Job situation leads to long-distance relationship

Manuel Valdez, 58, is a construction worker who sometimes finds himself between jobs.

“I went to school only five years in Mexico. So all of my life, I am only a worker. All of my life, I do physical work. I don’t have an option. We’re looking for money. Everyone is looking for money. I worked in California for about 15 years. I worked in the fields, picking vegetables and fruits. Then I started working construction. I’ve been doing this for 20 years.”

His ex-wife and children, as well as his parents and siblings, live in California. His current wife works and lives in Mexico.

“She has a good job. If she comes to the United States, she will lose her job. She will lose her money. So when I’m not working, I go on the bus to see her. When there is more work, I come back here. She doesn’t like it. But she says, ‘You don’t have a choice.’ It’s hard for me and my family. But sometimes we can’t change our lives.”

— Manuel Valdez