40/46
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SinCerity's Children. 2/5
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I pick up Luis and his family in front of Walmart. He seems in his 40s, she younger. The woman firmly holds the hand of her son of maybe 10 as they slide into the backseat. Luis chooses to sit upfront. As we pull off, he asks that I take the Boulder Hwy route, not the highway. There is a stop he wants to make along the way.
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Repetition and sticking to the app's logic is a habit that keeps me safe and out of trouble. So, my first response is to reject the request. But, I blow those clouds off and affirm the new directions. We make a wide U-turn in front of Sam’s Town casino and head north. I listen to the radio, but words in Spanish float to my ear, cinco and seis. A time? Distance?
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After three miles, Luis asks me to pull over. He doesn't have an exact location, more an estimation. “Here? Here?” I say, confused. He points. “Yes, here is fine.” The mother and child get out, saying “thank you” to me as they exit. Luis opens the door but remains. He says a few things in Spanish to cheer up the boy then waves. They walk away.
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"Okay. Let's go," Luis gestures for me to proceed. We drive Boulder Hwy in silence, though emotions are swirling. I arrive at Las Vegas Shuttles, a van and bus station with rides to Los Angeles, Tijuana and Guadalajara, Mexico. Luis hands me a two dollar tip. He puts his small bag over his shoulder and boards the bus, leaving his family at Seigel Suites.
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I wonder how long he will be gone. Five days? Six months?
