Carelessness

This is an allegory, a story told to illustrate what carelessness may bring, and how the Mexican system of justice works. Any similarity to actual persons is purely coincidental.

Joe was a heavy drinker. One night as he was driving home to Tijuana after a few hours at his favorite watering hole, he lost control of his car and ran over three people who were waiting for a taxi at the side of the road. They died at the scene.

Joe was sentenced to serve three years at the La Mesa State prision. After 17 months, he bought off the other half of his sentence for about $12,000. Joe learned how to work the system. He had studied Spanish, taught classes.

He is no longer boistrous and carefree, has lost too much weight; he is gaunt and almost tiny now. He has endured much recently; and he may yet face a mourning family that lost a mother and her two children.

Retold by Patrick Mullen