Blood in the Fields by Julia Reynolds

Author:Julia Reynolds
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Published: 2014-07-23T16:00:00+00:00

24

CHINATOWN

Spring 2001

On April Fool’s Day, Mando caught the Greyhound home from the California Youth Authority. Paroled for the second time, he looked forward to seeing Erika and the six-month-old baby he’d hardly known—his son was born while he was locked up. He planned to have a visit with his girl and quickly head out to plug into the regiment. But then he held his boy, rocked him in his arms, and stared into tiny eyes that were the color of water just like his own. He knew he shouldn’t linger—he had to hustle over to Sophie Rocha’s house.

He’d stressed out about this meeting the entire way home from YA. He was torn by the choice he was offered. He hadn’t made the commitment of being a carnal in the NF. At his level, you were allowed to step back from the gang when you were out of prison. But if you were ambitious, you could put in work under the leadership of the NF crew boss in town.

It was a tough choice. On the one hand, he loved gang life. So many parties, so many females. The last time he paroled, he noticed a bunch of his homeboys had gotten married and settled down with regular jobs. But he didn’t join them. After Allyssa, Mando had given up on all that. If he wanted to stay in the gang life, his only choice now was to go 100 percent professional. On top of that, a lot of people were expecting things from him because of his family’s reputation, because of who he already was. He left YA eager to put in work.

But now … now. He held his son and he wanted to stay in this room forever, ached to watch him grow up and score his first touchdown. He wanted to cheer for his boy after school the way his own dad rarely had. When he’d first laid eyes on the newborn in the Youth Authority’s visiting room, he thought the baby didn’t look like him, and he questioned Erika’s fidelity. Then he read his own thoughts in the boy’s expressions and his heart lifted. The tiny baby was round and chubby, but he had those eyes and the intense stare of his daddy.

They drove through the streets of Salinas, winding toward Sophie Rocha’s house. It was so good to be home, but he felt anxiety rise. Mando almost didn’t want to leave when Erika pulled over. He kissed his son and stepped outside. If he could remember how to weep, he would have fought back tears as he walked to the door. But it had been years since he let emotions overcome him, and he pulled himself together. He knew he had to report in, but he would let his channel know he’d made his choice.

His choice was to be a father. Stepping back was never easy. But his old friends had done it—the homies who’d fallen into jobs and marriage while Mando was in YA would sympathize. As fellow family men, they’d respect that things had changed.

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