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ONE Last TIME Gary Soto 1952- Gey Sto gr pry sig ith isfy a eet on in Calfri’ Sen Sago Vaey. Sl tenures of ie trai of Me ca dri as des te loc autograph decries penn ping rps ens ey hc fom Living Up there Neate Relief tn ee ‘Area Bok Ar 285 Te mie fn yeas Se ‘esate alsa stor elena po bas fonts ied wih ran tos ek {ml eres ao ae Eee since CRU oes Far Wore of Amor EWA ones Yesterday I saw the movie Gf and recognised fre plonotin the tsar but inthe fm: say rates eae thas pamows, resring fom tefl wt hoesbalanccdcn te shoulder The mocks were sumtin ees all ond eee ‘ex sg thd ay wal ne wes tomyotoein iene wih popco and Cakes cnt have anying eg thinking of my family and thir years in the fields, Peyinniog wi Grandmother whe came tothe United Sates ale Si Meccan Sool tant wale in Pes where se mat her Rasband wnt ee tmany ef them. She workad in thefts around Frans peng cee rang plums reaches, ar colt drgsinga ange eg Meee Slate work inthe pking hoses Baer ans Son Mats Rake ‘ere she ocd! conveyer bl pang es hand a cea tains to pack out lesver and pebble for one ety ‘orhed ata machine that bousd cane uni she else ar re ‘Grenfather wasted nthe elds os id hs close eso found harelf out there when she separated eas Fae ete seks. emer he coming home, cus snd 90 et at che ted ts et on the porch ef she ed ise ow toon es Tid undentand the complantsabout hears ort seed ote, tack eventhough ha ben inthe pe feds wachoag ner eo ‘Wick my brother and sister ain aad out ofthe sons we oe cuieives ard pretended sotto hear Mother selling et ee Sn behave cuss fee yen Iter however Teeuphtn whe trent pick grapes ate than play nie ows “The xan bopsty he one kn Msn Cath ncn Miah, vest nga eng pea ey Mother and I gat up befoze davin ane! ate quick bowls of cereal She drove in silence while | rambled on how everything was now solved, how T was going to make enough money to end our misery and even buy her a beautiful copper tea pat, the one T had shown het in Long’s Drugs, When we arrived 1 was fisky and ready 10 go, sell consciously aware of my grape Kase dangling at my wrist. {almost tan to the row the foreman hae pointed out, but [returned to help ‘Mother with the grape pans and jog of water. She told me to setle oven and reminded me not to lose my knife. Talked a her side and listened to bet explain how to eut grapes: bent down, hands on knees, | watched her demonstrate by cutting a fow bunches into my pan. She ‘stood over me as I tried il myself, tugging ata bunch of grapes that pulled Toose like beads from a necklace. "Cut the stem all the way,” the told me a last advice before she walked away, her shoes sinking in the Loose dirt, to begin work on her own row. Tout another bunch, hen another, fighting the snap and vehip of vines. Alter ten minvtes of groping for grapes, my ist pan brimmed ‘with bunches. poured thems on the paper tray, which was bordered by 4 wooden frame that kept the grapes from rolling of, and they spilled like jewels fom a pirates chest The tay was only half fille, so Thur ried to jump under the vines and begin groping, cuting, and tugging at the grapes again. Lemptid the pan, raked the grapes with my hands make them look like they filled the tray and jumped back under the vine on my knees. tie o cat faster because Mother, in the next rev, ‘wae slowly maving ahead. T packed into hee cow and saw five trays Slessting in the early moming T cot, pled hard, and. stopped to father the grapes that missed the pan already bored, spat ona few to ‘wash them before tossing them hike popcem into my moxth So it went, Two pans equaled one tay-—or six cents. By lunchtime had a teil of thirty-seven trays behind me while mother had sixty or ‘more. We met about halfway from our last trays, and Isat davn with f git, knees wel from kneeling on dropped grapes. I washed