Secret Hung the Gold

Ernesto leaned against the wall of Sunni’s, the run down mom and pop shop that sat in the heart of the West Side. The sun had fallen, and the crazies were out for the night. The moon was full and white, glaring down on Ernesto. He hated that he had to do this tonight, instead of being home with is family as they laughed and enjoyed dinner. Ernesto shoved his hands in his pockets, the feeling of the small plastic bag in his hand reminding him of what he came for.
“Hey, man, you E?” A guy asked from his right side. Ernesto looked at the man and scoffed.
“That depends. Who are you?”
“I am needing, man, if you know what I mean...” The man raised an eyebrow.
The man was old, humped over, and wrinkled. His white shoes were scuffed and banged, his black shirt covered in holes and paint. His face was covered in marks, his gray mustache carried food from his last meal. The man practically wore a sign that screamed junkie.
“Hurry, man,” he said, beginning to scratch his neck. “I gotta get home to my wife.”
Ernesto began to feel sorry for the man. “How much you got?”
“I got fifty... is that enough?” The man began fumbling his money with short, thin fingers..
“Here.” Ernesto put the baggie in the old man’s hands, accepting the fifty bucks.There was a smile on the man’s face as he gripped the baggie and the elation that filled his eyes scared
Ernesto. He shoved his hands back into his pockets and disappeared into the dark.
It was well past midnight when Ernesto arrived home. The house was quiet, only the ticking of the clock filled the dimly lit house. Ernesto headed towards the room he shared with his little brother, Alex, expecting to see him waiting. Instead, Alex slept quietly, his curly hair peeking from under the sheet that covered his face. He had even filled Ernesto’s bed with pillows so ma wouldn’t notice he wasn’t there.
“Thanks, Alex,” Ernesto said, removing the pillows and falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Morning came too quickly. The sun burned through his eyelids as it shined hard into the room. Ernesto groaned and turned over.
The sound of heavy feet entered Ernesto’s room, followed by muffled giggles. Within seconds, his bed started rocking, shaking him out of his half-sleep. He opened his eyes to see his two little sisters, Gabriella and Abella, jumping on his bed. Ernesto rolled over to his back and smiled at them.
“Why are you guys jumping on my bed?”
Abella dropped to her butt on the bed. “We’re your alarm clock.”
Gabriella continued jumping. “Yeah, so get up, Ernesto!” She began jumping harder on the bed.
“Alright, Alright. I’m up!” Ernesto swung his legs to the floor.
“Good,” Gabriella said, crossing her arms. “‘Cause you gotta go to school.” She slid off his bed and darted out of the door.
Ernesto chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
Abella wrapped her arms around Ernesto’s shoulders. “Good morning, big brother.”
Ernesto couldn’t help but smile. “Good morning, Mi hermanita. Now get out of here.”
She smiled and ran out of the room.
Ernesto showered and dressed, gliding down the stairs to the kitchen. His mother leaned against the stove, her arms crossed, a tired look on her face. She wore her nurses uniform that fit her loosely. Lately, Ernesto noticed that everything fit his mother loosely. With her twelve hour shifts and four kids, the stress was evident even in the way she walked. Yet, when she saw Ernesto she smiled.
“Good morning, son. Sleep well?”
Ernesto nodded, seeing in his mother’s eyes that she hadn’t. “You are working today? Your back still hurt?”
His mother forced a smile. “Yeah, but I just gotta push through it. Gotta bring in money for all of you.”
“Ma, I told you, you don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself,” the look of concern on his face was heartfelt.
“Ernesto, I am your mother, I should provide for you. Here, take this money.” She passed him a wrinkled five dollar bill. Ernesto’s heart wrenched.
“No thanks, ma,” he said, with a sigh. She reluctantly placed the five back into her scrub pocket “Ernesto, why won’t you just accept my money? I worked hard for it, just for you.”
Ernesto looked right into the sad eyes of Alex before looking at his mother. “Because, ma, I am a man, I can provide for myself. As a matter of fact,” Ernesto reached into his pocket. “I have something for you.” He pulled out the fifty dollars and handed it all to his mother. She didn’t accept it, crossing her arms across her chest. Ernesto understood why she wouldn’t take the money.
“Just take it, ma. I earned it for you.” With that, he grabbed his bag and walked out the front door, straddling his bike and heading towards school.
The school was more crowded than yesterday. The parking lot spilled over with students all looking for a spot in the shade. Ernesto maneuvered Mama through the crowd towards the shaded area and stole the last spot. He smiled to himself as he walked into the school and towards homeroom.
He walked to his seat and slid in, watching the door. The teacher looked over at him.
“Why do you seem so happy to be in school?” She asked, writing something across the board.
Ernesto shrugged just as the warning bell sounded and the last minute rush of students flooded into the classroom. Last in the group was Princess.
Her hair fell down her back in wavy curls held back from her face in a pair of fifty dollar sunshades. She wore a snug fitting pair of black shorts and a loose tank top. Her shoulders were covered in a black and white checkerboard blazer.
She slid into her seat, leaning away from Ernesto. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head.
“Good morning, Princess,” he whispered towards her. “You look nice.”
She continued looking ahead, completely ignoring Ernesto. He leaned in closer.
“You know, it is impolite not to address someone when they compliment you.”
She smiled, looking directly into Ernesto’s eyes. “Thank you for the compliment.” She flashed a fake smile.
“Would you two like to share your conversation with the class?” Mrs. P. stood right in front of Ariel, eyeing her. Ernesto still looked at Ariel, a smile on his face.
“No thanks, I like to keep my affairs private,” Ernesto said, turning his smile towards Mrs. P.
“Focus on the lesson.” She said, looking at Ariel. She never paid any attention to Ernesto.
Ernesto waited for her to walk away. “Don’t take it personal, she acts like that to almost every girl.”
Ariel eyed all of the talking girls in the class.“Really? I don’t see her saying anything to anyone else.”
Ernesto copied her action, looking around the class to all the girls. But only catching Mrs. P’s glare on Ariel. “Maybe not.”
Ariel huffed angrily and tossed the glasses on her head on the table. The shades glistened off the florescent lighting in the room, catching Ernesto’s eye. The same amount of money she used to buy those shades was used to care for his family. The thought snapped Ernesto back into the reality that he isn't one of them. He'll never be. He is from the other side of the tracks.