Sentada

This is why I hate being angry at people for too long. This story has been killing me for the last week, it wasn't until today that I finally got cleared to talk about it. Here I go:

While at Chicago, I spent the majority of the time there pissed at my godson's mom, i.e. my first cousin (I'll refer to her as NC) I see as an aunt or older sister.
Many of her choices aggravated me (like her love for falcon talons for fake nails. Motherfucking atrocious), and her conversation wouldn't help (she's not the sharpest tool in the shed, so to speak).
On our last day in town, I didn't even want to say goodbye to her because she had decided to spend the entire morning and afternoon at the mall. I gave her a weak hug before getting in the car to go off to the airport, and once in the car, I told my sister "Well, at least she made it easy for me not to miss her ass. I'm not going to be seeing that idiot in a long minute."

Well... since we're talking about me, it's obvious Life was going to be like "Oh, really, AnoMALIE? You wanna be resentful? Well, check this out, bitch."

Hmm... I don't know how to start this part. It's serious. And frightening. I still haven't fully wrapped my head around it.
So... let me mention how we couldn't get a hold of them (NC and her mom--my aunt) when we called Mexico to see how their bus trip from Chicago to DGO went. This was odd, since we're always one of the first to hear from them.
They were supposed to arrive on Tuesday the 5th of this month, but we still hadn't heard from either one. However, that Friday, NC's mother-in-law called my cell. This lady is also MGH's grandma (I know, it's a weird web. Totally typical of Mexicans, sorry), so I didn't think it was too weird (she's my number one fan and calls me on occasion to chat).
However, she had a weird message for me. She asked me if we had been in the bay sometime that week. I said no, and thought nothing of it. She then goes
That's what I thought... but when I came home today, this is the message that was on my answering machine.
She played the message.
*MGH'sGrandma*, it's *MyMom*, I'm calling because I'm going to drop by.
Jesus Christ... that's my mom!
Isn't that weird? I came home and that was the only new message.

My mom doesn't have MGH'sGrandma's number, she has never called her house.
But there was her voice, loud and clear, on the answering machine.
She sounded upset... kind of like how she sounded when she called to tell us her dad had died back in 2007.
I laughed, and asked her if she wanted to talk to my mom and see what was up. Once mom heard the message, she freaked out. Then she became quiet... and left the room, only answering monosyllabically to MGH'sGrandma.
What was going on? No idea how the message got on the answering machine. Mom never called, but it was, indeed her voice. This led to MGH'sGrandma to tell Mom of a creepy coincidence that was currently going on. Turns out two men on the bus had attempted to kidnap NC and my aunt.
MGH'sGrandma thought Mom had called to talk about that. She hadn't, but thanks for the information?

Ok, so there ends that creepy story. The entire week was spent trying to figure out what had gone wrong... why these people had tried to kidnap NC. We theorized that these men must have known who she was, and hence, tried to carry out some sort of vendetta against her (see, her husband used to be... his brother was at one point the most powerful... "leader").

Well, we finally got a hold of both my aunt and NC today, and they both told us what occurred.
It made my blood run cold.
Turns out NC was being her usual, not-so-bright self when she walked in the bus. She looked around, trying to see if she recognized anyone. She says she didn't, so she just went to take her seat.
It was then when she noticed the guys sitting in front of her say " Do you think she recognized you?" But she thought nothing of it.
A little further into the ride, in the middle of her praying (she prays A LOT. She always has a rosary in her hand... and I mean, I've accused her on multiple occasions of being fanatical) she began to hear what was really going on... those two men were planning her death.
Look, we'll get them off at (tiny town where the bus makes a stop that is about four hours away from Hometown. It's up in the mountains, highly inaccessible for the most part). We'll get those six down.
But the Mom will start screaming and call too much attention.
We'll get her off too. We won't kill her, though. We'll just take away all of her belonging and abandon her and that other older lady and drive away. We'll kill the first five and those old hags will just be abandoned in the middle of nowhere. 
NC says they were picking people at random, except for her.
That bitch has been praying the entire ride. Should we make her kneel, like the rest of them, when we kill her?
No. She's going to die sitting down.

