staring intently ahead at the empty seat across from us.
“You’re hurting me worse than you’re hurting Manny. You saw that it was an accident. He doesn’t deserve this. He could spend his life in prison for what you said.”
“What about my life without you?”
“I can’t be with you anymore. I sealed up that part of my heart where I once let you in, but I’ll forgive you, as your friend. Just tell the police the truth.”
Raul shakes his head. “Give me another chance.”
“Raul,” I raise my voice, “Does Emanuel deserve to be locked up in the same prison as your father? Is he a wicked man like him?” He chews nervously at the side of his thumb. “Is Manny a heartless monster?”
“Okay,” he mumbles.
“An evil sorry excuse for a father? An insatiable ghoul who thoughtlessly, repeatedly, took away his child’s innocence?”
“Okay!” he exclaims, his eyes on me. “No, Manny’s not. He’s not. I’ll, I’ll tell them the truth, all right? I promise you.”
“Thank you. I, I’m sorry, but I had to make you see. Raul, you can still be a good person.” He sits still as I put strands of his hair back into place with my fingers, moving them away from his face, behind his ear. “Let me take you home.”
Raul pumps the five dollars’ worth of gas into the truck for me and on the ride home he slips off all the heavy silver rings from his fingers and for some reason drops them one by one into my purse. I ask him if he knows what I should expect in court and he tells me the proceedings as he remembered them from when his father was arrested. He asks if Manny has a court appointed lawyer or has hired one. I don’t know. I park by his house and step out of the truck to say goodbye. He hesitates, but I give him an assuring smile, so he hugs me.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs into my ear. I bury my wet eyes against the warm cotton of his jacket at his neck. I look up at him. He leans down slowly and then kisses me on the cheek but grazing the cut on my mouth. “This is a good ending for us, huh?” he smiles. I nod and we study each other as if it were the last time. We’d see each other again since we lived in the same neighborhood, but it would never be the same. After this there would just be polite waves and acknowledging nods when our paths crossed.
“Bye,” I slip out of his embrace. He watches me get into the truck, presses his lips to his fingers and then waves the hand out at me. I drive away with dry eyes this time. Once home, I sleep for a few hours in Manny’s bed.
******
It was five o’clock in the morning when Emanuel held the cold hard plastic handset of the payphone to his warm ear and dialed. Everything in this place was cold and hard. The floors, the walls, the concrete slab that was his bed, the criminals and the police, all cold and unforgiving.
“Hello?” a sleepy voice answered.
“Hey Laney. It’s Manny.”
“Oh my gosh . Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’ve got fifteen minutes to talk.”
“Why did it take you so long to call me? Did you hire a lawyer?”
“I asked for a court appointed attorney.”
“No, Manny! We need to hire a good lawyer for you to get you out of this mess.”
“Look, I don’t know how long I’ll be locked up. I can’t leave you alone with a bunch of lawyer fees.”
“Are you kidding me?!” she yelled.
“Elaine, I’m not going to argue with you over this. How’s Dad?”
“They locked him up in Palo Verde Mental Hospital without any concern for how such a stressful situation will further aggravate his illness or taking into account that he has a perfectly good home with family to take care of him. Now tell me why you are going to be so stupid as to allow any old underpaid defense attorney to put your life in his hands?”
Emanuel sighed. “Joey is in a coma, Elaine. A coma ! Until he wakes up no one will know how
“You’re hurting me worse than you’re hurting Manny. You saw that it was an accident. He doesn’t deserve this. He could spend his life in prison for what you said.”
“What about my life without you?”
“I can’t be with you anymore. I sealed up that part of my heart where I once let you in, but I’ll forgive you, as your friend. Just tell the police the truth.”
Raul shakes his head. “Give me another chance.”
“Raul,” I raise my voice, “Does Emanuel deserve to be locked up in the same prison as your father? Is he a wicked man like him?” He chews nervously at the side of his thumb. “Is Manny a heartless monster?”
“Okay,” he mumbles.
“An evil sorry excuse for a father? An insatiable ghoul who thoughtlessly, repeatedly, took away his child’s innocence?”
“Okay!” he exclaims, his eyes on me. “No, Manny’s not. He’s not. I’ll, I’ll tell them the truth, all right? I promise you.”
“Thank you. I, I’m sorry, but I had to make you see. Raul, you can still be a good person.” He sits still as I put strands of his hair back into place with my fingers, moving them away from his face, behind his ear. “Let me take you home.”
Raul pumps the five dollars’ worth of gas into the truck for me and on the ride home he slips off all the heavy silver rings from his fingers and for some reason drops them one by one into my purse. I ask him if he knows what I should expect in court and he tells me the proceedings as he remembered them from when his father was arrested. He asks if Manny has a court appointed lawyer or has hired one. I don’t know. I park by his house and step out of the truck to say goodbye. He hesitates, but I give him an assuring smile, so he hugs me.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs into my ear. I bury my wet eyes against the warm cotton of his jacket at his neck. I look up at him. He leans down slowly and then kisses me on the cheek but grazing the cut on my mouth. “This is a good ending for us, huh?” he smiles. I nod and we study each other as if it were the last time. We’d see each other again since we lived in the same neighborhood, but it would never be the same. After this there would just be polite waves and acknowledging nods when our paths crossed.
“Bye,” I slip out of his embrace. He watches me get into the truck, presses his lips to his fingers and then waves the hand out at me. I drive away with dry eyes this time. Once home, I sleep for a few hours in Manny’s bed.
******
It was five o’clock in the morning when Emanuel held the cold hard plastic handset of the payphone to his warm ear and dialed. Everything in this place was cold and hard. The floors, the walls, the concrete slab that was his bed, the criminals and the police, all cold and unforgiving.
“Hello?” a sleepy voice answered.
“Hey Laney. It’s Manny.”
“Oh my gosh . Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’ve got fifteen minutes to talk.”
“Why did it take you so long to call me? Did you hire a lawyer?”
“I asked for a court appointed attorney.”
“No, Manny! We need to hire a good lawyer for you to get you out of this mess.”
“Look, I don’t know how long I’ll be locked up. I can’t leave you alone with a bunch of lawyer fees.”
“Are you kidding me?!” she yelled.
“Elaine, I’m not going to argue with you over this. How’s Dad?”
“They locked him up in Palo Verde Mental Hospital without any concern for how such a stressful situation will further aggravate his illness or taking into account that he has a perfectly good home with family to take care of him. Now tell me why you are going to be so stupid as to allow any old underpaid defense attorney to put your life in his hands?”
Emanuel sighed. “Joey is in a coma, Elaine. A coma ! Until he wakes up no one will know how
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