Primitivo

by Croft, Rose

  We showed up and Eric ran ahead of us to get all the hugs from my tío and tía as well as everyone else. Eric spent a lot of time here in his young life and for a while got all the attention being the only little one around until the princess showed up.

  “Did you know Sofí is my mother?” Eric announced.

  Goddammit! How could shit like this slip my mind? Lately, I’d been living in a damn hazy dream and it didn’t occur to me to at least give my family a heads-up that we told Eric before he blurted it out.

  Tía Esmeralda’s face strained as she tried to maintain her smile. “Oh, that’s nice.” Tío Hector was his usual poker-face self. He never got overly excited about anything.

  I didn’t even look at my cousins and siblings. Who gave a shit what they thought? It was our son.

  Dani made Sofía feel at home as usual because she was the most selfless person in the world.

  I should tell Sofía that I dated Dani in high school. I guess. It happened long before I met Sofí obviously. It was more of a high school crush, and we never slept together. Hell, we weren’t even together that long, but it pissed me off how my brother handled the whole situation between them, then and later.

  Besides, I didn’t ask for Sofía’s sexual résumé. Wait a minute. I did, didn’t I? Kind of. I frowned. Whelp, nobody’s perfect, are they?

  “You sure know how to keep things dramatic.” Vince slapped me on the back. I glanced at Sofía who seemed to hold her own as I watched her smile and talk to my aunt and uncle as though she wasn’t the bomb that dropped in the middle of a party.

  “Come on, man,” I chastised.

  “I know. I know. I have no room to talk,” Vince said leading me with him. “I’m joking, hermano. I think you need a drink.”

  Vince and I lingered around the kitchen island talking shop. I took a sip and tensed as Lily approached Sofí.

  Sofía

  “Can I talk to you for a minute?” Lily asked.

  I dried my hands on the kitchen towel. “Sure.” I followed her over to the French doors that led to the backyard. I saw Emilio take a step forward, and I signaled I was fine.

  “What’s up?” I closed the door behind me and stepped out on the patio.

  “What’s up is…” She paced around apparently preparing her speech on giving me a piece of her mind. “You had a family, a beautiful little boy, and you disappeared for a few years and now you’re back as if everything is normal. I’m telling you right now if you aren’t in this for the long haul and plan on getting Eric’s hopes up only to leave again, then get out now.”

  “Lily, I know you’re skeptical, but believe me, I am in it for the long haul. I love Eric and Emilio with all my heart. I know it sounds messed up and horrible what I did, but I did it to protect them. I never wanted to put them in danger.”

  Lily listened to me, but I knew she wasn’t one hundred percent convinced. Her eyes were filled with anger and mistrust. “I don’t want to see them hurt. Emilio deserves someone who will love and cherish him, and Eric needs a mother who will always be around to love him unconditionally.”

  “I will be that,” I vowed. “I promise.”

  Lily studied my face and shrugged. “I guess time will tell.” She walked over to the doors. “Remember, actions always speak louder than words.” She opened the door and stepped back inside.

  I took a deep breath, collecting myself before I joined the party. People were beginning to congregate in the dining room. Eric ran in, taking a seat while patting the chairs on either side. “Sit here, Mamá.”

  His excitement was contagious, and I couldn’t help feel so happy and grateful how I was given this second chance.

  Everyone dug into the food and the conversations were pleasant and funny. The bantering back and forth between family members was ongoing and engaging.

  “Aye, look who finally showed up,” Yovani said with his mouth full. “My main doc, Eduardo. Where you been, man?”

  “Busy day at the hospital.” Eduardo walked around the table greeting everyone. He saw me and tried to hide the look of surprise on his face. He sat down beside his mother, Esmeralda, who jumped up and made him a plate ignoring his pleas he could do it himself.

  “Mama’s boy.” Adrian grinned as he sipped his drink casually.

