The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

Coyote has a stream of consciousness monologue that continues as she stands in the middle of the parking lot as the sun sets. She realizes she has no way of getting in touch with her father or Lester. While she stands in the lot crying, an older man and woman in an SUV pull onto the parking lot. Coyote realizes the woman sees that she is upset. She decides she needs to go back into the convenience store, get a drink, and try to be inconspicuous. As she enters, she notices a boy standing by himself. There is no one else besides the clerk in the store. She grabs a slushie as the older woman comes up to her to ask if everything is okay. Coyote gives a clever answer about global warming, saying everything is not okay and tries to push away past the woman, who refuses to leave her alone.

Coyote goes into the ladies’ room and closes the door, but she can hear the woman calling the police to report a preteen by herself in the middle of nowhere. Coyote tries to figure out how to escape the situation without being apprehended by the police, who often think the way she and Rodeo live is suspect. She then hears a tapping on the bathroom door, thinking that the lady has followed her. When she opens the door a crack, she sees it is the young boy she saw in the store earlier. He whispers to her that he can help her escape.

Coyote describes the boy as Latino, wearing blue jeans and a white shirt. He tells Coyote that the lady called the cops on her, and that she can climb through a window in the mens’ room to escape. He says she can crawl out of the window, and head for a car in the back parking lot where his mom is. He says to tell the woman that Salvador sent her. He grabs her slushie, telling her that she hasn’t paid for it, leaving her to make her escape. Coyote dashes to Salvador’s car on the parking lot before he gets there and persuades his mother, Esperanza, to let her in. Coyote explains in a disjointed way that she was left behind and doesn’t want to try to explain things to the police, since that generally doesn’t work out very well. She apologizes, saying she’s probably not making any sense. Coyote learns that Esperanza and Salvador are waiting for a phone call from Esperanza’s sister, Concepción, to tell them where they need to go next. They tell her that the car they are in is broken down and will not make it much further.

They manage to drive across the road to wait for Yager to show up so Coyote can be reunited with Rodeo and Lester. Soon, Coyote sees Yager coming with all the yellow caution lights and red stop lights flashing. It is being driven by Lester and sitting on top of the bus is Rodeo scanning desperately for Coyote. She is so grateful for him and expresses her love for him despite his weirdness, saying, “Rodeo, crown prince of freaks, had never looked more freakish” (107).

Coyote introduces Rodeo and Lester to Salvador and Esperanza Vega. It comes quickly to Coyote that, since the Vegas’s car cannot go any further, she should convince her father that the Vegas should go with them on their trek west. She takes Salvador aside and tells him to persuade his mother to ditch the car and get on the bus. Meanwhile, she orders Rodeo to pick up the extra two passengers. Just before all of them pile onto the bus to leave, Salvador takes a dented hubcap off the car so he will have something to remember it by. This convinces Coyote that Salvador is a worthy person.

Lester says that they found out Coyote wasn’t with them and came back after only 15 minutes, because Ivan went crazy when they drove off of the lot. The men kept calling back for Coyote to come the front and calm the cat. When she never responded, they realized she was gone.

Coyote quizzes Salvador about his family, asking why his mother is traveling across the country. She notes that, on his backpack, his name tag says Salvador Peterson instead of Vega. Often, when she asks him a question, he says it is none of her business. She changes the subject, only to run up against something else he doesn’t want to discuss. She finds out they are on their way to St. Louis, Missouri, where there is supposed to be a job waiting for them, though Esperanza’s sister, who is getting this job, stopped responding to their messages and calls.

Coyote begins to answer questions that Salvador asks her. She reveals that her two sisters and mother died in an automobile accident, after which Rodeo changed their first names and gave them the new legal last name Sunrise. They sold their house and all their possessions, bought the bus and have been driving across the country back and forth ever since. Salvador is very skeptical about her assurance that she is content with living this way. When he confronts her about this not being the right life for her, she picks up Ivan and goes back to lie down and sleep. Coyote reveals that the names of her two sisters who died were Ava and Rose. She does not reveal her birth name.

Coyote wakes and decides she will be cold and aloof towards Salvador as a punishment to him for speaking the truth about her feelings. When she comes out of the bedroom, everyone is still sleeping and Ivan the cat is sleeping with Salvador. Coyote finds this outrageous, feeling the cat is a traitor. Salvador wakes and Coyote says good morning. The first words out of Salvador’s mouth are, “I’m sorry” (125). She is stunned by this and says good morning again. Salvador expresses how sorry he is for being a jerk the previous night. He asks if she will forgive him. Coyly, coyote replies, “Let’s just say, I don’t not forgive you, Salvador Vega” (126).

The group rides along the interstate with Lester driving and Rodeo begins to play his guitar. He starts to sing one of Coyote’s favorite songs. The two sing and everyone else joins in: Lester taps on the steering wheel; Esperanza claps along; and Salvador reluctantly plays tambourine. Coyote describes an ethereal feeling of elevation that takes her away from the regular difficulties of life and lifts her up in serenity and joy—until the song is over and suddenly, she finds herself filled with sadness. At one point as she is reflecting on the experience, Coyote compares the joy and serenity of it with what it is like in a family.

The bus stops for breakfast alongside a small river. As they wade into the river, Coyote confesses to peeing in the water and feeling awkward in her two-piece swimsuit in front of Salvador. She challenges him to a race as they swim to the far shore of the river. Once on the other side, Coyote coaxes Salvador to explain why he has discarded his father’s last name. Salvador says that his father was physically abusive with himself and his mother. It disturbed him as well that, when he and his mother decided to leave, his father did not try to stop them. Salvador says he both misses and detests his father. Coyote and Salvador make a deal and promise each other that they will never feel sorry for the other’s situations. They shake on their agreement, holding hands for a moment before dropping them and looking away from each other.

Salvador cajoles Coyote into explaining her real quest, having deduced she is not really going to Montana. She explains to him where she’s going and why, then makes him commit not to tell Rodeo, which would end the trip immediately. Coyote feels awkward again and thinks Salvador is going to give her a hug, so she intentionally looks the other way and challenges him to race back to the other side of the river.