my hands with the water from the jug, drying thom on the inside of my shirt sleeve before I opened the paper Bag for the fist sandwick, ‘which I gave to Mother Tipped my hand in agala to unwrap 2 sane= ‘wich without looking ati. took a first bite and chewed ft slowly for ‘the tang of mustard. Eating in silence {looked straight ahead atthe vines, and only when ice were finished with cookies cid we talk. “re yer fred?” she aed No, but I go a sliver from the frame,” I told her T showed her the web of skin between my thumbs and index finger She wrinkled dhe forehead but sid t was nothing, “How many trays did you do?” “lacked straight ahead, not answering at fest. [recounted in my mind the whole moming of bend, cut, pour again and again, before ata eset ee sss tcr at imc Ei tr eaie watbeetiat mraacane st oo awe e wanna Spe wba rye tans Seabee sot celee eee hgh ee Exact ve mitten aoe EB concr orig eget aia oes 1h ra ng ee es Eee meee eee aera as herciecvieaaptemaniat tees gare stehene ean en met Reareani Setad tor eed eocenmenaiine nies aera Wictoce mwa tty ant Setene serene tntaniteur deere SR aie cetera ie toes Lager uated ora ‘The nest day Toke tied and stared picking teed. The grapes rained it te pa, slowing ke 9 bell ntl had my itt ay Thu started my second. So it went all day, and the next and all fhrough the flowing wee, so that By fhe end of thirteen days the foreman counted on tee marly, may pay of tree dolar Mother ene one hide ad forty-eight lars, Se woe this on ferenvelape, witha message dia't bother task ber about. ‘fac bat day 1 walbed with my Wiend Sct fo the downtown pul whe we doled ov the thn bein fancy wind vgn popoom, aso afer of outdoor fountains t ak aboot tile Thay we went nto Peney's or more popcorn, which we ate ‘faling around, before weet home without buying anything. uve unto few daysbefore school that et my fiy-thece dallas {hip gual from my hands, baying apa of pan two shits and tesa Thine the ind that asin ae. home Tied them on tile Rick Iocked on enna ltr te day Before schoel started, {Beal inem on again worderng not so mach they were worth ia ‘ho woul sew nef those thes ‘Along with my brother and ster I pcked grapes unl was i toon bate ving up and saying tat Id rather wear ol clothes than Spite s Mewar Mather though! Iwas beng stceup, even sta ur because tere would be no lates for re inthe fal tld ee E Bid tear but when Rikand Debra roses fe nthe morning Ly STvake in bed feling tha pethape Thad made mistake bt unviling iechunge my mind That all Mother bought me wo Pats of socks 8 puch of colored Fshins and underwess The Fahars would help, 1 Foughe, but wo would see tat Uhod ev underwear and socks? 1 snows a new Thin on fhe Bist day of schol then an old shit on JTocnay then another Fshst on Wednesday, nd on Thursday ano Nehru thu that was embarrassingly out of style. On Prey 1 aged info the corduroy pons my brother ad handed down me She tipped nto my ast raw Thue worked ike # mapa blind igi assmats, who were al lthes conscious ane small-time so- 38 Dinars by stanging my warcrbe to make ce lage an St realy wes: Bat by spring 1 had 9 do somethingmy be jeans these nos llver ao my shows hal os her form,pudaing tice Tack ce svound ny fet That spring of my sntenth yen Rick and T decided to tke «labor bus fo chop cotton. In his old Volswagen, ‘Skah was more nose than pours we drove on» Satorday moran To Wet Tiotesor Chinwfoven some call {t—parkel. walked Sony toward abu. and stood yawkang at the wins, toothy Beck, ‘Okie Tan with gold tet, Svhoes Meccan fami, and oboe fenttacters shouting Colton” or "Beets the werk oF Pring ante ei te ee [] We boarded the “Cotton” bus without looking at the contractor Who stood, almost blocking the entrance because he didn’t want winos. We boarded scared and then were more seared bectuse Iwo blacks in the tear were drunk and arguing