  Eduardo was like a younger replica of his brother, Adrian, except he didn’t wear a suit and tie or glasses. Or smirk twenty-four seven. He had black, glossy hair that was cropped short and a face darkened with light shadow. If his shoulders sagging were any indication, he also looked worn out with dark circles under his eyes.

  “Mi hijo, you look tired. You need to take care of yourself.” Esmeralda ran her hand over the back of Eduardo’s head as she laid the plate down in front of him.

  “I try, Ma. It’s hard.” He dug into the food without hesitation. “Working in the trauma center is never-ending work.”

  We finished eating, had cake, and now Eric and Teresa were in the living room with Emilio’s aunt and uncle on the couch watching a Disney movie that Esmeralda had bought on pay-per-view.

  “Those Los Malos guys are looking at serving at least three to fifteen years for breaking and entering with intent to assault coupled with all the damage they did.” Adrian fingered his high-ball glass. We were all sitting around the dining room table having an after-dinner drink.

  “That’s good news.” Vince nodded as he absently played with a strand of Dani’s hair. “Hope the charges stick.”

  “They will,” Adrian assured him leaning back casually with a smug look on his face.

  “I had to save a gang member’s life today,” Eduardo said quietly with his arms folded over the edge of the table. “He’d suffered a gunshot wound to the side of his neck. It’s amazing he survived. He shouldn’t have. Once you get hit in the jugular vein… it’s over.” I shivered, thinking back to the broken glass stuck in my uncle’s neck glaring like a crude piece of jewelry.

  “However, he didn’t take a direct hit and we were able to keep him alive. He’s still in critical condition.” He rubbed his face. “ES-22 body art covered his body.” He laughed. “This wasn’t the first gang member I’d seen in the emergency room, believe me, but this one stuck with me for some reason. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because he had this tattoo of a Sesame Street character on his shoulder. It looked ridiculous among the other menacing tattoos.”

  The wineglass I’d lifted, lingered before my mouth, while my heart slammed against my chest. “Oscar.” His name slipped through my lips.

  “Yeah, the one who lived in a trash can,” Eduardo said and shook his head. “Sometimes, I question myself as to why I would save the life of someone who has probably killed others. But I took an oath.”

  I felt Emilio’s hand cover mine that held the shaky glass, and he calmly guided the wine flute back down. “It’s okay, Sofí.” I soon noticed everyone at the table was watching me.

  “It’s Oscar. I have to go to him.” I stood up in a daze.

  Emilio shot up beside me. “You don’t know that, baby.”

  “No. I do know. Left shoulder, right here.” I traced the area on my shoulder remembering that tattoo like the back of my hand. I eyed Eduardo for confirmation.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah.”

  Emilio had his hand at my back trying to ease the tension.

  “Who the fuck is Oscar?” Vince asked scowling.

  “It’s her brother,” Emilio said defensively pulling me close.

  “Did he have any identification on him?” Adrian turned to Eduardo.

  “No. No wallet. No ID. Nothing.”

  “Emilio, please. I have to see him. I have to know.”

  Emilio drove me to the hospital with Eduardo following behind us to make sure we had access to see him. “Listen, I know how much you want this to be your brother…” Emilio began as he stared straight ahead the lines on the highway ran like a worn film reel through a movie projector.

  “It’s him. It has to be. No one else would
have that tattoo. Like Oscar the Grouch.” I knew it sounded crazy what I was saying, going on a tattoo, but in my heart, I knew it was my brother.

  “Okay,” he said slowly as his hand drifted down to my thigh knowing I was high-strung. “Don’t get your hopes up. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Soon, we were parked in the visitor’s spot in the hospital.

  I jumped out of the car and Emilio was there to meet me. “Don’t get your hopes up,” he repeated.

  He held me, and I leaned into his touch. He was trying to be understanding. “I love you, Emilio.”

  “I know.” He nodded slowly and kept me close by his side as we walked into the hospital.

  We went to the fourth floor where the intensive care unit was and saw Eduardo waiting for us at the desk. “Follow me,” he said and led us to a curtained-off section where you could hear the beeps of machines.

