American Dream
American Dream
BY Dale Jesus Loyola
San Miguel Del Alto, Zacatecas, México—
February 29th, a leap day in 1924. Although many would have greeted this day with superstition. Others would not have even noticed it all, as they would have been more concerned with the political and religious turmoil of the era. However, Don Miguel Perez and Dona Basilia Frias—two loving souls—would joyously welcome a newborn son into their lives. This child of God would be Christianed Roman Frias Perez.
Roman, like many in his small community, would begin life subjected to extreme poverty and little, if any, access to educational opportunities. At the age of 13, finishing school would not be an option. To financially support his family, Roman would accept work for the next 2 years wherever it could be found. Work conditions were no less difficult or financially secure. There was no clock to calculate your daily wages. You simply worked from sunup to sundown without so much as a break. Just 50 cents a day is all you could expect for your labor. Many in Roman’s community would cultivate their own produce just to get by.
As a teen, Roman witnessed many Mexicanos returning to his village well-dressed and with plenty of money. At the time, the United States and Mexico established relations to address labor shortages, as most American men were enlisting in World War II. This bilateral agreement, known as the Bracero Program, was intended to benefit both countries economically. At that very moment, Roman realized that prosperity awaited him just on the other side of the border. As eager as he was, he would not wait to apply to a program he might not have been qualified for or accepted into.
On Roman’s 20th birthday, although it was not a leap year, he would take one of many extraordinary leaps towards the betterment of not only his future but also that of his family. Roman’s sole intention was to make enough money to return to his pueblo with the prospect of building a new house for his parents. Roman was not in the least bit nervous. In his mind, there was nothing to fear, not even death. The mere concept of death did not even exist or have any place in his heart. He was unequivocally a young man facing the unknown without any hint of fear.
On his 20th birthday, on his knees, Roman asked for and received his beloved parents' blessings. He knew he would need their divine approval to make this trek alone. On the very next day, March 2nd, at approximately 6:00 a.m., Roman snuck out of town and travelled on foot to Aguascalientes, which was a journey in itself. Once there, he would rest for a bit before he hopped on a train heading for the U.S./Mexico border.
Believing that the cover of darkness would be in his favor, at approximately 2:00 a.m. on that momentous day in 1944, Roman faced the longest and widest river he had ever laid eyes on. Unfortunately, on that early morning, a full moon was also out, and in all of its glory, it cascaded its radiance across the mighty and chilling waters of the Rio Grande. Surely anyone crossing would be discovered and captured immediately. However, not deterred in the least, barefoot with his belt, Roman tied an extra set of clothes atop his sombrero and, with every bit of his grit and mental fortitude, dived into the unknown.
Inevitably, though, Roman would achieve in his lifetime much more than he set out to. To him, the American Dream was more than tangible. The American Dream permeated and invigorated the depths of his soul and lives on in the hearts of many to this day.
As his grandson, I can tell you that I've experienced my own struggles growing up in a single-parent household without any real guidance. I've experienced every bit of that misery, but I somehow overcame those adversities, and I'd often wonder where I garnered the mental fortitude. It wasn't until I sat down with my grandfather one day and asked him about his earliest memories. It was then that I realized the ambition to succeed had always been there; it had been born in me. It just took tough times to ignite it. I will never forget these words my grandfather imparted to me: “Prepare to work hard if you want anything in life. Expect to suffer as I have; you have to look for what's possible. Nothing is impossible, but nothing is possible if you do nothing.”
“Prepare to work hard if you want anything in life. Expect to suffer as I have; you have to look for what’s possible. Nothing is impossible, but nothing is possible if you do nothing.”