hands with Chico, says, “‘Wow, you have such big muscles for a high school boy. Do you lift weights? Come here for a minute, I wanna feel them for myself.’”
The guys crack up for a sec, then Uno says, “Y’all
sellin’
me.”
“Right,” Raul says. “Yo, what’s better than gettin’ paid to do up some old broad’s fantasy?”
“Them moms got skills, too,” Chico says. “And they get mad lonely playin’ Legos all day.”
Uno scoops up another rock, hucks it into somebody’s yard. He stares at the pavement, his smile slowly fading, tries again to picture what Oxnard might look like. For some reason the first thing he always thinks of is a big, clean church. Stained-glass windows. Senior standing in the middle of a bunch of black folks, singing along to some old-school hymn. Then he imagines the big grocery store Senior told him they moved next to. No bars on any of the windows. A real new one with bright fluorescent lights inside. Neat rows of food. Maybe there’s a Mexican sweet-bread shop next door. A place to rent movies.
Uno’s pulled out of his head when Raul nudges him with an elbow and nods to the street.
Uno looks up, spots Sofia and Carmen Rollerblading down the hill together.
At first the girls are just laughing and blading and don’t notice Uno and his crew. But just before they pass, Sofia glances left and comes to a screeching halt.
She says something to Carmen and then skates up to the boys. She puts on a fake smile. “Hey Raul. Hey Chico.”
Both guys say hi back.
Then she turns to Uno, lets her smile fade. “My cousin’s hiding out in the apartment right now. Took mad stitches in the back of his head. His left eye’s all black and blue and he won’t come out ’cause he’s ashamed of what happened.”
Uno looks at the pavement.
“I’m gonna tell you now, Uno. If you ever pull some shit like that with my cousin again, I’m gonna sneak into your apartment one night with a knife. A big sharp one. And I’m gonna slice your stuff all up.” She points between Uno’s legs. “Down there,
pendejo
.”
Chico and Raul glance at each other trying not to laugh.
“That ain’t a threat, Uno. It’s a promise.”
Uno looks up, says, “I’m tryin’ to tell you, Sofe, you saw what happened to my little bro—”
“That was an accident and you know it! You were pissed about him hitting them home runs. I know how your dumb ass thinks. I swear to God, though, you mess with Danny again, I’m carvin’ you up like a pumpkin.”
Sofia waves for Carmen to follow and the two of them continue skating off down the road.
“Damn,” Chico says, once they’re out of earshot.
“Sofe don’t play, man,” Raul says.
“She got bad thoughts,” Chico says.
“
Real
bad.”
Uno doesn’t say anything. He just sits there, hands in his pockets now, watching Sofia and Carmen turn into the entrance of Las Palmas Park, out of sight.
Del Mar Fair
1
A few days later, Danny stands with Sofia on the sidewalk in front of the apartment complex watching Chico clunk down Potomac in his brother’s old Impala. Hubcaps spinning rust, windshield spidered on the passenger side. Sofia finally pulled Danny off his cot by…well, literally pulling him off his cot. “You been in here long enough,” she said, throwing a fresh pair of jeans his way. One of his collar shirts and some socks. His Vans. “You goin’ with me and my girls to the fair. Twenty minutes.”
Danny didn’t ask questions. He got up, changed in the bathroom, threw some water on his face and in his hair. Found her waiting for him in the living room when he stepped out.
Carmen shoots out over the hill behind Chico, whips her beat-up Ford Festiva around Chico as he pulls to the curb, leaves a little rubber on the sidewalk right in front of Danny’s retreating feet.
Raul swings the passenger-side door open, starts free-styling over the syncopated beat Lolo lays down by slapping at Raul’s headrest. Carmen rolls down her
The guys crack up for a sec, then Uno says, “Y’all
sellin’
me.”
“Right,” Raul says. “Yo, what’s better than gettin’ paid to do up some old broad’s fantasy?”
“Them moms got skills, too,” Chico says. “And they get mad lonely playin’ Legos all day.”
Uno scoops up another rock, hucks it into somebody’s yard. He stares at the pavement, his smile slowly fading, tries again to picture what Oxnard might look like. For some reason the first thing he always thinks of is a big, clean church. Stained-glass windows. Senior standing in the middle of a bunch of black folks, singing along to some old-school hymn. Then he imagines the big grocery store Senior told him they moved next to. No bars on any of the windows. A real new one with bright fluorescent lights inside. Neat rows of food. Maybe there’s a Mexican sweet-bread shop next door. A place to rent movies.
Uno’s pulled out of his head when Raul nudges him with an elbow and nods to the street.
Uno looks up, spots Sofia and Carmen Rollerblading down the hill together.
At first the girls are just laughing and blading and don’t notice Uno and his crew. But just before they pass, Sofia glances left and comes to a screeching halt.
She says something to Carmen and then skates up to the boys. She puts on a fake smile. “Hey Raul. Hey Chico.”
Both guys say hi back.
Then she turns to Uno, lets her smile fade. “My cousin’s hiding out in the apartment right now. Took mad stitches in the back of his head. His left eye’s all black and blue and he won’t come out ’cause he’s ashamed of what happened.”
Uno looks at the pavement.
“I’m gonna tell you now, Uno. If you ever pull some shit like that with my cousin again, I’m gonna sneak into your apartment one night with a knife. A big sharp one. And I’m gonna slice your stuff all up.” She points between Uno’s legs. “Down there,
pendejo
.”
Chico and Raul glance at each other trying not to laugh.
“That ain’t a threat, Uno. It’s a promise.”
Uno looks up, says, “I’m tryin’ to tell you, Sofe, you saw what happened to my little bro—”
“That was an accident and you know it! You were pissed about him hitting them home runs. I know how your dumb ass thinks. I swear to God, though, you mess with Danny again, I’m carvin’ you up like a pumpkin.”
Sofia waves for Carmen to follow and the two of them continue skating off down the road.
“Damn,” Chico says, once they’re out of earshot.
“Sofe don’t play, man,” Raul says.
“She got bad thoughts,” Chico says.
“
Real
bad.”
Uno doesn’t say anything. He just sits there, hands in his pockets now, watching Sofia and Carmen turn into the entrance of Las Palmas Park, out of sight.
Del Mar Fair
1
A few days later, Danny stands with Sofia on the sidewalk in front of the apartment complex watching Chico clunk down Potomac in his brother’s old Impala. Hubcaps spinning rust, windshield spidered on the passenger side. Sofia finally pulled Danny off his cot by…well, literally pulling him off his cot. “You been in here long enough,” she said, throwing a fresh pair of jeans his way. One of his collar shirts and some socks. His Vans. “You goin’ with me and my girls to the fair. Twenty minutes.”
Danny didn’t ask questions. He got up, changed in the bathroom, threw some water on his face and in his hair. Found her waiting for him in the living room when he stepped out.
Carmen shoots out over the hill behind Chico, whips her beat-up Ford Festiva around Chico as he pulls to the curb, leaves a little rubber on the sidewalk right in front of Danny’s retreating feet.
Raul swings the passenger-side door open, starts free-styling over the syncopated beat Lolo lays down by slapping at Raul’s headrest. Carmen rolls down her
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