Page 29 of Chula
“I can take online college classes. They’re paid for,” she says with a smile that could break hearts.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Isn’t that crazy?”
“Yeah, I mean, not a lot of places will do that for you.”
“I know. I couldn’t believe it either, but this is good, right? I’m not saying I can do shit overnight, but eventually I will get a good job and be able to take care of Davey.” She wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head on my chest. I can feel the excitement in her, and I know she’s happy about this. I am too. She didn’t deserve this life, and now she has something to look forward to, but I wonder at what cost to her. Things like this aren’t just handed to people, not people like us.
“And get this, they gave me a bus card so I don’t have to walk to work,” she adds, but keeps her face nuzzled into my chest.
“Sounds like you got it made, Chula.”
“It feels great, Marco, to know I can do this. That I can actually do something more with my life.”
“How long does school take?”
“Six years. But I can work my way up, right?” Those words hit hard. If she thinks this life is going to be easy on her for six years, she’s crazy.
“That’s a long time,” I tell her.
“I know, but I can do it. I know I can.”
“I know you can too. You can do anything, Chula.” She pulls back long enough to look up at me and then pulls my lips to hers. She kisses me this time like she never wants to let me go, and that’s exactly how I feel about her. I never want to let her go either. I keep her tucked into me for as long as I can when she says she has to see Davey. I press one last kiss to her lips and watch her as she runs across the street to her brother.
“Where’s she going?” Tony asks when he walks out and stands next to me.
“To see Davey. She got good news,” I tell him.
“About what?”
“She got a job in the city.”
“No shit? Good for her. She deserves that.”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t like it?” he asks me. I shake my head.
“She won’t be here. And at what cost? No one hands shit to us for free.”
“You didn’t want her as crew anyway, Marco. You made that shit clear to her. So what’s the issue now?”
“She’ll forget about us. Big city boys and all,” I mumble under my breath. Now Tony laughs.
“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. She cares about you, man. Don’t think that shit,” he tells me.
“I won’t lose her, Tony. I’ll take on a city motherfucker if I have to,” I admit to him. I’m not afraid to go to jail. I’ve been there most of my life.
“I don’t think it’s going to come down to that,” he says.
“You don’t?” I ask, looking over at him now. He shakes his head.
“No. She cares too much. Who did she come tell first?” he asks.
“Me.”
“There you have it. She wouldn’t have come to you if she didn’t see something in you, Marco. Don’t overthink that shit.”
