First thing about the car I don't like, the paint job. It's silver and not a great silver either, more of a 'we tried to make steel color silver by adding some sparkles'. I talked to Mr. Delauter about getting a new paint job before school started and he agreed since he bought it from the car from a man and had it internally restored but nothing was done with the poor paint work. I take in a couple reviews for paint places focusing on quality and turnaround time. I put a few addresses in my phone and figured I can cover the paint myself; I need to spend my money on me and not ask for everything to come from Mr. Delauter even if he can pay for it and he does offer. I take my car out two days after Christmas to see if there is a turnaround time before school starts and unfortunately with the holidays both places, name brand places, give me poor times and I head off for lucky number three which is mostly across town away from home and I set up at a four car shop garage with three doors open and two cars up on racks. I note the full crew inside, four people, one of them a lean Latina female with an angry look on her face as she stands under a car working on something or other in the vehicle's engine area. I head into the office and am joined by a short stocky older man with salt and pepper hair and a full mullet chop mustache beard combo, the name Dutch is on his dirty coveralls.
"Good afternoon sir, what can I help you with," Dutch asks and I motion to my new car.
"The paint job is absolute crap and I need a better one," I counter and he smiles.
"Well with the holidays it'll be a bit but we can try to rush it out after New Years," he offers and I nod.
"I just need it before school resumes, mid first week in the beginning of second week in January is too late," I state when he hands off a book full of colors and even some decal work that I can get if I want to pay a little extra.
I sit and browse as he returns to his workers in the garage and checks on a question the female mechanic has. I must be in the book for ten minutes when I hear Spanish and a voice that sends a chill up my spine. I slowly look over and see Hector with a few of the boys and their rides get out and begin talking with the female mechanic and Dutch. Everything seems really friendly; all sorts of buddy buddy with the two sides and begin to lose any desire to have the work done here. Dutch returns and I've already put the book down and am waiting for Hector and his boys to leave before departing myself.
"Have you found what you're looking for," Dutch asks with a smile.
"Actually I found something I was hoping to avoid. Do you associate with gangs," I ask and Dutch gets a very confused look on his face.
"Gangs? No son those boys are a part of the neighborhood watch," Dutch counters gesturing to Hector's posse.
"Except I've been intimately associated with them, so much that if they are a part of your business then I have none here. My apologies for wasting your time," I keep it civil and exit the front door and not the shop entrance I came in.
I keep my head down and get about halfway to my car when I hear people talking loudly inside the garage and that's when Hector spots me.
"Hey! What the fuck are you doing out here," Hector calls and I can hear his boys coming for me," turn back around and give Dutch your business, now."
"No," I'm scared shitless but I don't have anywhere else to go as they cut me off from my car.
"Hector let the boy go," Dutch calls out as his female worker heads over to interpose herself between Hector and I.
"See, this is what a gang does. They find people, outnumber them and then threaten them to take their money and you're a part of it," I tell Dutch before turning back to Hector," Here you want my money now?"
I reach back for my wallet and that's when things turn crazy, I'm hit by I don't know who and pinned to the ground with my right arm under a knee and my left partially under my back. I feel someone grab my face and a sharp piece of metal, probably a knife, up against my throat. I take a look and see the female mechanic giving me the pissed of Latina expression. Slowly I move my left hand and finish pulling my wallet out as Dutch is yelling for everyone to back off and get off me. I'm released and allowed to move again, I can taste blood in my mouth and sit up against my car as Dutch takes control of the situation.
"Pulling a fucking knife on a fucking kid Imelda, are you fucking kidding me," he yells at the girl who is biting her tongue pissed off.
"He could have pulled a gun and shot Hector, I was reacting," the girl, Imelda responds as I pull out my phone.
"I'm calling the police," I said, taking out my phone when one of Hector's boys snatched it out of my hands," Give me back my phone."
"Give me the phone and get the fuck out of here, you too Imelda," Dutch orders as one of the goons hands my phone to him.
I reach for my device but Dutch holds it in his hands and out of my reach as two cars of cholo assholes and a Mexican bitch on a motorbike ride away. The Dutch waited a little bit before handing me my phone.
"Sorry about that, my mechanic is a little high strung," he says in an apology.
"They assaulted me and you covered for them," I said, beginning to dial emergency services on my phone.
"Kid, you need to stop doing that," he tells me, taking my phone again and shutting it off," Calling the cops isn't going to do you any good."
