Burro Genius

Villaseñor recalls one night when two intoxicated Mexican men drove up to their ranch, yelling insults at his father and saying that he had abandoned his people. Juan tried to talk to them but, when they persisted, he fought them, and the men left. Juan explained to his sons that the men came asking for a fight.

Recalling the story about his father castrating a man, Villaseñor started crying, thinking his father was bad. When he asked his father about it, Juan talked to him about manhood. According to their tradition, boys should be raised like girls up to seven years old to develop a “tender” heart; respect toward women was lost when people falsely proclaimed God is male. Juan added that there is a male and a female God as well as two Creation stories. He also told Villaseñor that, as a man, he must handle guns carefully and practice, as with all things in life. Villaseñor asked if women practice; Juan said that men often want to do “their own training” with their wives (177). Villaseñor questioned his father, reminding him that he always claimed women are stronger than men.

While Villaseñor tried to handle a gun, Joseph said that their father stopped many fights in their old neighborhood. Villaseñor rejoiced to hear that his father did good, and Juan told him the real version of the story Villaseñor had heard. Juan castrated a big animal and forced a man to eat its testicles because the man was bad and was causing trouble in the neighborhood; he also lied to others about killing a man when he had only beaten him to inspire fear. Villaseñor was frustrated but happy to know the truth. However, he reflected that the path to manhood was harder than he expected.

Villaseñor remembers his brother spending a lot of time at the hospital and the doctor saying that his liver was destroyed. His parents began arguing frequently with one another, with his mother claiming that Joseph’s illness was God’s punishment for their sins. At school, the other kids bullied Villaseñor. In response, he kept drawing stars.

Villaseñor recalls his mother praying to God to take her life instead of Joseph’s; his father argued with her, saying that nobody had to die. Villasenor was not scared and felt “safe” drawing stars. At night, he took a walk and prayed to God to take him instead of Joseph because his brother was smarter and more necessary to the family. Villaseñor regarded himself as less intelligent by comparison.

When his father joined him, Villaseñor mentioned his memories of Juan returning home drunk and asked him about his liquor business. Juan explained that he was the only police officer in the barrio and because many people targeted him, he would often get drunk. He said that men must acquire the heart of a “burro macho,” the strong donkeys used as pack animals that never break down on the road. Juan assured Villaseñor of his love and promised that the family would remain together.

That night Villaseñor slept peacefully, dreaming of stars; he was in Heaven with God and reconnected with his grandmother and his old dog, Sam. His grandmother gave him a medicine bag to collect stars, and Villaseñor felt God’s love.

Joseph was feeling better and asked Villaseñor to go for a ride. The two brothers started for the beach, on a trail Villaseñor was familiar with. Distracted by the landscape, he left Joseph behind. Joseph’s horse made a dangerous leap and fell into a ditch. Joseph’s pains returned, and he was later transferred to the hospital. Villaseñor felt guilty.

The following day, his teacher asked him to read aloud in the classroom. When Villaseñor refused, she hit him and he bit her hand. She took him to the principal’s office, where they continued slapping him. Villaseñor notes that he cried but was not terrified anymore. As his anger grew, he began to imagine blowing up the school and shooting all the kids who bullied him with his father’s gun.

Villaseñor visited a church with his family to request masses for Joseph. In the church, Villaseñor felt God’s forgiveness and no longer felt guilty over Joseph’s accident. After Joseph returned home from the hospital, Villaseñor’s parents left for a trip, and his sister decided to organize a party with her friends. To keep it a secret, Villaseñor asked for 50 cents, saying that their cousin Chemo had already bribed him to hide his encounter with a girl. Chemo called it extortion and threatened Villaseñor, but his sister defended him and agreed.

The following day, Villaseñor was in a car with Chemo, his sister, and a friend. He was scared by Chemo’s fast driving and had a premonition of danger. In his “mind’s eye,” he saw a red truck coming from the bottom of the hill toward them. He demanded that Chemo stop. Chemo was furious and kept driving. Villaseñor threatened to jump out of the car, but Chemo did not take him seriously. Villaseñor jumped while the vehicle was moving and fell on the road. He remembers feeling dead and seeing himself from above. His sister rushed to him and Chemo was scared, wondering if he was alive. Villaseñor notes that it was his decision not to die, claiming that “[l]iving or dying [is] really all up to us” (211). Eventually, he awoke. Chemo was still angry but finally agreed to drive slowly on the way home.

