Wrong Path

by Giovanni Guzman

“Hey, son! Where do you think you’re going at this hour? It’s too late for you to be out there in the streets,” my mom said in a slightly angry voice.

“Man, Madre, ain’t anything gonna happen to me. You’re acting like Ima get shot as soon as I get out the house. Relax mom. Go watch your novellas or something,” I replied.

As I made my way out the house, not listening to what my mom had to say, I saw a tear drop from her right eye. My heart pounded as I saw her face full of fear and concern. But I couldn’t turn back now. I had made my decision to go out and I wasn’t going to go back and apologize. My phone clearly marked 12:00am as I made my way to the park to meet my friends.

“What’s up wit you Gio. What took you so long bruh?” one of my friends said, laughing.

“Nothing bruh. It was just my mom tripping like always. You know how she be getting every time. I’m here though so it’s good,” I replied as I greeted everyone.

As time passed, they started talking about a party that was supposed to take place in a week. It was going to be in San Leandro and it wasn’t going to end until two in the morning. Everyone was excited about going. It didn’t matter if it was in San Leandro or New York. We were going to be there no matter what.

“Hey, Christian, bruh, you think your mom is going to let us borrow the car?” I asked.

“I don’t know bruh. Lately she been tripping ‘cause they be calling the house everyday talking ‘bout how I don’t go to class,” he told me.

“Well, just try to convince her ‘cause if we don’t get a car it’s gun be bad bruh. ‘Cause I mean we are going to stay till that shit ova right? Or you gonna fake on us?” I said as I picked up my drink from the floor.

“Don’t trip Gio, you know I always pull through. I’m going to come through with that car. But you better not give me that bullshit that your parents won’t let you go last minute. ‘Cause you always be saying that.” He laughed.

“Aite, well, for now just give me a ride home. ‘Cause I ain’t tryna walk,” I demanded.

“Aite, let’s go then. Ima see y’all tomorrow at school. Be safe,” he said to everyone as I did the same.

As I got in the car, I immediately thought about my parents and the speech they were about to give. I didn’t care any more. I was just going to sit there on the couch and let them do all the talking. It was pointless to argue back, so it was better to just keep my mouth shut.

“Thanks for the ride bruh, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said as I got out the car.

When I opened the door to my house, my Mom and Dad were already waiting for me. From the look on their faces I could tell that my predictions had been right. Both were furious. But from the tremendous sigh that they gave as they saw me, I could tell they were also relieved to see me home safe again.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going Giovanni? I didn’t say you could go to your room just yet. SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW!” my dad yelled.

“Okay Dad, I heard you, you ain’t gotta yell at me, though,” I said.

“Well, it looks to me that I’m going to start yelling at you more often because you just don’t listen. It’s like your mom and I don’t even exist anymore”.

“I think y’all just be tripping too hard now ‘cause I can’t even go a block away from the house when you guys start worrying,” I argued.

“It’s not that, but you have to understand that you are our son and we have the right to be worried about you. We just want to protect you because we love you. Why can’t you understand that?” My mom said her usual phrase.

“Whatever Mom, Ima just go to my room ‘cause I’m tired and y’all need to stop tripping. I ain’t no dog on a leash and I need to do what I gotta do so chill.”

“So what’s up Gio? Did your parents give you the same shit as always yesterday?” Sam asked.

“Hell yeah bruh, you already know how they be. But I told them straight up that they need to stop tripping so hopefully they do,” I replied.

“That’s what’s up then, cause the party is coming up and we can’t miss that. I was talking to Christian this morning and he said that the ride is set. His parents said it was okay to take the car as long as we bring it back safe,” he said.

“Oh fasho then bruh. So it’s good. I ain’t even gonna bother asking my parents this time. Ima just tell them where I’m going to be at and that’s it. I don’t need their permission,” I said with such certainty.

As I said this to my friends, I wondered if I was actually going to have the guts to tell my parents that. But according to my new attitude, that’s what I had to do. When I got home from school, I immediately waited for my dad to get out of the shower so I could tell him my plans.

“Hey Dad, come here, I gotta tell you something. Aite, on Saturday there’s a party up in San Leandro and Ima go with my friends. I’m telling you right now so that on Saturday you and my mom don’t start tripping about where I’m going to be at,” I said.

