Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir

The family takes a ferry across to Cabo San Lucas. The boys are impressed with the area’s beauty, but Apá says it is too expensive to stay near Cabo San Lucas. Most of the family naps while Apá drives north along the coast, but Pedro stays awake to help Apá navigate. Apá surprises Pedro by telling him it’s time to learn how to drive. Pedro hits enough potholes to wake most of the family up, and the boys squabble about getting their own turns to drive. Pedro brakes suddenly for a traffic jam and wakes Abuelito who immediately worries that someone may need help. When Pedro grumbles that his grandfather was not this eager to help him with the boy who sold him fake fireworks, one of his brothers tells him to grow up and be his own hero instead of expecting Abuelito to fight his battles. A passerby explains to the family that everyone is waiting for a gas truck that is on the way, because the nearby gas station is out of gas and the next station is 80 kilometers away. Abuelito warns the boys to be careful and not wander around in the desert, which is full of scorpions and snakes. Pedro asks whether Abuelito has ever been bitten by a scorpion. When Abuelito takes a minute to answer, Pedro decides that his grandfather has not heard him, and he wanders away just as Abuelito begins to speak. Hugo chides Pedro, telling him to be more patient with Abuelito.

When the motorhome is finally refueled and back on the road, Pedro tries again to ask his grandfather about his adventures, but he has to keep stopping to ask his father for Spanish words he does not know. Eventually, Abuelito takes Pedro’s pad of paper and begins drawing a picture of Apá as a boy, using a slingshot to kill rabbits. Pedro draws his own version of the same scene, which Abuelito seems to enjoy. Pedro asks whether he too can get a slingshot and learn to kill rabbits. His parents and Abuelito tell him that he must practice to become a good shot, because it is sinful to make an animal suffer with a bad shot—the only moral way to hunt is to kill quickly and eat anything one kills.

As they approach the US border, Pedro feels anxious, but Apá tells him they have their papers in order and not to worry. The guards question Pedro about why he looks different from his identification picture. He explains that he has a new Vicente Fernández haircut, but they do not recognize the name. He mentions “The Fonz,” and the guard responds “Ayyyy!” and lets the family through (257). When the family reaches Los Angeles, relatives have gathered at Adam’s padrinos’ home to greet Abuelito. As they talk with Abuelito at the party, Pedro realizes suddenly that, just as he felt unsure about Abuelito living at their house, Abuelito might have reservations about the arrangement as well. Amá explains that it is possible to be happy and sad about something at the same time. She tells Pedro that Abuelito is like an avocado, covered in tough skin from everything he has endured to protect the richness he contains inside. Pedro is like the avocado’s seed, planted in a new land. Pedro is thrilled to think of himself as Abuelito’s legacy, a “sequel” to Abuelito’s greatness (262).

During the last part of the drive, a group of deer run across the road. A car ahead of the motorhome strikes one. Apá immediately pulls over. After he feels the deer’s neck for a pulse, he directs the boys to help him bring the deer into the motorhome. Abuelito impresses Pedro by dragging the deer back to the shower stall all by himself. The deer comes to and begins banging around in the bathroom. Pedro cannot believe the adults would accidentally bring a live deer into the motorhome, but decides that his father is a hero trying to save the deer’s life. When Pedro sees a ranger station sign, he tells his father they should stop so the rangers can help the deer. His father goes past the exit without stopping. He tells Pedro that rangers are just police for the forest. When Pedro tries to argue with him, he tells Pedro to sit down and be quiet.

Pedro feels terrible for the deer. He decides to go into the bathroom to try to calm and comfort the terrified animal. He sees that it has a badly injured hoof, and asks his mother how to help it. She tells him to cover its eyes so it cannot see the injury, but his attempt to do this with a towel only frightens the animal more. His parents tell him again to sit down and be quiet, but he keeps running to check on the deer and report what is happening. Finally, Amá grows so distressed that she tells him to either sit down and be quiet or really do something to help the deer: He must amputate its hoof and then apply a tourniquet. He looks to Abuelito, who offers his own suggestion: Pedro should euthanize the deer. Pedro tries his mother’s plan, but the knife is too dull. The deer kicks him, and Abuelito hauls him out of the bathroom. Eventually the deer goes silent. Amá explains that Apá thought the deer was dead when they brought it inside. She asks him to forgive her. He agrees, and the family finishes the drive in silence.

The older boys welcome Pedro home by squirting him with the plastic peeing doll. They report that when they got close to the border, it was late and dark. The car died because its battery was drained. Pedro angrily thinks about the too-dull knife he tried to use on the deer when he hears that they used the sharp machete to pop off the covers on the battery. He learns that they used some functional Mexican fireworks to light up their surroundings so they could find water for the battery and the plastic squirting toy to transport water back to the car. Once they got it running again, they drove to a service station to buy a new battery. They are proud of how well they did in overcoming this obstacle and ask how the younger siblings’ ride back was. Pedro refuses to talk about it; he leaves to go read comic books while his younger brothers tell the tale of the deer. He finds that his comic books are not as satisfying as usual; they seem boring, and “[e]verything [seems] different” now that he is home (296).

The next evening, the family hosts a party. The now-butchered deer is used to make plenty of birria to feed everyone. Pedro feels alienated from his siblings as they laugh and tell stories about their trip and enjoy the food. He sits by himself on the porch and refuses to come inside when he’s asked to tell the deer story. His sister tells him that both Apá and Abuelito are saying he acted heroically. He says that he felt stupid, not heroic, and she tells him that, in the moment, it is often hard to tell the difference. She explains that Abuelito let him handle the deer situation by himself because he had faith in Pedro. She points out that all of them had to grow up a little bit on this trip and handle some difficult things. Pedro sees that it is a little like his own parents’ childhoods in this way. His sister assures him that one day he will be ready to tell the deer story, because it will make him proud. When they go inside, Abuelito is telling the story; he makes Pedro sound brave and compassionate, and he even raises a cup to toast the “Deer Surgeon” (305). Pedro feels the familiar surge of happiness mixed with sadness and lets out his first real grito.

In the days following the trip, Pedro decides to keep his odd new haircut and learns to style it well. He feels that it represents his own mixed cultural heritage: half Fonz, half Vicente Fernández. He finds that he really enjoys having his grandfather around to tell stories, and he looks forward to teaching Abuelito all about Star Wars.