loudly about wat Was better, a two-barrel or fourrbartel Fond carburetor, We sat far from them, looking straight ahead, and only glanced briefly at the others whe boarded, almost all of them broken and poorly dressed In loudly mismatched clothes. Finally when the contractor banged his ‘palm agalnst the sie ofthe bus, the young man at the whee), sing and talking in Spanish, started the engine, idled it for a moment ‘while he adjusted the mirroxs, and started off in slow chugs: Except for the windshield there was no gle inthe windows, so as soon 28 we were onthe rural roads outside Fresno, the dust and sand began to be sucked into the bus, whipping about like irate Wasps a3 the ‘gravel ticked about us. We closed our eyes, clotted up our mouths that wanted to open with embarrassed laughter because we couldn't believe we were on that bus with those people and the dust tacking us for no reason, When we arrived at a field we followed the others to pickup re we eack took a hoe and marched to stand before @ 0%. Rick and 1, self-conscious and unsure, looked around at the others who Jeaned on their hoes ar squatted in front of the rows, almost all tale ing in Spanish, joking, lighting cigarettes—all waiting for Ue fore. man’s whistle to begin Work Mother had explained how t0 chop ‘cotton by showing us with a broom in the backyard. “Like this” she said, her broom swishing down weeds, "Leave fone plant and cut four—ancl eut them! Don’t leave them stanly OF the foreman will get mack” The foreman whistled and we started up the row stealing glances at other workers to see if we were doing fright. But after awhile we Worked lke we knew what we were doing, nether of us hurrying ot falling behind. But slowly the clot of men, wvomen, an kids Degen to spread and loosen. Even Rick pulled away. [ didn’t hurry, though. 1 ‘cut smoothly and cleanly as I walked ata slow pace, in a Sott of fi neral march. My eyes measured each space of cotton plants before I cut, IF Tmissed the plants, I swished again. [worked hitendy, seldom, looking up, so when Tie Twas amazed to sce the sun, like 4 broken ‘orange coin in ve east. It ooked blurry, unbelievable like something ‘not ofthis world looked around in amazement, scanning the eastern horizon that was a taut line jutted with an occasional moutain, The horizon was beautiful, like a snapshot of the moon, in the eal Light ‘of morning, in the quiet of no cars and few people ‘The foreman trudged in boots in my diction, stepping awke ‘wardly over the plants, to inspect the work, No one around mo looked! up. We all worked steadily while we waited for him to leave, cf dd ne ith a abl conpla re on on in vere ete atc ees oy lator tunek te yal woe hang tor ling oC te hn tee ie an ye Say nd ts ptpei sas yet se aa oft os tay ah cn nk pepe pec ih fe hoy op of» a are cts a He naked wh oval Sich wkd wd dank nate ota ye Secret an weap sur lg ows 5 pce So ata li ft fl or Ish ai ar pes ec Sic el ffm or a sewer ong de he sand he st hing we wie wo sly dene We SUSI goo) an! lt ne wa ee te ead be SSSSEATET thug in clan Weng wey de we they in huge a pet tear Mee Susesplhce startet een een Iie ene at ar on mc wit wy tl etd nyse se tne Sn which we'd be rappel by mariage and sraming MGs. We eat Sara lp dewey othe ryt of i hos ling ae and wl i's tee! at ae we ne en a Siacay gehen he an a yl aa TTP ae eo ng ay hy ss ky Menta act osu as bra ae Tyee sitions sh day ge ah eal hec mee nel halted myding fo SeeneNTT a's Sy nr We se BiatZase nbn ovsneladtlenvrayann teay PODLSCE Ren tpn welsh Sooner riggs sn pene ES opie ten ah ey eden ctewnm east ge Seder we and ork it pin ng a ling ht The a divectly above with a few soft blades of clouds against a sky that sored ant a nn wn yee Sipe hutad an pas up ote had coer ted Scww rey ae eww hnched ew he SLs rae open on salwar cmd pens fae oped trying to keep my mind