Borderless: Episode 2 - Prologue (Part 2)

This is the second episode in the serialized romance novel, “Borderless: Love Knows No Borders.” Each segment of the story will be released as a separate publication as it is written. Visit Borderless Central to learn about the book or view the table of contents to know where to start or which article to read next.

Leo made his way across campus and took the steps to the library two by two. He was at the tail end of his fifth and final year of veterinary school at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the finish line was on the horizon.

He hurried into the library and found an open table. He pulled his Mac out of his backpack and was about to sit down when he heard someone behind him whisper, “Hey, Sanchez!” He turned around to see his classmate sitting at the table he had just passed.

“Hey, Marco! What’s up?” Leo inquired happily.

“Nothing much,” Marco replied. “Just trying to decide which licensing option to go for. Have you decided yet?”

“Yeah,” Leo said, “That’s actually why I’m here. I emailed the dolphin conservation group in Cancun about their social service internship program. I think they just emailed me back. How about you?”

“Dolphins, huh?” Marco raised his eyebrows. “I guess if you want to spend six months working for free to get licensed as a veterinarian, you might as well do it playing with dolphins!” he chuckled. “I think I might try my luck with the test first.”

“I thought about the test too,” Leo said, “but I’m not a fan of tests, and an internship just sounds more adventurous. Plus, I like the idea of getting experience out in the field.”

“Good point,” Marco conceded. His brow furrowed as he considered the option. “I don’t really have any job leads right now… even if I did get licensed. Maybe an internship isn’t such a bad idea.” He turned back to his computer and pulled up the licensing portal.

Leo grabbed his computer and slid into the chair next to Marco. It was always better to work next to a friend.

He opened his inbox and eagerly clicked on the response from the dolphin conservation group. The school website had only listed a few details about the program, so he was hoping for more specifics from the organization itself.

As he read the letter though, his enthusiasm quickly vanished. When he reached the end, he let out a sigh of disappointment.

“What’s up?” Marco asked.

“It turns out the dolphin people want me to pay to work for them,” Leo said. “I’d have to pay all my expenses — airfare, food, housing, transportation — on top of receiving no pay for six months of work. Not worth it.”

He leaned back in his chair and looked over at Marco’s computer screen. “Have you found any other good internships on the portal?”

“A few,” Marco replied. He turned his computer toward Leo so they could both see his screen. They spent the better half of the next hour scrolling through the programs, researching the requirements for veterinary licensing through each one, and reminiscing about the past five years of classes, labs, surgeries, mishaps, successes, and more.

When they reached the end of the page, Marco had a short list of potential programs he was going to pursue. Leo had none.

“I don’t know why, but none of these feel right,” Leo said, running his hands through his wavy jet-black hair. “I mean, they all sound interesting, but they don’t feel right. You know?”

He looked over at Marco who nodded, “Sure… I guess.” They both stared at the screen in silence.

“Wait!” Leo’s disappointed slouch disappeared as he sat up excitedly in his seat. “You were looking at programs while I was reading the letter from the dolphin people. Did I miss one of those?”

“There was only one I didn’t show you, but that’s because it didn’t sound all that exciting.” He scrolled back to the top of the page, “Research and Rural Development in Goat Farming Communities — Irapuato, Guanajuato” he read aloud.

Marco was right, it didn’t sound exciting, but Leo felt a strange burning sensation in his chest. Something about it felt right in a way that none of the other programs had.

“Who’s the professor over the program?” he asked.

“Umm…” Marco clicked on the internship option, opening a new webpage. He searched through the program details for the professor’s name. “Oh, man! It’s Profe Ramos!” Marco said. “I took his microbiology course and he is seriously the best. Ever. I’d do this program just to have him as an advisor.”

The burning sensation in Leo’s chest melted into a peaceful excitement that his pastor at church had once said was how he felt God’s Spirit working in him.

Was that what this was? he wondered.

Whatever it was, he wanted to find out more. He took down the professor’s information and turned back to his computer.

“Thanks, Marco!” he said as he began to write a letter to Professor Ramos.

Leo pulled off the main highway leading to the edge of the city of Irapuato and turned down a dusty lane. He slowly made his way past the colorful houses and came to a stop in front of a large metal gate.

He knew he was in the right place because he could see Professor Ramos’ dark green truck on the other side of the gate parked next to a giant sign that read “CHOICE.”

He got out of his car and ran over to the gate. Professor Ramos had said he would leave it unlocked so he could open it without needing to call. And sure enough, the gate slid open easily.

When he was certain that the gate was secure and wouldn’t come slamming shut, Leo jumped back in his car and drove slowly into the CHOICE Center — a fascinating complex full of animal pens and one-story brick buildings.

As he was parking next to Professor Ramos’ truck, he saw the professor walk out of the building directly in front of him accompanied by a happy-looking man with leathery skin and a slight hint of red in his hair. He recognized him immediately from pictures he had seen as the director of CHOICE Humanitarian, Jorge Alvarez.

They greeted Leo at his car with strong handshakes and even stronger hugs, the kind given to close friends in Mexico. He felt like he was being welcomed home to a place he had never set eyes on. The two men ushered him into the building where another student was already waiting.

“Hey Anita!” Leo said, pulling up a chair next to his classmate. “I didn’t know you were looking into this internship. It’s good to see you here!”

