going across. He says everyone will know they are crossing once they see them. Tacho asks him for advice. He says get a passport. Nayeli tries to call Chavarín, but the operator says the phone number does not exist and there is not listing for a Chava Chavarín.
