That day, later in Mr. Lawrence's car, David and Miguel were talking while Mr. Lawrence listened to '80s rock.
"So, David, where are you from?" Miguel asked.
"Me? I was born here, but I spent ten years in my grandparents' country, the Dominican Republic. It's a great place to visit for a vacation," David replied.
"Yeah, I've seen videos of the beaches. I'd love to visit someday with my wife and everything," Miguel said.
"The Dominican Republic sounds like a great honeymoon spot," Lawrence added.
"It is, but you've got to watch out for scammers and chapiadoras," David said.
"Shapiadoraz? What's that?" Mr. Lawrence said with a rough attempt at Spanish.
"Gold diggers, like you guys call them. Those pretty girls who get close to you, make you spend thousands of dollars on them, and only stick around for the money. Then you fall for them, get married, and bam! You die of a heart attack, and they keep all your money," David explained.
"You… seem to know a lot about that," Miguel teased.
"It happened to a friend…" David muttered, avoiding both Miguel's and Mr. Lawrence's gazes. "Anyway, changing the subject, I grew up in the countryside over there, running a farm with my grandfather until I moved back here at twelve."
"Sounds pretty normal to me," Miguel said.
"A good childhood—lots of mud and rocks, no phones or any of that girly stuff," Lawrence added.
"When I came back here, everything shocked me. I'd lived with my grandfather since I was two. He was a tough man who lived through some of the worst times in the country. He taught me to be strong and all that, but here, the kids at school were soft and glued to their phones," David explained.
"Ha! Now that's a proper upbringing—teaching kids to be tough," Lawrence said.
"So, I started training. My parents didn't have much time for me, so they didn't care about my intense training. Then they divorced, and for a while, I got into fights and all that stupid teenage stuff. But then, one night, I met two people: my Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach and my Muay Thai coach. Both taught me two very different lessons about life. My jiu-jitsu coach taught me patience, calmness, and flexibility—not just in fighting but in dealing with people too," David said.
"That's a good lesson," Miguel nodded.
"And my Muay Thai coach taught me to appreciate the little things. He never said that outright, but that's what I came to understand. I realized I needed to care more about the people close to me, you know? Ever since I came back at twelve, I never asked my parents how they were, and I rarely had long conversations with them. I tried to change that and get closer to them, but then I ended up in juvie. And well, here I am," David finished.
"By the way, we're almost there, guys," Lawrence said.
"You know what? Let's just turn back. I'm not really in the mood to watch people fight right now," David said.
"Yeah, I don't feel like it either," Miguel agreed.
"I do want to go, but maybe another time," Lawrence said.
"I know a place that's hiring. I'll send you the address later," Miguel offered.
"Thanks, man. I need to earn some cash for a car or a bike. Preferably a bike," David said.
I realized something a bit silly and tried to adjust things a bit. I hope you like it! I tried to include more about the MC's past and stuff. During the week, I'll be updating less since I have work and classes. Sorry for the short chapter