The Only Road Read Free Page A

Had it really only been yesterday?
    Rosita, Miguel and Ángela’s older sister, sat at the tablenursing her baby, Quico. Abuela, their grandmother who lived with Jaime’s cousins, had been rolling tortillas but now stood tossing a ball of masa from one gnarled hand to the other. Tío Daniel sat in another chair looking as empty and hopeless as Ángela. At least everyone was still alive.
    A few minutes later Tía Rosario returned with Padre Lorenzo, the same priest who’d facilitated Miguel’s burial.
    Tía took a deep breath amd tied her hair back. Jaime noticed her hands shaking. “Ángela, the letter.”
    Ãngela pulled a wadded-up piece of graph paper from her jeans pocket. Jaime stopped himself from exclaiming; Miguel always took graph paper with its little boxes to school. He could guess the letter’s author.
    Tía took it from her daughter, smoothing out the crumpled mess, and read it through the tears streaming down her face. “ ‘ Querida Ángela, We’re sorry for your loss, as your brother’s death is our loss too. To make up for it, we’d like to extend our invitation to have you join us instead. We’ll give you six days to mourn your brother, then please report to Parque de San José before school. We’d like your help in delivering a gift to a friend. Your cousin can help too. Sincerely yours, The Alphas.’ ”
    The tone of false politeness burned Jaime almost as much as the final line did. In his head the words rang in Pulguita’s voice, not that the little flea had the brains to speak so eloquently. Your cousin can help too . That was him.Other than a couple infants and toddlers in the family, he was Ángela’s only cousin who lived around here. His life of being in the shadows was officially over. He had been recruited.
    Soon he and Ángela would be the ones pushing drugs outside school; he could just imagine what that “gift” was that required delivering. The Alphas would force both of them to take part in beatings, and killings. But with Ángela it would be worse. If the gang members thought she was pretty enough, she’d become one of the gang leaders’ girlfriends, whether she wanted to or not. If she wasn’t, one of the junior members would get her instead. The thought of Ángela being Pulguita’s girlfriend made his stomach turn.
    â€œForget it.” Papá crossed his arms across his chest. “We’re not sacrificing our children on a gang’s whim. What do they want with us? We’ve raised good Catholics, not some malcriado heathens.”
    Jaime’s and Ángela’s eyes met. The Alphas didn’t need a reason. They had taken over the whole region because they had the money and power to do what they wanted. Miguel’s murder reminded everyone of that.
    â€œPadre.” Mamá turned to the priest, her hands outstretched in front of her as if reaching out for God. “Couldn’t you talk with them? Make them see the light? Encourage them to repent?”
    Padre Lorenzo shook his head. “I have tried, my child.And while they dare not penetrate the sacred walls of the church, they prey on the weak and insecure of my congregation. I don’t see how I can get through to them. Last week they convinced one of my altar boys that they held more opportunities than a life serving God.”
    Jaime felt ill. There was only one solution, and it was simple. He’d go see Pulguita tomorrow. The little flea lived with his uncle near the dump. They could “talk,” for old times’ sake. And at the end of the visit Pulguita would see that the Alphas had no use for Ángela; that he, Jaime, would be the better option.
    Except , as he thought about it, it wouldn’t work . They already wanted him. Why would they accept his deal of gaining only one new member when they already had their eyes on both of them? The Alphas didn’t