Letter to El Mateo

Dear Mateo,

El profesor tell me to start it like this. I ask him because I did not write a letter since I was a little girl, I don’t remember, I never write it in English. El profe I clean his house, and he ask me do you want English lessons, I trade you. So no money for him, just English, but I think I should.

I am too embarrass to el profe for showing my letter, so I ask my friend Leti, she have a cousin, and his son sometime go to school in El Paso and I ask him fix the words. I hope you are understand me. I know you name Matthias like Rosario say, but I think it Mateo in my head, like I say to you talking. It is me, Lourdes, la mamá de la Rosario. This is the start of my letter.

Rosario is gone now two month. My first girl, only sixteen year and she go, she run away to you. I don’t hear nothing, so San Judas y San Antonio is who I pray and pray. You are no Catholic, I already notice. But I write you y no a la Rosario because she don’t want me to finding her.