, ▁and ▁it ▁was ▁during ▁those ▁early ▁years ▁that ▁he ▁developed ▁his ▁love ▁of ▁literature . ▁ ▁Return ▁to ▁the ▁U . S . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 4 , ▁Mé nd ez ▁moved ▁to ▁T uc son , ▁Arizona . ▁He ▁has ▁assert ed ▁that ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁reasons ▁that ▁pushed ▁him ▁to ▁move ▁to ▁the ▁U . S . ▁was ▁the ▁des per ation ▁he ▁felt ▁when , ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 9 , ▁two ▁of ▁his ▁younger ▁sister s ▁died ▁of ▁p neum onia . ▁This ▁was ▁due ▁in ▁part ▁to ▁the ▁isol ation ▁of ▁El ▁Cl aro , ▁which ▁had ▁no ▁hospital ▁or ▁clin ic . ▁Once ▁in ▁T uc son , ▁despite ▁his ▁young ▁age , ▁Mé nd ez ▁found ▁a ▁job ▁in ▁construction . ▁During ▁those ▁years , ▁he ▁continued ▁to ▁read , ▁mostly ▁at ▁night . ▁He ▁used ▁to ▁buy ▁books ▁in ▁a ▁book store ▁called ▁" Lib rer ía ▁H erman os ▁Pul ido " ▁that ▁carried ▁books ▁and ▁mag az ines ▁in ▁Spanish . ▁ ▁Life ▁as ▁a ▁W riter ▁and ▁Professor ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁Mé nd ez ▁was ▁still ▁working ▁in ▁construction , ▁but ▁had ▁not ▁stopped ▁reading . ▁By ▁this ▁time ▁he ▁had ▁started ▁to ▁write ▁more ▁seriously . ▁" T ata ▁Case h ua ", ▁his ▁first ▁short ▁story , ▁appeared ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 8 . ▁Through out ▁the ▁years , ▁Mé nd ez ▁had ▁developed ▁a ▁relationship ▁with