Miguel opened his eyes, but very slowly for they we're too
swollen. His head was wrapped in bandages and his chest felt broken inside.
He was lying on his blanket, but to his surprise, he was covered with
another blanket and his head was lying on a pillow. He then looked around
and saw that he was back in the grimy apartment, but it looked a little
nicer.
There was a table with two chairs and what looked like bread lying on top of it. Miguel was dying of hunger, but his nearly broken body prevented him from getting up to get it. The floor was also scrubbed and the mirror was clean now. But how?
Suddenly the door swung open, filling the room with light and causing Miguel to groan in agony. Finally the door closed and Miguel sighed in relief. Tulio was standing over him. "Hey! You made it through!" Tulio shouted, causing Miguel once more to grab his throbbing head in pain. "Oh! Sorry." Tulio said, this time whispering. Miguel waited for his vision to clear again before he spoke.
"What happened? What about-" His voice has very hoarse and was so dry he started to cough right after speaking. Tulio held a glass of water gently to his lips, allowing him to drink. Immediately his throat became clearer. "What about those guys?"
"Well I was running, and then about ten seconds later, I look around and your not there. So I ran back as fast as I could and saw those guys beating the living crap out of you. Then I grabbed this bottle that was lying' on the ground and smashed one of the guys on the head with it and he was out like a candle. Then I went to the other guy and tried to stop him from beating up. And believe me, he put up a fight. See?"
Tulio bent down to show Miguel a brand new black eye and a cut lip.
"But finally he gave up and started running. So then I picked you up and took you home and the caretaker bandaged up. You were out for nine days! I was freaked out. So I went on a little shopping spree with all that money to calm my nerves, as you can see." He waved his hand over to the new stuff.
Miguel pushed back further into his pillow, and closed his eyes. "You saved me."
Tulio laughed a little. "Well, you saved me first. I was just returning the favor."
"No Tulio. You saved me... After I was being such a jerk to you.... I'm so sorry."
"Well I was a jerk to you first. I'm sorry I told you that you weren't my friend... I'm sorry I said you were afraid of death because you saw your parents die. That would make anyone afraid...I said all of those things because, well, I was afraid. Afraid for MY family. I didn't want to lose them like you lost yours."
Miguel smiled a little. "I forgive you. Everyone is afraid of death, so I don't blame you for getting mad at me."
Tulio sighed. "I wish we didn't have to live like this. I wish there was some better place that we could go to. There'd be no fights, no stealing, and no hate. A paradise."
"Kind of sounds like El Dorado." Miguel said, grinning.
Tulio looked at him curiously. "What?"
"El Dorado... Heh............ The night before my mother died she told me about it, just as my father had told her... It's this beautiful, magnificent city, where the streets, buildings, and even the pottery are made out of solid gold! The people are friendly, and they live in a peaceful environment... And we're going to go there someday." Miguel smiled and closed his eyes, picturing the city in his mind.
Tulio snorted. "Yeah, to bad it doesn't exist. It sounds way too good to be true...Places like that don't exist in this world." Tulio looked down, a little sad.
Miguel looked up at Tulio. "Well... It doesn't really hurt to at least believe it exists... Life isn't all bad Tulio. Good things are yet to come. It happened to me when I lived with your family all those years... And I'm certain it will happen again."
"I guess... Yeah... Well, I'm goin' to sleep. It's about one o'clock in the morning, and I got some new loaded dice that I'm sure will get us more cash!" And with that, he got up and went over to his mat. "Good night Miguel."
"Good night Tulio. Oh.... and..... I just wanted to say... Thank you."
Tulio smiled. "Any time." Then he blew out the candle and the room was pitch black. After a long moment, Miguel spoke.
"Tulio?"
"Yeah?"
"Did that nasty, grimy old caretaker REALLY bandage me up?"
"Heh, yeah. But I had to force him to use clean bandages and sterilized needle. Lord knows what he does with those things."
