Land of Opportunity: Welcome to America. A Short Story
By Debbie L. Miller
Jose takes a seat in the back of the bus. It’s Thanksgiving and he’s working a 14-hour shift.
Last week, his boss promoted him from busboy to salad chef. Now, he preps salads and chops vegetables and doesn’t have to clear tables. Maybe soon he’ll get promoted to cook and when his English gets better, he can work as a waiter and earn more money plus tips. Then, someday when he’s old, like 25, he will own his own restaurant, like those two brothers from Puebla who came to Brooklyn when they were teenagers and now own a successful coffee shop.
For now, though, it doesn’t matter whether he works 10 or 14 hours a day because it’s the same pay whether he works 50 or 80 hours a week — a flat $325. He sends most of that to his parents in Mexico.
It’s going to be a long day, so he tries to catch some sleep on the way to work. He’s about to close his eyes, when an American woman boards the bus and sits next to him. She has blonde hair, all the way down to the roots. Jose figures she’s around 40 but very beautiful for an older woman. In fact, she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen in Brooklyn.
“Excuse me, do you know what time it is?”
“Yes, Miss. It’s 7:30.”