  I thought I’d prepared myself to see Oscar before I got here, but nothing could be further from the truth. “Oh my God,” I whispered through the hands that covered my mouth. “Oscar.”

  His eyes were closed. He had bandages around his neck and tubes and IVs sticking out everywhere. His skin was so pale, he was barely recognizable, but I knew it was my brother. I ran to his side.

  I reached out and touched his hand. I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t seen him in years, but it was like time stood still, and it’d been yesterday that we were young and joking around.

  “He’s heavily sedated, and we don’t want to do anything to cause anymore trauma to his system.” Eduardo stood across from us, a subtle warning to not try to engage my brother, which I wouldn’t. I was still basking in shock standing next to Oscar. At least he was alive… for now.

  I held in the words I wanted to say, but they were swirling around in my head. Where have you been? What happened to you? Why didn’t you contact me? Please tell me you’re not knee-deep in trouble.

  I stood there for several minutes, before Eduardo said, “It’s been ten minutes. We should leave.” I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to lose this connection with my brother.

  “When will he wake up?” I could hear the steady hum of the machine that beeped intermittently flashing numbers on a monitor.

  Eduardo shrugged. “Probably in the morning if he…” Pulls through, is what we were all thinking. “He’s going to be in a lot of pain.”

  Emilio pulled me with him. “Come on.” He led me back out near the desk.

  “It’s him.”

  “I know, Sofí.” Emilio appeased me after stating the obvious.

  “I’m scared for him.” I turned to Eduardo. “Do you know what happened?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “He was brought here by ambulance. They say he was lying on the ground in the middle of Illinois St. and witnesses say he was shot, and the other man took off. No one could give a clear description of who it was that shot your brother.” Eduardo reached out and laid a comforting hand on my shoulder, he probably did that with a lot of victim’s families who worried over loved ones. “Right now. Give it time. Let’s focus on him recovering, and then you can look for answers.”

  I nodded. “Do you think…” I took a shaky breath, afraid to ask the question. “Do you think he’ll recover?”

  “I think his chances improve with each minute. He’s very lucky to have survived so far. Only time will tell. But he’s receiving the best care possible.” He eyed Emilio. “The best thing right now is to go home and get some rest. It’s late. If any news changes, I promise you’ll be the first to know.”

  My brother spent four days in ICU. True to Eduardo’s word, Oscar went through a lot of pain and was in and out of consciousness because of the sedatives. When he did wake up, he was disoriented. He groaned in agony complaining he couldn’t move his arm. Eduardo had warned us that he could’ve suffered nerve damage, and again everything relied on time and patience. They still only let us see him in ten-minute intervals. At the end of day four, he finally glanced at me and some kind of clarity passed over his face. “Sofí.”

  Emilio

  I didn’t know how I became a safe house for family members wanting to escape Los Malos, but I was. Sofía’s brother was finally released from the hospital, and she begged me to take him in, too. “He has no one and needs to be around people for his recovery.” Was there ever a doubt I’d say no? Besides, she was right, and how could I turn down the only family she had left? Although, he’d been released, he still wasn’t at one hundred percent and would need to be careful not to do anything that would put stress on his body.

  I could’ve put him up somewhere and hired a caretaker, but considering he was almost gunned down on the street, I knew he was a wanted commodity.

  And we weren’t completely in the clear. Oscar had said one name when asked who shot him. “Tito.”

  I should’ve known that our problem wouldn’t be solved so easily. He was still loose somewhere, and the house where he resided was now abandoned.

  However, the mystery of what happened to Oscar all those years ago was solved. Oscar had told us the day he was admitted to his own room in the hospital.

  “Do you remember that night we were staying in that shelter in Piedras Negras, Sofí?” Oscar asked with a solemn expression. “I was kidnapped by a rival gang. They knew who our father was. They threatened to kill me if Papá didn’t pay a ransom.”

