Part 25 (1/2)

”Dios mio! Mi hijo, mi bebe!”

”Mama, he got shot.”

”Inside. Avanza!” Avanza!”

Mama grabbed Carlos's other arm and the women led him down the hallway.

”See, it was meant to be that we live on the ground floor,” Mama said as she kicked the door open and then yelled, ”Papa! Carlos has a balazo balazo. Put all the towels down on the couch. Cover it. Your hijo hijo is hurt.” is hurt.”

Papa walked up the narrow hallway and ignored Mama and Rosa. He gave his son a sour look and grabbed a stack of towels from a hall cabinet and piled them on the couch in the front room. Mama and Rosa gently let Carlos down, and he slumped on the couch.

”Mal hijo!” Papa hissed as he looked at his son. Papa hissed as he looked at his son.

”Go! Get out!” Mama yelled at him.

Papa scowled at her and turned and walked quickly down the hallway. He slammed the door as he left.

”Papa's flojo flojo ... You know, a weak man. Carlos takes after his mama. Strong. ... You know, a weak man. Carlos takes after his mama. Strong. Fuerte Fuerte. Like steel.”

”What do we do now?” Rosa asked.

Carlos moved and pulled out his gun from his pants and groaned, ”Mama, Mama, get rid of this.”

Mama nudged Rosa and said, ”Grab the pistola pistola and bring it to the kitchen.” and bring it to the kitchen.”

Mama waddled down the hallway and Rosa followed her, holding the gun like it was a wild animal. Mama held out a plastic bag and Rosa dropped it in.

”Rosa, we have to stop the bleeding. Go and hold the towels to his wound till I get out there.”

”Mama, we need to get him to a hospital.”

”Hospital? That is where people go to die. My bebe bebe no die. Not today. I know his death day. I saw it in a dream when he was two. He stays here and we take care of him. Stop the no die. Not today. I know his death day. I saw it in a dream when he was two. He stays here and we take care of him. Stop the sangre sangre. His blood has to clot. He'll be fine. Be a good novia novia and help him.” and help him.”

Rosa watched Mama place the gun in a drawer and then reach into one of the pockets of her red house dress and pull out two small strips of tinfoil.

”Rosa, go. Carlos has a herida de bala herida de bala Stop the bleeding. Stop the bleeding. Avanza.” Avanza.”

Rosa turned and ran down the hallway. In the living room she saw that Carlos was leaning back on the couch holding his stomach. She moved his hand and put a towel on the wound and pressed.

Carlos grimaced and turned his head. Rosa held the towel and then pulled it off when it became full of blood. She put it on the floor and picked up a clean one. She jumped when Mama silently touched her shoulder.

”Let me look.”

For a little old woman, Mama was strong. She gently moved Carlos forward and looked at his back.

”This might not be so bad. The bala bala went right through him. First we take away his pain. Here, Carlos, sniff.” Mama patted Carlos on the face as she held a line of white powder on her thumb. went right through him. First we take away his pain. Here, Carlos, sniff.” Mama patted Carlos on the face as she held a line of white powder on her thumb.

”What's that?” Rosa asked as Carlos took a long snort.

”Chiva ... for the pain. Here, bebe bebe, take another.”

”Heroin? You're giving him heroin?”

”Rosa, you know what you read in your school books. Chiva is the best thing for pain and this chico chico is going to have pain when I clean this wound.” is going to have pain when I clean this wound.”

Carlos leaned back on the couch and looked like he was sleeping. Mama took out some more white powder, lifted the towel, and poured it on Carlos's stomach, inside the small hole where the bullet had entered.

”Now this, Rosa, is perico, which will freeze the nerves.”

Rosa watched with her mouth open.

”Now hold him by the shoulder.”

Rosa moved behind the couch and held onto Carlos.

”Tighter. Strong. He's going to jump like a fish on a line.”

Rosa grabbed Carlos's shoulder as Mama poured peroxide into the wound. Carlos's body jolted and he screamed. He collapsed back on the couch.

”Just sit with him,” Mama said as she went into the kitchen. She came back in a moment stirring a gla.s.s of cloudy water.

”Now we use this dropper and put penicillin down his throat for infection. Hold his head back and open his mouth.”

Rosa tilted his head back, and Mama squirted the mixture from the dropper into his mouth.

”Now sit him up and hold the towel. The blood is slowing down. He'll be fine and so will you.”

Rosa looked down at the wound and saw that the bleeding had slowed to a trickle. She sat down on the couch and gently held the towel as Mama went into the kitchen.

Rosa sat up on the couch, afraid. The room was dark. Had she slept? She blinked and saw Carlos leaning against her, breathing slowly. She heard a tapping on gla.s.s and saw the silhouette of a man trying to look into the window. The shadow moved, and then silence. She just sat there not moving-hardly breathing-when someone banged on the front door. In the hallway she could see Mama opening the door and say, ”Si?” ”Si?”

Then Mama flew back against the wall as a young Latino man stormed into the apartment, yelling, ”Where's that cobarde cobarde Carlos?” Carlos?”

The man looked down the hallway and came at her. She saw he had a gun, and Rosa closed her eyes. This is what Carlos has given me. A cheap, stupid death in a ghetto apartment. Rosa jumped as a shot rang out. She heard a moan, and then another shot. She opened her eyes and saw Mama standing over the body of the man. Mama held a black revolver in her hand.

”There, that's for you! You come into my house to kill mi bebe mi bebe You You pendejo. pendejo. Cheap-a.s.s Cheap-a.s.s bandido ...” bandido ...” Mama kicked the man, then smiled at Rosa. ”How's Carlos?” Mama kicked the man, then smiled at Rosa. ”How's Carlos?”

”Is he dead?”

”Him, yeah. Come help me drag him into the banera.” banera.”

”Why are you taking him to the bathtub?”

”Why you think? Think I want to clean him up? We got to get rid of this body. Come on.”

Mama grabbed the man's feet and Rosa stood up. She stared at Mama. Mama dropped the feet and walked over and slapped Rosa in the face.

Mama yelled, ”You do as I say! You hear me? You brought this here, and you will help me. Now!”