A Place to Stand

Although Baca feels some regret when he re-enters the drug trade, he views drugs as a way to make easy money. He also knows that he and Marcos will need money to get the licenses required to get back into the repair business. Their former assistant, Carey, is able to sell all fifty pounds.

When Baca meets Galvan the next week with the money, Galvan warns him the DEA has a heavy presence in Yuma. Two days after their meeting, Galvan has five hundred pounds of marijuana delivered to Baca’s home.

The large quantities of marijuana and cash concern Lonnie, and the three friends grow paranoid. Baca warns Marcos that they will fall under suspicion if they begin to spend money indiscriminately. Galvan continues to push them to sell more, and soon he is expecting the men to sell hundreds of pounds each month.

With money to spare, Baca begins to think of helping his family with their needs. Baca, Lonnie, and Marcos decide to go to San Diego to escape the pressure of the drug trade. Baca obtains his father’s address from his sister, and the three drive to San Francisco to find Damacio Baca. When Baca sees the place where his father lives, he realizes that the idea of helping his father is only a fantasy: “But if I went up those stairs, he’d be on the bed half naked, puking his guts out, screaming that he needed a drink” (76).