I left Abuelita to her cooking and got busy with my own work. Even with the regulars getting there at five-ish, I was really behind. I hadn’t swept the outside in a few days. The chairs were still up on the tables, and dishes were in the dishwasher. This was normally a two-person job. I was surprised she hadn’t asked Angelito to come in.
I decided to ask on my way to sweep the front of the restaurant. I was feeling nosy, but I needed a distraction from my issues. “Abuelita, where’s Angelito?”
A strangled sound came from the back. I heard pots slamming, and Abuelita walked to the bar area with a huge knife in hand. I panicked—let’s be honest; she looked dangerous. I didn’t want to test how good my new health insurance was. I took a careful step toward the door in case I had to take off in a hurry.
“That little boy had a date with that girl of his. Do you know I still haven’t met her? There’s something really…oh, what’s the word for it?” She was waving her knife in the air like a machete.
“Wrong? Suspicious? Shady? I could go on here. Which word?” I was getting really good at deciphering Abuelita’s lingo.
“Yeah, that one. Shady. That’s exactly what’s going on here.”
“Abuelita, you do know in most cultures, people don’t meet the family until they’re really serious, like marriage material. Angelito goes through girls kind of quickly. It’s only been a week, if that.” Granted, for Angelito that was probably considered serious—even long term.
“Isis, I know all of his friends and even those loose girls he hangs out with. Why is this one different? I don’t like it.” She went back to the kitchen before I could respond. She was furious. Thank God I had to clean outside.
Texas didn’t have the breathtaking fall colors of New England. Instead we had a mild version of summer, with a breeze that begged you to nap. I swept the outside quietly, but I was daydreaming of napping. Tuesdays were my lazy day. I normally would be sitting on my little porch reading a book and drinking lemonade. Now I was driving around town like a maniac, chasing crazy witches, and working two jobs. I missed my lazy days.
My daydreaming didn’t last long. I had an early customer and had to move. Fortunately, he wanted a to-go order. After he left, I picked up the pace. I couldn’t afford to waste time if customers were walking in. I barely finished on time before the place was packed. Gabe and the Joneses were in their usual seats, followed by a group of boys in the opposite corner. My third eye was closed, but I was starting to feel their energies. Gabe felt like sunshine on a summer day at the beach. The Joneses had the feel of a cool breeze before rain. The boys, on the other hand, felt like a hot day in the desert—dry but penetrating.
“So, four flats in one day. That’s probably a new record,” Gabe said as I refilled his horchata.
“Hey, I’m good at making an impression.”
“That is definitely an impression.” Gabe’s smile was intoxicating. Hard to be mad when the man looked good enough to eat. I had always thought God had lost an angel, but I wasn’t expecting it to be true. Who said God doesn’t have a sense of humor?
By the time seven rolled around, I was totally dizzy. The stress of the day, my lack of food, and all their energy were making me dizzy. I felt drunk and tired just being around them. The trash was piling up, and most of the customers were gone. I had a few to-go orders, but I could sneak outside and be back in time. I grabbed the bag and headed toward the back door. The Dumpster to the restaurant was at least twenty feet from the building. From that angle, I had a great view of the cars in the parking lot up front. The air felt amazing on my skin. I took a deep breath and felt a shiver all the way down my back. When I turned around, something hard hit me across the head.
I flew across the back lot and landed headfirst on the dirt. The trash bag was to my left, and fortunately, it hadn’t busted on me. Everything looked a bit blurry. Someone grabbed me by the hair and pulled me up. The sensation was excruciating. I had never been in a fight before, but I finally understood why girls always put their hair up. My hands reached up, trying to free myself from the attacker. Unfortunately, that left my midsection wide open. I got a swift jab to the ribs followed by a hook to the face. I bit my lips, and I could taste the blood in my mouth.
“You should have listened to the homeless people, little girl. Obviously you learn lessons the hard way,” a muffled female voice said in my ear. I felt the pressure of a knife on my neck as my hair was pulled again. Another female, wearing a Dora the Explorer mask, walked in front of me. These weirdos had some nerve co-opting poor Dora. Thankfully no children were passing by, or they would have been traumatized. For that matter, I was.
I couldn’t scream without the knife digging harder into my neck. I was on my knees and barely had time to see the girl land a kick on me. She was fast. At least I was able to cover my midsection. Death was not around; time had a way of slowing down when she was near. Killing me was not part of their plan. Option two, beating the hell out of me, was. Horrible plan for me. I was truly dizzy and maybe delirious.
Then I heard gunshots very close to my head. Were they going
