Читать книгу Hard White - Shannon Holmes - Страница 9

Chapter Three

No Place Like Home

The Torres family lived in building 1159 East 229^th St Drive, on the Southside. The brown buicks was nothing special, it was an exact replica of the rest of the other buildings in the projects. Marie and Jose had a hardworking father, Jose Torres Sr. to thank for their modest apartment and any luxuries provided. The furniture was adequate but not extravagant. Most importantly the three bedroom apartment was always clean. Jose Torres Sr. may have been raising his kids in the projects by himself. Mr. Torres did his best to keep the projects, and all the foul mannerisms associated with it, outside his door.

Maria sat on the sofa in the living room. She was quietly doing her homework in front of the television. Down the hall, Jose sat on his single bed. His laptop computer on the Internet, he was multi-tasking, watching music videos on BET’s 106 & Park and texting a girl on his Sidekick cellular phone.

The loud jingling of keys and the sound of the lock’s cylinder turning caught Maria’s attention. She greeted her exhausted dad, Jose Sr. as soon as he entered the apartment. The fortyish, single father smiled when his daughter raced down the narrow hallway and leapt into his arms. Maria kissed him on his cheek as her father beamed.

“Papi, papi, you’re home,” Maria said, hugging him tightly.

“Hey my princess, you make me feel so good after a hard day at the job. You make me wanna walk through that door again and again. How was your day? Huh?”

Jose Torres Sr. was strikingly handsome with dark piercing eyes. His black curly hair showed a few strands of grey. The bags under his eyes and calloused hands betrayed his otherwise youthful appearance. Jose was a father and a hardworking man in every sense of the word. There was nothing average about him.

“Okay Papi. That’s so sweet. You made my day. How was your day, huh?”

“Oh, you know the usual. I gotta do this and fix that. Ah I don’t complain, work will always be work. It always leaves you tired. Anyway, sweetheart how was school? You learn anything new today?”

“Of course, I did. We learned how to solve new algebra problems in math class today. I like math. Miss Henderson makes math fun.”

“That’s good to hear. I pay good money so you and your brother can go to Catholic school. I want the best for the both of yous’ future. I don’t want you’s to turn out to be working at manual labor like myself. I would rather you work for yourself versus working for someone else. I really want you’s to go college and become lawyers or doctors. Whatever your hearts desires… I want you’s to have a career, not a job. Anytime the city is in a finical pinch, they always talk about cutting jobs. I’m always worrying about being laid-off.”

Maria hugged her father and they walked back into the living room. Jose Sr. instantly became aware of his son’s absence. This raised some concerns. He paused and glanced around the well-kept place. His home was a source of pride and the things he provided for his children made Jose Sr. feel proud. After a bad start he made a decent man of himself by making a honest living.

“Where’s your brother?” he asked after a beat.

“Jose, daddy’s home… He wants to see you,” Maria shouted down the hall.

She turned to her father with a wide eyed expression then asked, “Guess what happened today, papi?”

“Tell me what happened, princess?”

“On the way home from school today, we saw these boys beating up a crack-head.”

“Wha…?”

“And then they started shooting and—”

“Oh yeah…? Where did this happen at?”

“In the horseshoe, papi,” Maria said frankly.

“What…? Jose get ya ass out here. Right now, mister…!”

Maria heard the anger resonating in her father’s voice. She saw the grimace on his face and felt pleased. She wanted to laugh, Maria knew what her father was about to do next.

“I’ll be right there, dad,” Jose shouted from the bathroom.

“Get out here now!”

“Yes dad,” Jose said, coming into the living room.

“Now, what I told your ass about walking through that damn horseshoe?”

“You told us not to go through there,” Jose robotically answered.

“Alrighty then…! Why the hell did you choose to walk through there on your way home from school today? Huh? Tell me why, Jose!”

“I didn’t mean to do it. I wasn’t thinking I was real tired and, you know… That’s the shortest way home.”

Jose Sr. took a deep breath before speaking. He was trying hard not to scream in front of his daughter. His stare alternated between both of them. There was complete silence before he passionately started his explanation.

“Look I don’t give a damn if it’s shorter. I want you to go the extra distance to walk around trouble. I’m not concerned with how quickly you’s home. I’m concerned with yous’ safety… Both of yous’ making it home safely, period… For instance your sister just told me about the shooting and fighting in the horseshoe today. What if something happened to yous? Bullets have no name on them. I’ve told you over and over, think safety first. Don’t go through that damn horseshoe. God forbid if something was to have happened to either one of yous… I’ll kill or die for the both of you’s. Either way, please don’t make me prove it, alright?”

Jose Sr. was feared throughout Edenwald projects in his time. Having run with some of the most notorious thugs and murders that the projects had to offer, he had a rep. The younger Jose was not aware, but his father was no slouch with his hands or a pistol. His English was bad, but in the language of violence, Jose Sr. was very fluent.

He cleared his throat and there was a long pause. Both Jose and Maria listened carefully to their father. They knew he was right in every way possible. Jose was the first to respond.

“Okay dad, I hear you. We won’t go through the horseshoe no more.”

“That’s all I ask. Stay from over there and keep both you’s out of harm’s way. Jose, you getting older now you gonna have to be more responsible… Do the right thing, and I’ll give you the world. Do the wrong thing, and I’ll be on your ass...”

Jose glanced up at the vexed expression on his father’s face and knew he what was coming next. He would be given an extended list of things to do and there would be no videogames, no Internet until his father was over it.

“Okay dad, I hear you,” Jose nodded.

Feeling justified in what she had done, Maria sat smug on the sofa. Her father’s talk was what she thought it would be, chastising her brother. She tried to warn Jose, but he wouldn’t listen. Maybe now he would. She sat quietly watching as the two males in her life bumped heads.

“You’re on punishment for a week. Don’t even think about going outside. No more video games until I say so. Put that playstation in my bedroom,” Jose Sr. angrily ordered.

Jose stood speechless. He was addicted to videogames in fact he would rather give up his laptop than that. He dragged his feet too long, moving too slow for his father.

“You better put some pep in ’em step! Boy, I’m tellin’ you, you ain’t gonna like it if I have to go get it.”