January 29, 1989 Enrique, five years old and his sister, Belky, seven years old are left by their single mother Lourdes, twenty-four in Tegucigalpa Honduras. Their mother is in search of a better way of life for herself and two young children. She travels north to the United States by way of a smuggler in search of the American Dream (Nazario, 2014). Upon her arrival she finds that the states do not immediately provide the life she dreamed of based on the images she had seen on television. Lourdes struggles just to make ends meet and back home in Tegucigalpa her children long for her while continuing to suffer in poverty.
The neighborhood where Enrique lives with his mother is considered to be one of the poorest in Tegucigalpa. Lourdes tries to provide for her family by working inconsistent laborious jobs; doing others laundry, selling tortillas, used clothes and plantains, she also sells odds and ends on the streets (Nazario, 2014). Enrique is often with his mother as she endures the rough streets of Honduras, while she barters on the sidewalks Enrique often plays on the sidewalk.
In Enrique’s current situation it is highly unlikely he will matriculate past elementary school. He too will have to work laborious jobs to help support the family, supplying food and basic necessities. Although a life of poverty is what has been destined for Lourdes, she wants Enrique and Belky to have a chance at a better life, however, in order to provide what they need she has to find a better source of income. She wants them to get an education but cannot afford the books, pens and paper they will need to attend public school. Therefore, her final resolution is to go north to the United States so she can make money to send back to Honduras to provide the lifestyle she wants her children to have. Although Lourdes left her children in Tegucigalpa it was not her intention to