"So they get to beat on me whenever they want, wherever they want and I'm just supposed to take it," I counter and he holds his hands up in surrender.
"Call them but it's your word against theirs and ours. I'm not going to tell the police that anything happened if they show up so maybe be a man about it and talk with them. They're good boys," Dutch informs me of the harsh reality of the situation and I shake my head.
I turn around and get in my car pulling up my phone's menu after turning it on while Dutch stands by my car watching me. My heart is pounding and I look up a few things on Facebook, namely an address and find it's about five minutes away, goody goody. I've not yet opened up the engine on my car but I do now and I can tell which one is the house I'm looking for as the cars out front match the ones I see at school. I almost pull onto the lawn but just part it on the curb and exit my car slamming the door. My heart is pounding as I cross the yard and rip open the screen door before pounding my fist against the door. It doesn't take long for an older Mexican woman to answer and I don't waste time.
"Where is Carlos," I bark and she begins speaking Spanish at me," Speak fucking English and get Carlos out here now."
More Spanish as I repeat myself and finally Marta comes out from wherever in her parent's home and seeing me looks shocked.
"Guy what are you doing here," Marta asks, stepping between me and her mother.
"Get your piece of shit brother out here," I bark at her and she steps back from me in a little shock.
"Carlos isn't here," Marta counters and I scoff," He left with some of his boys a couple hours ago."
"Fuck it, never mind, he wants to talk and work shit out? There is no working shit out; there is no peace anymore his fucking boy Hector and girlfriend Imelda or whatever just saw to that. I see them, I hear their fucking voices and I go to fucking war. Tell that piece of shit brother, you el ?," I end on the question as Marta is visibly shocked.
I turn around and head back to my car slamming the door as Marta and Romeo step into the yard after me. They're too slow as I peel out and head back to home, my only safe place. My heart is still pounding as I get inside and about half way across the foyer to the stairs I hit my knees. My hands are shaking and my heart is about to burst out of my chest as Rosa calls out to my Mom who comes running from another room. A million questions are asked but I'm still recovering as Mom notices my forming bruise on my face and begins to patch me up.
"Who did this to you," Mom asks as my cheek.
"Guess," I reply and she frowns.
"Why didn't you call the cops," Mom is on her questions kick and I figure she deserves answers.
"I would have, twice. Both times someone took my phone and flat out told me it was my word against theirs. I'm alone with this Mom and I don't know what the hell I did to them," I ask back and Mom shakes her head.
"Baby some people just don't have it in them to be decent," Mom says as I hear stomping from upstairs.
"Guy are you here," Abigail asks, coming down stairs all sorts of upset," What the hell were you doing yelling at Marta and her Mom? What happened to your face?"
"Hector decided to push me around and his girlfriend, a mechanic, hit me when I was trying to pull out my wallet," I explain again for the record.
Mom is upset to use an understatement of fact but she's more concerned about me than anything else and it feels nice. I settle down in my bedroom and try to relax while I know Abigail wants to try to talk to me and hash things out. I'm done being defenseless, I need protection.
Carlos: That same afternoon
Moving hardware for the Union is a good job; we set up enough storage houses in old crack dens and abandoned buildings that even if they tried the cops couldn't keep track. They just don't have the people. The Old Man, Jim, is happy to finally get his goods moving again and we're set to take in a few shipments for the Union by the time school lets back in. Once I'm graduated I can focus all my time on business since Marta will get herself a scholarship and go to a good college. I'll probably be funding part of that scholarship myself but my little sister is worth it. I'm with Smitty, Jim's son and right hand, when my phone goes off and I get that look. The look that says 'you have something more important'? I don't right now and check my screen to see Marta calling before sending it to messaging and silence it, I need to focus on the task at hand. We got the last truck unloaded and it's out of my boys' hands and being taken care of by Union. I check my phone and see that only forty five minutes have passed but I have three missed calls and twenty texts, most from my sister but a few from Romeo and one from Hector and all of them are telling me I need to call them right away. I message Hector and find out he's at home with a few of the boys. I tell him there are problems at my parent's home but I'll see him soon and head towards home. Just about dinner time and Mama is in the kitchen and it's quiet, Mama always sings or listens to music when she cooks. Romeo comes out of my sister's room; he's not brave enough to try anything with her while Mama is in the house.
"C we got a problem," Romeo tells me and I quiet him to say hi to Mama.