busy with scenes from school and poet Gaeta mune tahned ent a rfc Tel sat mae nested the beauty of the landscape, no longer wondering if the winos in the fields could hele out for eight hours, no longer dreaming of the clothes 74 buy with my pay: My eyes followed my chopping as the plant, thin as thei shadows, fll with each strike. I worked slowly with an- ‘des and arms hurting, neck stiff, and eyes stinging from the dust and the sun that glanced off the fed like a miror. By quitting time, 3:00, there was such an excruciating pain in ‘my ankles that I walked as if I were wearing snowshoes. Rick Taughed at me and T laughed too, embarrassed that most of the men ‘were walking normally and I was among the first timers who had to get used to this work."And what about you, wino,” Teame back at Rick, His eyes were meshed red and his long hippie hair was flecked with dust and gnats and bits of leaves. We placed our hoes in the back of a pickup and stood in line for our pay, which was twelve fity.T was amazed atthe pay, which was the most Thad ever feared in one day, and thought that Td come back the next day, Sunday. This was too good. Instead of joining the others in the labor bus, we jumped in the bback of a pickup when the driver said we'd get to town sooner and ‘were welcome fo jin him. We scrambled into the trick bed to be joined by a heavy-sot and laughing Teisno whose head was shaped like an egg, partculatly so because the bandana he wore ended in ¢ point on the top of his head. He laughed almost demonically as the pickup roared up the dirt path, a gray cape of dust eising behind us. ‘On the highway, withthe wind in our faces, we squinted atthe fields a5 if we were looking for someone, Te Tyano had quit laughing but ‘vas smiling broadly, occasionally chortling tunes he never Finished. vas scare of him, though Rick, two years older and five inches taller, wasn’t If the Tejano looked at him, Rick stared back for 2 second oF thro before he looked snvay tothe fields, elt like a soldier coming home from war when we rattled into Chinatown. People leaning against car hoods stared their necks fol- Towing us, owllike; prostitutes chewed gum more ferociously and showed us heir tecth; Chinese grocers stopped brooming thei store- fronts to raise their cadaverous faces at us. We stopped in front of the ‘Chi Chi Club where Mexican music blared from the juke box ane cue balls cracked like dull ice. The Teena, who was diny as we were, stepped awkwardly over the side ral, dusted himself off with his bandana, and saunter into the chi. Rick and I jumped from the back, thanked the driver who said de ‘nada and popped his clutch, so that the pickup jerked and coughed blue smoke. We returned smiling to our eat, happy with the money ‘we had made and pleased that we had, in a small way, proved our selves to be tough: that we worked as ell as other men and earned the same pay. set ene toe we aia Giemsa at Responding to Reading 1. In prgzph 2, Sto sys he ecgsie i lie in TPIS am Goa Whar des been ~ 2, Saget Se rege cn rothr wear lt les han oop tee SB cs eal Som understand the esas fr te ee cs Bis comment reveal about te society In which Soto 1 FILE coteum fom the eers he debs What edo yout hema to lea Responding in Writing on ay fm or TV show ia whose charcers you copie oe eae coe liner Gat? fat ees you ‘ieee those yoo on the seen? ONcE More 10 THE LAKE E. B. White 1809-1985, ut mam pe ria ig Bo Soe ee eta neta nth Sh Se Ee nese arash etc reo cone Se (nd See ee ec ie une along about 904 my father ented camp om alae in ee Sak otal therefor the month of August We al gt ring Wem tm se itr ath a Fone Exton ou ame ao ed morning, and my father rolled over it noe a Sfnktores on bu okie of hatte vacation was a sucess seb amen nypone fever tought hee ae ay lc ree g a

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