Hacker For Hire (Ted Higuera Series Book 2) (30 page)

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East Los Angeles

“Absolutely not,”
Mama’s voice rose. She almost never raised her voice. “I won’t have my
eighteen-year old son traipsing around the country by himself.”

Mama, Guillermo, Esperanza
and Papa sat around the table in Mama’s kitchen. Coffee and
pan dulce
was the breakfast of the day. Later they would have a more substantial meal
before
El Chaparral
opened.

“Mom, it’s no big
deal.” Guillermo casually pulled at a
cuerno de manzana.
“Everybody does
it. Eddie, Chappo and Tony are up for it. They don’t have any problems with
their parents.”

“I don’t care what
everybody does. You’re my son. You’re only eighteen. When you’re twenty-one you
can go out and kill yourself if you want, but until then, you do what I say.”

“Dad?” Guillermo
turned to Papa.

Papa sat silent,
just looking off into infinity.

“How old were you
and Papa when you took of for the US?” Guillermo asked.

“That’s different,”
Mama said. “People were a lot more mature in those days.”

“It’s not
different. You were sixteen. Papa was eighteen. You didn’t tell your parents.
You just ran away.”

Mama looked to
Papa. He sat stone still.

“I had your Papa.
He was smart and strong.”

“So, I’m not smart
and strong? And we’re not moving to a new country. We’re just taking a road
trip. Lots of guys do this when they graduate.”

“Papa?” Mama took
her husband’s hand.

“Guillermo is
right,
corazon
. He is a man now. He needs to get out. On his own. When
Ted was eighteen, he went to Seattle, to school. It’s time for Guillermo to
start making his way in the world.”

“Just don’t get
into trouble, Raton,” Esperanza said. She knew that Papa would have the last
word. “You stay safe. I’m not going to come bail your scrawny ass out if you
get in over your head.”