At home, Chemo was still mad at Villaseñor for telling him to “obey” him while driving. When Villaseñor explained to Joseph what had happened, Joseph said that it was wrong to ask an older boy to “obey” him because it made the older boy look bad to the girls. Mentioning their father as an example, he advised Villaseñor to think of different ways of convincing others. For Joseph, it was significant that Villaseñor had sensed a potentially fatal accident, noting that he was born two years after their grandmother’s death.

Villaseñor was proud of his brother and started crying, wondering why his health would not improve in the same way that Villaseñor had managed to survive the leap from the car. Joseph argued that their lives were different. He told Villaseñor he should not feel guilty about his condition because life was larger than what people saw. He assured him that things would be all right if he trusted God. Being at the hospital made Joseph understand that “patience, compassion, love, forgiveness, and understanding is what the world needs” (220). Joseph told Villaseñor that he would never leave him. Villaseñor notes that he will never forget his brother’s words.

Joseph was transferred to the hospital again, and Villaseñor believed that God had forsaken him. His mother was away from home, staying close to the hospital. Villaseñor understood his brother was dying. He and his sister kept praying for the family. He also sensed that his father was drinking again.

At school, Villaseñor was angrier and behaving more aggressively. He befriended two kids, Judy and Dennis. He taught them about “blackmailing” people for money, realizing that Judy’s family was poor. One day, Judy and Dennis tricked him into talking to a store owner so they could steal candy. Villaseñor told them that stealing was bad, but they responded that extortion was equally mean. Villaseñor felt terrible, thinking that maybe God was punishing him through his brother’s illness. When Villaseñor noticed Judy feeling sad because she had no money, Villaseñor gave her a dollar and she kissed him on the cheek.

The other boys at school began attacking Villaseñor regularly. He at first believed they were jealous over how often he won at marbles, but one day a kid yelled at him that it was Villaseñor’s fault that more Mexicans were coming to school. The boy also said that his parents told him Mexicans must be “put […] in [their] place” (230). Realizing that they hit him because of his ethnicity, Villaseñor was devastated. The next day, he felt betrayed seeing Dennis with the bullies. His rage grew. The next time they threatened him, he reacted by biting them.

Judy made Dennis apologize to Villaseñor, telling him he was good and “decent” and that the bullies were cowards. Judy said she “blackmailed” the boys never to hit Villaseñor again. Dennis confessed that his father told him to attack Villaseñor because he was Mexican. Villaseñor remembers feeling bad for the kids, realizing that the parents passed on their own “way of thinking” (234).

Villaseñor realized he was strong while wrestling with a kid. He could have easily beat him down, but Villaseñor allowed him to win. Villaseñor felt free from the bullies and remained distant from other students.

Villaseñor remembers Joseph’s dog, Shep, barking constantly and running around one night. Villaseñor tried in vain to calm Shep but the housekeepers, Rosa and Emilio, told him that the dog was barking because Joseph was dying. Villaseñor was shocked and screamed. Shep continued howling all night.

The next morning, the housekeepers informed Villaseñor about Joseph’s death, saying that Shep ran off to the hills to “intercept [Joseph’s] soul” (239). Villaseñor was devastated. When his parents returned, his mother was silent, and his father confirmed Joseph’s death. Villaseñor and his sister cried.

Later, Villaseñor thought of Shep, imagining him running to the hill and becoming a “Shooting Star” that led his brother’s soul to Heaven. He decided to ride to the hill and search for Shep’s body, but he never found it. Villaseñor remembered the vaqueros’ stories that animals did not always leave their bodies on Earth while passing over to the “Spirit World.” He was certain that Shep “intercepted” Joseph’s soul. Amidst his sorrow, he also felt happy, knowing that his brother would watch over him forever. Back home, Villaseñor tried to talk to his parents about Shep, but they would not listen. Emilio and Rosa talked more with him about animals, souls, and the harmony of the universe.

After Joseph’s funeral, Villaseñor attempted to talk to his father again, remembering his grandmother’s stories about people being stars. Enraged, Juan retorted that such beliefs were “backward Indian superstitions” (245). Villaseñor was shocked to hear his father saying the same slurs he often heard at school. His father started crying. Later that day, his parents dismissed the housekeepers. Despite his parents’ behavior, Villaseñor was certain that animals guide people to Heaven.