I'll be Missing You
Reminisce some time, the night they took my friend. Try to black it out, but it plays again- Diddy
Diego:
The whole thing with the Arañas went way smoother than I thought it was going to. We basically said "You don't wanna mess with us so get off our
territory" and they left."Diggy!" Linah says hugging my legs as I walk in the living room. "Well I can breathe again now that you're home." Ray says with
a hint of venom in her voice. "Linah tell Ray nothing even happened. No te preocupes tanto (don't worry so much)." I say ruffling the toddler's hair. "Ya
Ray, no te preocupes tanto." The tiny girl says making me laugh. "Well now that our estúpido brother is home it's time for you to go to bed niña (little
girl)" Ray says ushering Linah into the bedroom they share. I sleep on the couch since we live in a small one bedroom apartment. My phone starts ringing
as Ray comes back into the tiny living room. "Orale." I say seeing its Martin's number on the call id. "Su Chuy. Él es asesinado. Él y su madre. Un
driveby. Están muertos.Chuy está muerto. El vecino dijo que él estaba ayudando a su compra de toma de mamá en la casa y un automóvil paró y
les disparó. No sabemos quiénes eran. Llegado a hombre aquí! (Its Chuy. He's been shot. Him and his mom. A driveby. They're dead. Chuy is dead. The
neighbor said he was helping his mom take groceries in the house and a car pulled up and shot them. We don't know who they were. Come over here
man.)" Martin exclaims hanging up quickly. "¿Qué?(what) Is all I can manage to say. Chuy was shot? That's not possible I just left him not even an hour
ago. I try to black out what Martin said, but it just replays. "Chuy's dead. Go get señora Rodrigezto watch Linah. We're going over there." I say to Ray
still in shock. She just blinks at me not believing what she is hearing. "Vamonos! (lets go)"
"Esteban's on the lookout for those mother fuckers. Somebody out there knows something, and he's gunna make em talk. We're gunna find out what
pinche pendejos (fucking assholes) did this." Martin says squeezing my shoulder trying to comfort me as we watch the bodies being hoiseted into the
ambulance. My brother just died, I realize as it sinks in. Chuy is dead. I should have been there to protect him. I flashback to a memory from twelve years
ago, the day Chuy's dad left.
"Stick together. You're carnal (brothers). Proteger mutuamente (protect each other)." Chuy's dad said as he walked out of the house for the last time. Neither of us could do anything but stare as he got into his car and drove away. We just stared at each other until Chuy turned to me. "Carnals de la vida (brothers for life)" He said hitting my shoulder.
"Are you Diego Alvarez?" A woman in business clothes walks up to us snapping me out of my daze. "Si, listen lady, I already told the cops I don't know
nothing." I say getting annoyed. "No, no. I'm with child services. It says here that you and your two sisters… um Reina and Malinah were under Mrs.
Gomez's custody. Is that correct?" she says in an inconvenient tone. "Si." I say knowing where she's going with this. "Diggy? ¿Qué pasa? Va a nos
separan? (what's happening? is she going to split us up?)" Reina says worried. The woman stares at her confused. "You're going to have to come with
me."
"Hmm, well I was able to locate your father's brother in Washington. If he declines custody, then the three of you will be placed in foster care. You turn
18 in ten months, after that your sisters can be placed in your care." She says like it's not a big deal. "Escucha aquí señora, si piensas que vas a nos
separó te equivocas. Somos una familia. No pasaré mi espalda en mi familia. (listen here lady, if you think you're going to split us up you're wrong.
We're a family. I will not turn my back on my family.)" I spit. "I don't know what you said, but I didn't like the tone Mr. Alvarez. Now I am going to make
this phone call, and then we will see if you need to be placed in foster care ok?" She said simply. She doesn't care what happens to us. Do we really
have an uncle? He's my father's brother though. I haven't seen my father in fourteen years. I don't even remember him. Why would his brother take in
kids he never even met?
"Hello, I'm looking for Samuel Uley?" The bitch says into the phone. With my Chupacabra hearing I'm able to hear the woman on the other line. "Sam it's
for you." There's an exchange of the phone and a deep man's voice comes over the line. "Yes this is Sam Uley." He says with authority. "Hello, Mr. Uley.
My name is Carla Peterson. I'm with Child Services of California." The bitch says sweetly into the phone. "Child Services of California? I'm sorry I think you
have the wrong number, we live in Washington" The man, Sam, says confused. "No, this is the correct number. "Mr. Uley it says in my records that your
brother" She is cut off "No I don't have a brother" Sam says. "Mr. Uley it says in my records that your half brother, Marcus Uley, and yourself share a
father, a Mr. Joshua Uley. Is that the name of your father?" The bitch says annoyed. "Yes Joshua Uley is my father" Sam says less sure of himself. "Well if
that is correct, I have your niece and nephew and their half sister in my office at the moment. Their father's whereabouts are unknown, their mother died
last year, and their only other living relative, besides you, is currently serving a life sentence. We can place them in your care, or if you decide to decline
they will be placed in foster care." Carla says with no emotion. "Can, can I talk to them?" Sam says unsure. "Diego, your uncle wants to talk to you." The
bitch says motioning at the phone in her hand. Reina looks at me with a scared face. If he takes us two what will happen to Linah? I walk towards her
desk and the phone. "Hello?" I say trying to even my voice. "So you, you're my nephew?" He asks uncomfortably. "Si, and I guess you're my Tio, or uncle
I mean." I reply. "Let me talk to him!" I hear an anxious woman say. "Here, my wife wants to talk to you." Sam barely gets out. "Hello, I'm Emily. I'm your
aunt. Are they being nice to you there? I'm so sorry to hear about you mother dear. Are they going to split you up? Are you ok?" She says frantically and
it makes me laugh. She sounds like an overprotective momma bear. She doesn't even know us, why would she care? "Si, we are fine Tia. I don't know if
we're getting split up. I'm not going to let that happen." I say glaring at the bitch that brought us here. "Do you want to come live with us? We'll take all
three of you." Emily says excitedly. "Can you hold on a minute I have to ask my sister." I say looking at Reina. "Ella dice que todos nosotros. ¿quier es
ir?(She said she would take all of us. Do you want to go?)" I say. Reina looks from me to Linah who's twirling in her skirt. "Sí. puede ser la única
manera de que llegar a permanecer juntos. (yes it may be the only way we get to stay together.) "Tia?" I ask to see if she's still there. "It's Emily
honey." She says. "I know Tia means aunt in Spanish. We talked it over and we would like to stay with you." I explain. Adios L.A hola Washington.
A/N: Poor Chuy. Review and we can all be sad pandas together :(