I can only imagine the anguish she was in, listening to these beasts whisper.
The malice in these people... astonishes me. How can someone "human" think like this? Go about committing shit like this out of the fucking blue, just because they can? It sickens me.

Anyway, she had to sit there... and listen some more. They were constantly on their cell phones, and when they reached Dallas, two other couples joined the ride (the two original men had entered the bus with their wives). They were a total of eight accomplices... on a full bus... a total of 56 people.

Once they reached the stop (on Mexico's side) where they were supposed to carry out the plan, NC forced my aunt to stay on the bus.
If you want to live, you're going to stay on this fucking bus. Piss your pants if you must.
My aunt was confused, but she listened to NC.
Only NC, my aunt, and an old man sitting in front of the bad guys stayed on the bus. The old man was quivering... he too had been listening to the conversations these men were having.

Everyone boarded the bus and they continued on their way.
Suddenly, about ten minutes later, they were stopped. A random military checkpoint blocked their way.
The bus driver allowed the people to get off the bus, and this is when NC made her move.
NC went to the bathroom, and went in a stall with my aunt. She told her what was going on.
They're going to kill me. Now, you're going to have to be brave, Mom... we're going to have to walk as inconspicuously as possible towards the soldiers. If these guys are going to kill me, I'd rather have it happen to me out in the open, as I try to make my way to safety... and not in some abandoned house where they said they keep all the victims sequestered.
And so, holding hands, they walked toward the soldiers without looking towards the bus.
NC told the soldiers what was going on.
The soldiers made all the men get off the bus (since apparently women are off-limits... ?!?!!!) and searched them. None had weapons (bad guys gave the guns to their girls, obviously), soldiers had no other choice but to allow them back on the bus.
The only person they suspected was the poor old man who sat there quivering... poor man.
NC and my aunt refused to get back on the bus, and the soldiers kept them safe. They made up some lie about my aunt feeling deathly ill and not being able to travel any further.
The bus left. NC finally broke down into uncontrollable sobs and bewildered screams.

NC and my aunt were then escorted all the way home (four hours after being left by the bus) by a soldier dressed as a civilian. On their way home, they heard a breaking news story: the bus heading to Hometown had been held up. Two were dead, two were missing.

... now... I... don't know what to say.
I don't like action flicks... and to think it can happen in real life... ??? I never thought my family would ever have to experience anything like that. It's not fun, or funny... or entertaining.
I do know first-hand how horrible the conditions are in Mexico, I mean, I did see a dead man in the middle of the road this summer as I sat in the front of the bus.
I've had an AK47 pointed at my face.
I've seen Zetas patrol the streets of my once peaceful town.
I know guys involved in the drug war... but... I just... this is all so senseless. And think such evil exists... baffles me... it scares me... like NOTHING else has EVER done.

I always laughed at NC for all the praying she does. When we were in Chicago, I criticized her for kneeling so much to the point where she now has an extreme case or arthritis on her knees... we all laughed at her for it.
This bitch is CRAZY! Quit being SO fanatical! Where does all this praying get you?
To think someone would be so perverse to think... to kill her depriving her of... kneeling? Like... someone that evil really exists?

Before hanging up, she said one last thing:
Tia, when I sat there on the bus... trying to stay cool... to stay calm... thinking I was going to die... all I could think was... I really love you guys. I love my kids. I love my parents. I love my family. I really love you... I really love AnoMALIE and LittleSister. I just... I wanted one more chance to hug my kids... to hug you guys. I... really love you guys.

Jesus Christ.
I'm at a loss for words.
So much guilt. So much fear. So much awe.
No se que decir... solo... Dios es grande.