Author Description

Having traveled from Paraguay, Pedro arrives in the small town of Rose, Texas, where he plans to start a new life in a land bursting with opportunity-America. After discovering a location that would make for the perfect farm, Pedro heads into Rose to meet like-minded folk. In a local store, he meets Jim, a self-proclaimed farmer who says the land would make a fantastic pickle farm-and it can be Pedro's for 10,000 dollars. After parting ways with his money, Pedro believes he's found a mentor and friend in Jim. Pedro works day and night to get his farmstead to take shape and form. With the seeds procured from Jim, and after weeks of hard and grueling work, the pickle plants don't grow. Without anything but hope, he prays for success, but his prayers go unanswered. Additional people come into Pedro's life, each one intent on taking advantage of Pedro's trusting and kind heart. Eventually, these forces land Pedro in jail. No one that once claimed to be his friend comes to his aid, so Pedro must say goodbye to his pickle farm and the American dream.Later, when one casual traveler that had befriended Pedro the previous year attempts to follow up to see what has become of him, she discovers that everyone has a different version of who Pedro was and what became of him. While nobody apparently knew the real Pedro, it does not stop anyone from using their memory of Pedro to perpetuate and reinforce whatever preconceived biased they held. Apparently, holding onto their biases and worldviews is more important than getting to know Pedro as a person.