  “Oh my God, Oscar, I didn’t know.” Sofía was shaken and surprised, but my suspicions were confirmed because shit like this happened all the time with families trying to seek asylum. It was hard to know who was on your side when you were trying to seek safety and freedom. Through families’ desperation, others found opportunities to take advantage. Kidnapping and extortion were becoming the new norm in these border towns. Unfortunately, nobody knew who the good guys were because everyone seemed to be in on the take—smugglers, drug cartels, gangs, families trying to stay afloat, law enforcement—you name it.

  “I was beaten and tortured.” He clamped his lips together, not wanting to elaborate any further what that entailed. “Somehow, I escaped when some of Pop’s men found these guys and killed them. I went back to El Salvador with his men, and they took me to see him in prison.”

  “Why?”

  Oscar glanced at me with unease as though he didn’t trust me.

  “It’s okay. He knows,” Sofía said gently.

  “Papá wanted to see me.” Oscar grimaced as he shifted in his hospital bed. “Sofí, I know you don’t trust our father. Hell, I don’t know if I completely trusted him myself for what he did. He was not a good person. I know. But he told me some things and I believed him. He said Tío Cesar was a bad man. He’d betrayed Papá because he wanted to have total control. Tío killed our mother.”

  “No. I don’t believe it.” Sofía shook her head adamantly. “She can’t be dead.”

  Oscar nodded slowly and went on. “Tío killed our mother and took us knowing that Pop was never getting out. Tío knew by that time, he had a lot of influence over Los Malos. He’d kept us from seeing our father. Mamá wasn’t having an affair. She was loyal to our father regardless if it was right or wrong. She knew not to trust Tío. She was on to him and paid with her life.”

  I stood watching this crazy soap opera unfold. Again, lines were blurred and I couldn’t help the sympathy I felt for Sofí and her brother who were casualties in a struggle of power between ruthless people.

  “Word got back to him that his brother had been killed, and he asked if I did it. I told him…” Oscar paused and again eyed me with caution, not completely trusting me.

  “Emilio knows everything,” Sofí reassured him and reached out and found my hand, lacing her fingers through mine.

  “I’m here to help,” I added.

  “I told him I did to protect you because I would take the fall if I needed to. I was going on a feeling that you had successfully made it to Texas, and I didn’t want any of this to touch you. I also told our father that Tío had been physically abusiv
e to you and tried to rape you.”

  Although, Sofí had shared her story, it still made my blood boil and body wind tight thinking about a young girl being abused.

  I could see Sofía was about to question her brother, but he held his hand up. “It doesn’t matter. Papá was proud of me. Said I did the right thing.” He ran his hand up the side of his face. “He wanted me to help him build up a crew and win over the members that were under Tío.” He exhaled heavily. “Or take them out if they didn’t comply.”

  “That’s what you’ve been doing these past years? Working under Papá?” Sofía’s jaw hung open as she eyed her brother accusingly.

  “I had to.” He shrugged. “You know how it is? I had to help Father.”

  “How did you end up here?”

  “To find you and avenge our father’s death,” Oscar said flatly. “Tito had him killed. One of his men killed Papá out in the prison yard. He was stabbed repeatedly. So many wounds to the body that he bled out.” He shook his head with a determined set to his jaw. “Tito was long gone by the time it happened. I knew he’d moved up north. Then, I found out he had you.”

  Sofía’s brother was on a revenge tour. Part of me wanted to tell him to let this shit go before he ended up following in his father’s footsteps, and yet, another part of me wanted to tell him to stand in fucking line. Sofí was fearful and plead with her brother to let the authorities handle it and get out of the game. Realistically, homeboy couldn’t do shit unless he wanted to die a quick death since he physically needed to heal. I did commend Oscar on his determination to seek a better life for his sister. I understood about family honor and defending your loved ones. I also knew it was an ego thing for Oscar and an unwritten code in ES-22 that you were in it for life. However, this story wasn’t going to have a happy ending if he stayed in it. I knew it. Sofí knew it. Most of all, Oscar knew it.