Matthew Turner is a 32 year old married man. From the outside looking in, Matthew’s life seems like the normal American Dream. He has four young children, a twelve year old son, a six year old daughter, and two six-month old fraternal twins. Though they seem like a big happy family there is a problem. Matthew Turner is unhappy.

Everyday Matthew wakes up and repeats the same daily routine Monday through Saturday. He wakes ups, takes a shower, brushes his teeth, dresses for work, eats breakfast with his family, and leaves for work. Now to many men they believe this is how life is when you’re married with kids in your thirties. But in Matthews’s situation he is the only breadwinning in his household being that his wife is a stay at home mom. Everyday Matt worries about the monthly bills, being that he is suffering from the pay cuts implemented by the H&R Block where is he is employed at. Matthew feels trapped.

You see when Matthew was a twenty year old undergrad student at Florida State University he and his then girlfriend become pregnant with his oldest son. Matthew a freshman in college and a soon to be father did not know what to do. Believing he could not juggle both, Matthew dropped out of college and began to work full time now that he had two mouths to feed. And in a panic married his girlfriend and prepared for life as a father. Now three kids later Matt looks back and regrets everything he has done the past twelve years. He wishes he had just waited. Matt has no college degree which forces him to work in low salary job fields. Also he is married to a woman he was never in love with. Moving along Matt has four children when he never wanted children in the first place. Growing up Matt was never fond of children and vowed never to father any when he grew up.

One night while watching an ABC’s 20/20 episode about a North Carolina man who just vanished from his normal life and no one knew where he went; Matthew came up with a strange idea. Matt planned to tell his family he had to go on a work related seminar for three days in San Diego, California, but truly he would drive to the U.S. – Mexico border and go to Mexico and live there for the rest of his life away from his problems in Tallahassee. So on Thursday the 23rd, one week before his planned departure Matt told his wife about his “work seminar”. Matt went to his job and told his boss he would be taking a permanent sabbatical. He had everything set for his trip, money aside for motels/food, and a map route for his trip. On Monday morning Matt repeated his normal daily routine and kissed his wife and kids goodbye and set trip for his “seminar”. On the journey everything was going as planned, Matthew was excited that his freedom was only days away.

On the morning of 2nd Matthew woke up inside a local motel in San Diego, California thirty minutes away from Imperial Beach, California where the U.S. - Mexico border is located. Matthew ate breakfast at a local dinner, he called his wife told her he loved and missed her, to kiss the kids for him, and that he would be home in two days. At 10 am Matthew got inside his Mitsubishi Lancer and drove towards the border. Finally there Matt was minutes away from his”freedom”. There was a lot of traffic as this is normal being that the U.S. – Mexico border is a busy sight. Matt pulled up to an officer who conducted him to stop and tapped the driver side window of his car. The Officer asked “What are your plans to go to Mexico.”. Matt replied he was going to visit his grandmother. After viewing Matt’s I.D. the officer told Matt “ enjoy “ and conducted him pass the border. While driving past the border Matt looked in his rear – view mirror and saw a bib and bottle that belonged to his six-month twins. After seeing this Matt picked up his babies belongs and thought whether or not he was making the right decision. Obviously causing traffic, the car behind Matt honked at him to move. Matt pressed the gas of his car and proceeded to perform his first crime in Mexico. He rolled down his driver side window and threw the bottle and bib out of his car, loitering. Matt had finally gained the “freedom” he was searching for and stripped himself from all the baggage he once called a family.