The two men shared a laugh before finally going to sleep. Little did they know that a wonderful adventure was waiting for them.
But you already know THAT story.
The End
There was a table with two chairs and what looked like bread lying on top of it. Miguel was dying of hunger, but his nearly broken body prevented him from getting up to get it. The floor was also scrubbed and the mirror was clean now. But how?
Suddenly the door swung open, filling the room with light and causing Miguel to groan in agony. Finally the door closed and Miguel sighed in relief. Tulio was standing over him. "Hey! You made it through!" Tulio shouted, causing Miguel once more to grab his throbbing head in pain. "Oh! Sorry." Tulio said, this time whispering. Miguel waited for his vision to clear again before he spoke.
"What happened? What about-" His voice has very hoarse and was so dry he started to cough right after speaking. Tulio held a glass of water gently to his lips, allowing him to drink. Immediately his throat became clearer. "What about those guys?"
"Well I was running, and then about ten seconds later, I look around and your not there. So I ran back as fast as I could and saw those guys beating the living crap out of you. Then I grabbed this bottle that was lying' on the ground and smashed one of the guys on the head with it and he was out like a candle. Then I went to the other guy and tried to stop him from beating up. And believe me, he put up a fight. See?"
Tulio bent down to show Miguel a brand new black eye and a cut lip.
"But finally he gave up and started running. So then I picked you up and took you home and the caretaker bandaged up. You were out for nine days! I was freaked out. So I went on a little shopping spree with all that money to calm my nerves, as you can see." He waved his hand over to the new stuff.
Miguel pushed back further into his pillow, and closed his eyes. "You saved me."
Tulio laughed a little. "Well, you saved me first. I was just returning the favor."
"No Tulio. You saved me... After I was being such a jerk to you.... I'm so sorry."
"Well I was a jerk to you first. I'm sorry I told you that you weren't my friend... I'm sorry I said you were afraid of death because you saw your parents die. That would make anyone afraid...I said all of those things because, well, I was afraid. Afraid for MY family. I didn't want to lose them like you lost yours."
Miguel smiled a little. "I forgive you. Everyone is afraid of death, so I don't blame you for getting mad at me."
Tulio sighed. "I wish we didn't have to live like this. I wish there was some better place that we could go to. There'd be no fights, no stealing, and no hate. A paradise."
"Kind of sounds like El Dorado." Miguel said, grinning.
Tulio looked at him curiously. "What?"
"El Dorado... Heh............ The night before my mother died she told me about it, just as my father had told her... It's this beautiful, magnificent city, where the streets, buildings, and even the pottery are made out of solid gold! The people are friendly, and they live in a peaceful environment... And we're going to go there someday." Miguel smiled and closed his eyes, picturing the city in his mind.
Tulio snorted. "Yeah, to bad it doesn't exist. It sounds way too good to be true...Places like that don't exist in this world." Tulio looked down, a little sad.
Miguel looked up at Tulio. "Well... It doesn't really hurt to at least believe it exists... Life isn't all bad Tulio. Good things are yet to come. It happened to me when I lived with your family all those years... And I'm certain it will happen again."
"I guess... Yeah... Well, I'm goin' to sleep. It's about one o'clock in the morning, and I got some new loaded dice that I'm sure will get us more cash!" And with that, he got up and went over to his mat. "Good night Miguel."
"Good night Tulio. Oh.... and..... I just wanted to say... Thank you."
Tulio smiled. "Any time." Then he blew out the candle and the room was pitch black. After a long moment, Miguel spoke.
"Tulio?"
"Yeah?"
"Did that nasty, grimy old caretaker REALLY bandage me up?"
"Heh, yeah. But I had to force him to use clean bandages and sterilized needle. Lord knows what he does with those things."
The two men shared a laugh before finally going to sleep. Little did they know that a wonderful adventure was waiting for them.
But you already know THAT story.
The End
