Page 31 of Girls Night
After spending hours chopping up Pedro’s body, I confessed to him when I couldn’t figure out how to hide it from him.
That was the first time he told me that he loved me.
He saw the scared little girl that he picked up into his arms in this fucking place. The same one that would wake up crying and screaming for her mother, knowing that she’d never get to touch her again.
That’s all it took to make me strong.
The love of my new father, who swore an oath to protect me and had some of his men get rid of what was left of Pedro. Except for his head, I never could figure out what happened to it, but that was revealed later when I walked into Tati’s room.
It’s when I promised to keep her secret.
It was when I also made an oath that night to God on my knees as I prayed for my new family to make me big enough one day to be able to protect my father too.
Of course, all roads eventually lead back home, no matter how far away you manage to stray.
“Princesa!”
I stop walking when I hear the little girl's voice who was so damn happy to beseenand turn to glance at her over my shoulder.
I smile and crouch down when I see her running toward me, a big smile on her face, and all of the stars that light the universe inside of her eyes.
She holds out a bottle of cold water to me.
“Habla Ingles?” I ask her as I take it from her hand.
She nods as she gestures with her hand that she does a little bit.
“Youare the princess, not me,” I say to her as I reach forward and push a stray hair behind her ear. “Thank you for the present, Your Highness.”
Her smile widens, and her eyes light up even more than I thought possible. Balancing the bottle on my knee, I reach into my bra, pull out one hundred pesos, press it into her hand, and fold it back.
“And that’s for you being kind, okay? Our secret.”
She rushes forward and hugs me tightly, and I chuckle as I rub her back quickly, watching the water bottle that fell off my leg roll toward the wall next to us.
“Gracias!” she says happily as she turns and runs back to the store.
I reach over for the bottle and get to my feet, intent on staying where I am until she’s safely inside.
And once she is, I turn my back and continue walking through a place that’s so familiar and unknown all at the same time.
* * *
This is where I belong.
I suck my teeth as I toss the now empty bottle of water into a dumpster by the side of the road.
The streets are becoming more questionable. The stench of death and drugs is becoming thick in the air, and I’m reminded now that I’m finally home.
One of the streets, though I don’t quite remember which, will take me back to the place where it happened.
Stay safe.
Papa’s hope for his beloved daughter rings through my ears again, and I sigh. Being the daughter of El Señor makes me feel invincible sometimes but knowing that I’m really the daughter of Nicolás and Carmen De la Cruz continues to chisel a kink into the armor that I’ve worn day in and day out.
I run a hand irritably over my face as I turn and walk in the other direction.
Revenge will be mine one day, and while I revel in the knowledge, I can’t betray my father’s trust.