“Yeah!” Anita looked up shyly and smiled. “I’m looking into a few different options. This program seemed interesting. I think I’d be working in the rural villages to help them set up community banks or something. How about you?”

“The school portal just mentioned goat farmers, and Professor Ramos explained that it would involve teaching the villagers correct sanitation practices,” Leo said. “But beyond that, I don’t know much… I guess that’s why I’m here! To learn more!”

“Cool,” Anita giggled as if Leo had said something incredibly funny.

“I see you two know each other already,” Jorge boomed cheerily. “Good! Good… Most students don’t last that long out here. It would be good if you had each other to lean on. I found one intern curled up in a ball in that bedroom over there,” Jorge pointed to the corner of the building where Leo could see a couple of beds through a doorway. “The poor kid was crying about how he wanted to go back to his mommy. This internship isn’t for the faint of heart, you know?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw Anita’s face fall. “Why isn’t it for the faint of heart?” She squeaked out.

“You’ll be living in the rural villages for six months straight,” Jorge responded matter-of-factly. “No running water, no sewer system, no internet, none of the comforts you’ve grown used to living in the big city. And you’ll be working hard, day in and day out. These villagers work harder than anyone you’ve ever met, and you’ll be working right alongside them. You’ll return here on the weekends to access the internet and report your progress to Professor Ramos, but you’ll spend most of your time out in the hot, remote, mountain villages surrounding Irapuato. If you don’t think you can handle that, don’t sign up.”

Leo was surprised at how quickly Jorge went from looking like a giant lovable teddy bear to an army general. This man meant business. He liked that. And he liked the idea of living in the mountains. Anita, on the other hand, looked like she was about to lose her lunch.

Thankfully, the rest of the meeting was less intimidating and more informative. If Leo decided to take the internship, he would be living in the village of La Perla where he would do research on the villagers’ goat farming methods before creating and giving courses to teach them how to improve their sanitation practices, increase milk production, and coordinate the grazing systems of all the goat herders in the village.

“What do you think?” Professor Ramos asked when Jorge finished going over the program details.

“It sounds amazing,” Leo admitted. “And it just feels right. I really can’t find a reason to say no. When would I start?”

“July,” Jorge said. “Just a little under two months. We’d give you enough time to get your things packed, work with Professor Ramos to design your research and start building the basis for your thesis, and then it will be time to kiss your momma goodbye and head into the mountains!”

“Where do I sign up?” Leo responded excitedly.

“We’ll get that set up back at the university,” Professor Ramos explained. “How about you Anita? What are you thinking? Is this the program for you?”

Anita squirmed in her seat. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t think… that… it would be… the right fit for me.” When she finally got the words out, Leo could see the look of relief on her face.

“Well, best of luck to you,” Jorge said, extending his hand. “It’s better to know now that it’s not going to work than to realize a few weeks in that you’re miserable and don’t have another internship lined up to get your veterinary license. That would set you back quite a bit!” He laughed in a knowing kind of way as if he had seen too many students run into that very problem.

“Yeah, thanks,” Anita shook his hand. “I should be going now. It’s a three-hour drive back to Mexico City and I don’t want my family worried that I got stranded out here in the desert,” she laughed nervously.

“Of course!” Professor Ramos jumped up from his chair. “I’ll see you out to your car and help you with the gate.”

Leo stood as well, not sure if there was anything left to discuss.

“I’m glad to have you join forces with CHOICE, Leo,” Jorge said, extending his hand once again. “You seem like a smart one. There’s a lot of work to be done in these villages to help people get out of poverty. What you’ll be doing really does matter.”

“I’m happy to do it!” Leo responded, taking Jorge’s hand.

“Say,” Jorge grinned, “You wouldn’t want to meet my wife and girls, would you? We’ll basically become your family while you’re here. And I think my wife has some strawberries and cream she could whip up as a celebratory treat. What d’ya say?”

“I say yes!” Leo grinned back. “And thank you!”

Leo and Professor Ramos followed Jorge out of the CHOICE Center and back onto the highway before turning off into a beautiful subdivision and parking in front of Jorge’s home.

Professor Ramos already knew the Alvarez family from the many years he had spent organizing student internships with CHOICE Humanitarian. Jorge’s wife met them at the door and he gave her a tight hug. “Elena, it’s so good to see you again!”

It seemed to Leo as if joy was pouring out of Jorge’s home. Hugs were given all around as Leo met Elena and the four Alvarez daughters, Leilani (who seemed to be about his age), Andrea, Maria Fernanda (Mafer, as she told him she liked to be called), and Barbara, a bubbling pre-teen and the youngest of the family.

They enjoyed several servings of strawberries and cream before ending up in the living room, talking about the development projects CHOICE Humanitarian had introduced into the communities and the (mis)adventures of many of the interns who had worked in the villages in the past.

Leo couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.

Leilani brought another bowl of strawberries and cream over to him and sat in the chair next to him. She leaned forward and asked him almost in a whisper, “So, what religion are you?”

“My religion?” Leo replied in surprise. “I’m Christian.”

“Christian? Like Christian Evangelical?” Leilani pursued.

“Yeah, why?” he queried.

“You just seem like such a nice person. You can kind of tell when someone loves God.”

“True,” Leo agreed. “I can feel God’s love here. Are you Christian?”

“Yes,” Leilani replied. “We’re LDS.”