The Cariboo Cafe

The Cariboo Cafe
Helena Viramontes

"Rule one: never talk to strangers, not even the neighbor who paced up ad down the hallway talking to himself. Rule two: the police, or 'polie' as Sonya's popi pronounced the word, was La Migra in disguise and thus should always be avoided. Rule three: Keep your key with you at all times- the four walls of the apartment were the only protection against the streets until Popi returned home.

I chose this quote because I think it really demonstrates the fear that this family lives in. When I read the first rule, I thought this was going to be the standard kind of rules you give to a child when they go out into the world. All parents, whether they are an immigrant or not tell their children not to talk to strangers. It is something we drill into our children's mind. We don't want them to get kidnapped or anything to happen to them with people we don't know.

The second rule is what makes me the most upset. They tell their children to never trust the police. This upsets me because when you think about the things we tell out children, after we warn them of strangers, we then tell them about the police. We tell them that policemen, teacher, firemen, and other adults of authority don't count as strangers and that if they need help that they can trust the police. I think this shows how hard it was for this family to be here. Here they were risking their lives to live in a country to the point where they have to tell their young children that they cannot trust the police.

The third rule I had mixed feelings about. The beginning of it (don't lose your key) seems like another one that every family no matter of origin or status would tell their kids. You don't want them to lose their key because you want them to be able to get in the house if no adult is home and you don;t want a stranger to end up with a key to your home. I understand giving this piece of advice. it is the explanation given that I have the problem with. This family doesn't want their kids to lose their key because there isn't another place that is safe if the father isn;t there. If you are distrusting of the police, there aren't many places you can go to feel safe. This family only has their apartment, and even that is not completely safe until the father is there. I can't imagine living in such fear that there was only one place I could go to be completely safe and have that place only be that safe when a certain person was there. That is a lot of pressure to put on anyone, especially a child.