Page 46 of Chula
We don’t talk, we just walk. And the silence is welcoming because I have so much running through my head right now. There are too many thoughts, and most of them I hate. Especially, when it comes to Davey. What if I never see him again? What if they take him and send him away, and that’s it? I sniffle as a tear falls down my cheek. Marco squeezes my hand tighter as we keep walking. He knows I need the quiet right now, and he’s giving me that.
After what feels like forever, we make it back to our side of town and back inside Marco’s apartment. He leads me to the bed, and I climb in, only kicking my shoes off.
“What are you worried about?” he asks.
“That they’ll take Davey far from here and I’ll never see him again.”
“Damion is going to do everything he can to keep that from happening.”
“I know and I appreciate that. I’m just scared, Marco. I’ve never been without him, and he’s never been without me. What’s going to happen to him?” Now the tears fall down my cheeks. Marco comes to sit next to me, tossing his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side.
“He’s going to be okay because he has the memory of you, Chula. He can’t lose that. He never will, and you have him in your heart. You’re going to see him one day. I know you will.”
“And a funeral? What do I do about mom?”
“Nothing. If you don’t claim the body, the state will deal with it,” he tells me. Is that what I want? To let them deal with it? I can’t afford a funeral, and there’s no way I can ask Damion for more money. I nod my head. He’s right. That’s the best way to go about it.
“Promise you’re never leaving me,” I whisper. Marco pulls me in tighter, keeping me tucked into his side.
“I’m never leaving you. You’re stuck with me, Chula.”
“I love your accent,” I tell him. I don’t think I’ve ever told him that before, but I do love it. Marco chuckles and tucks me closer.
“I love you.”
“What’s next? What do we do next?”
“We live, Chula. We live.”
“You know this isn’t going to be easy.”
“I know that. This is probably going to be the hardest thing we’ve ever done aside from losing the ones we love,” he tells me. I’m scared. I won’t lie and say that I’m not. This is a lot for me to take on, being twenty years old. This is a lot to handle.
“I’ve never asked you how old you were,” I ask, looking up at him. Marco smiles back at me, and it makes me feel like everything is going to be okay, and maybe it will be.
“I’m twenty-three.”
“You don’t care that I’m only twenty?”
“No. You’re not like any other twenty-year-old I’ve ever met, besides you’re not that much younger than me.” he adds with a slight laugh.
“Are we crazy? For doing this?”
“Why is it crazy? You’re going after something you want in life. That isn’t crazy, Chula. That’s smart. This life isn’t for you. Not when you know you can do so much more.”
“What if Rafe really comes looking for me?” Marco pulls me closer and holds me tighter, letting me know without words that he’ll protect me, and I know that he would.
“We’ll handle it.”
Chapter 20
Marco
Life can change in the blink of an eye. Mine did. It did when she showed up on my corner, and it changed again when I saw my brother. I thought I hated him. I thought I’d never want to see him again, but over the last couple of weeks, he’s been coming around more. He shows up at my apartment, where I’ve moved Luna in. We got her things from her place and brought them here because she couldn’t stand to be there anymore.
Damion offered us a place to stay with him, but we both knew that wasn’t a good idea. We weren’t comfortable there. It wasn’t our home. So here we are.
Damion set us up with internet here, and that’s what we’ve been doing the last two weeks. Not that I haven’t been out dealing, I have. I have to pay for this apartment somehow until we get going. Damion offered to pay my rent, but I wouldn’t let him do that. This is my place, and I have to be able to do it on my own just like I have been. It isn’t ideal, but it is what it is.
