Chapter 11: Angry After Loss
"Mami!" Angel screamed at her lifeless body, "What do you mean 'Today for you?'" he asked, staring at her as the paramedics rushed into the room.
Pushing Angel out of the way, a tall, thin doctor grabbed Mami's bruised arm, checking for her pulse. "None," he said as the rest of the doctors crowded around him to inspect her like a lab animal.
Angel left the room, unnoticed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ang!" he heard a girl yell from down the stark-white hall, "Hey Angel!"
"Carlotta?" he asked as the girl ran up to him, embracing him in a warm and loving hug. Her bouncing chestnut curls hit him in the face as she hugged him.
"How is she?"
"She, uh," Angel stumbled, no knowing the right way to phrase his words, "I think she's gone."
"Ay, Doña Lourdes," Carlotta mumbled, embracing him once again.
"I don't know what I'm gonna do, Carli. I have nowhere to go."
"I thought you were living with that boy," she stated. Carlotta knew that Angel was gay for a couple of years. As soon as he had realized he was, he told her, and she had been completely supportive. He was grateful to have her as a friend.
"Lenny? His parents found out about us, so they kicked me out and sent him to military school," he admitted, feeling the pain of losing Lenny all over again.
"Where are you gonna go, Ang?"
"I don't know, I -" he was cut of by Ceci.
"Angelito, how ya holding up?" she asked, snapping her gum. She was a solid six inches taller than him, with bleached blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, standing out against her skin-tight black dress.
"Mami. she -"
"Miss Casablanca," the rail-thin doctor who had taken Mami's pulse just moments ago, emerged her room, "I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do. There was too much blood, and it spread too quickly. I'm so sorry."
"Thank you," she whispered as Carlotta approached her, hugging her tightly. "We're gonna have to made funeral arrangements, I -" she paused, looking down into the sad eyes of her best friend's son. "Angel, I'm sorry. This must be so difficult."
Angel blinked back tears. "Yes," he mumbled weakly.
"Mama," Carlotta chimed in, "Angel has nowhere to stay. Do you think, maybe, he can live in our home, just until he can find somewhere else?"
"Carli, you know our situation," Ceci spoke as if Angel wasn't there, "We can't afford to have anyone else there. Lourdes paid for everything herself, that's the only reason. I mean -"
"Forget it," he cut in, picking up his bags, "Lenny's father gave me the number of a homeless shelter I can go to," he told her, curtly.
"I wish you could, honey, but -"
"No, just forget it!" he snapped, picking up his heavy baggage in his sore, weak arms.
"Can we have the number of the shelter? I mean, we'd want to keep in touch with you, especially to discuss the funeral, and her belongings and all," Ceci began.
"I'm not going to her funeral, and she left everything to Walter," Angel said, appalled that he had referred to his father as Walter. "It makes sense," he thought to himself, "He disowned me, he's not my father anymore."
"You don't need to be like this, Ang," Carlotta told him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Shaking it off, "No. Goodbye," he stated, and walked away, out of the hospital, leaving his past behind.
"Mami!" Angel screamed at her lifeless body, "What do you mean 'Today for you?'" he asked, staring at her as the paramedics rushed into the room.
Pushing Angel out of the way, a tall, thin doctor grabbed Mami's bruised arm, checking for her pulse. "None," he said as the rest of the doctors crowded around him to inspect her like a lab animal.
Angel left the room, unnoticed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ang!" he heard a girl yell from down the stark-white hall, "Hey Angel!"
"Carlotta?" he asked as the girl ran up to him, embracing him in a warm and loving hug. Her bouncing chestnut curls hit him in the face as she hugged him.
"How is she?"
"She, uh," Angel stumbled, no knowing the right way to phrase his words, "I think she's gone."
"Ay, Doña Lourdes," Carlotta mumbled, embracing him once again.
"I don't know what I'm gonna do, Carli. I have nowhere to go."
"I thought you were living with that boy," she stated. Carlotta knew that Angel was gay for a couple of years. As soon as he had realized he was, he told her, and she had been completely supportive. He was grateful to have her as a friend.
"Lenny? His parents found out about us, so they kicked me out and sent him to military school," he admitted, feeling the pain of losing Lenny all over again.
"Where are you gonna go, Ang?"
"I don't know, I -" he was cut of by Ceci.
"Angelito, how ya holding up?" she asked, snapping her gum. She was a solid six inches taller than him, with bleached blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, standing out against her skin-tight black dress.
"Mami. she -"
"Miss Casablanca," the rail-thin doctor who had taken Mami's pulse just moments ago, emerged her room, "I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do. There was too much blood, and it spread too quickly. I'm so sorry."
"Thank you," she whispered as Carlotta approached her, hugging her tightly. "We're gonna have to made funeral arrangements, I -" she paused, looking down into the sad eyes of her best friend's son. "Angel, I'm sorry. This must be so difficult."
Angel blinked back tears. "Yes," he mumbled weakly.
"Mama," Carlotta chimed in, "Angel has nowhere to stay. Do you think, maybe, he can live in our home, just until he can find somewhere else?"
"Carli, you know our situation," Ceci spoke as if Angel wasn't there, "We can't afford to have anyone else there. Lourdes paid for everything herself, that's the only reason. I mean -"
"Forget it," he cut in, picking up his bags, "Lenny's father gave me the number of a homeless shelter I can go to," he told her, curtly.
"I wish you could, honey, but -"
"No, just forget it!" he snapped, picking up his heavy baggage in his sore, weak arms.
"Can we have the number of the shelter? I mean, we'd want to keep in touch with you, especially to discuss the funeral, and her belongings and all," Ceci began.
"I'm not going to her funeral, and she left everything to Walter," Angel said, appalled that he had referred to his father as Walter. "It makes sense," he thought to himself, "He disowned me, he's not my father anymore."
"You don't need to be like this, Ang," Carlotta told him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Shaking it off, "No. Goodbye," he stated, and walked away, out of the hospital, leaving his past behind.