“Well, well, well! It looks to me like you have everything planned out already. Amazing! But did you forget one little thing Mr. I-Can-Do-Whatever-Want? You should plan your process a little better next time because you are not leaving this house unless you get my permission and that’s that. Am I clear or do I need to repeat myself?”

“WHAT EVER DAD! It doesn’t matter what you say. I’m just letting you know.”

That same night I kept thinking about what the consequences would be after I left the house for the party. Would my Dad have the nerve to keep me out the house? How would my Mom deal with her concern not knowing what I was doing? The image of her crying haunted me again. I guess it was just a matter of time to find out the answers to all my questions.

“Hey Christian, what time are you gonna pick me up so I can be ready to leave?” I asked him through the phone.

“Like at 5:30 bruh. I’ll hit you up when I’m on my way so just be ready”

“Aite fasho den, I’ll be ready,” I said.

I immediately ran to my room and started to pick out my outfit. My red and white hat with a black dress shirt and my red coogi jeans seemed to be the winners. It wasn’t long before I was dressed and almost emptying the whole cologne bottle on me. I had a thing for cologne. If I didn’t spray it everywhere, then I wasn’t smelling good. When the clock hit five o’clock, I started to feel my body shake as the nervousness caught up to me quick.

“Hey I’m outside, hurry up cause we still gotta pick up the others,” Christian said.

“Aite, let me just make sure my parents don’t see me when I get out.”

Trying not to make the slightest sound with my feet, I slowly started lifted one foot at a time and moving towards the door. My parents were both in their room so everything was going as planned. As I turned the door knob in slow motion, my keys slipped out my pocket making a loud noise. At that moment I knew I was dead. But I didn’t hear anyone say anything so I kept going, completing my get-away.

“Let’s go bruh, step on that shit before my parents find out I left.”

Christian did as I said and I was soon safely away from any danger of getting caught. My heart was still beating fast but now it was party time and the adrenaline was in me. By the time we got to the party it was 6:45 and many people were there already.

“Hey Vanessa, Happy birthday. Sorry I forgot your present, but I kind of got out the house in a hurry and I totally didn’t remember to grab it.”

Of course that was a total lie because I had actually never bought her a present. But I couldn’t really tell her that. Fortunately, she believed me.

“Hahaha, its okay honey, don’t worry you’re just gonna have to dance with me the whole night to make up for it,” she replied.

“Okay yeahhhh, I’m down with that. You already know I like to dance; specially if it‘s going to be with you. It must be my lucky day,” I agreed.

“You are a funny guy Gio. But yeah, enjoy yourself and do what you gotta do to have fun ‘cause you in my house now.”

“Fasho then. See, that’s why I knew it was gonna be worth it coming out here. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure I do as you say.”

As I walked inside her house, I could see that there was plenty of alcohol for me to certainly have fun. Right away I grabbed a bottle and took it to the backyard where the DJ was and started pouring and drinking shots with my friends.

“Come on Danny bruh. You hella weak. Why you drinking it with coke. I thought we said shots, only you stupid ass,” I said.

“Don’t trip Gio. Let me do it my way. I ain’t saying shit about you.”

“I’m just playing wit you. Why you always gotta take it to the ass? Calmate cabron,” I said.

“Hold on though Gio. You over here talking all this smack but I don’t see no action from your mouth and glass,” he replied.

“Shit, well pass me the bottle then. You ain’t gotta tell me twice. But you gonna drink as much as I do and if you don’t you better start walking your ass home ‘cause you ain’t riding with us.”

Right away I grabbed the bottle and started pouring it into two glasses making sure it was enough to make Danny regret what he had said. He wanted action. Then I was going to give him just that.

“Okay, check this out, you see these two glasses. Pick which ever you want so you don’t start tripping that mine has less. On the count of three we’re going to drink this shit like it was water. You ready?” I asked.

“1...2...and…..3 hit that shit.”

“Damn Danny what the hell is wrong with your face. It looks to me like someone didn’t like the taste of that water,” I said.

“Shut up bruh. That’s just my drinking face? At least I didn’t fake on you,” he said trying to change the subject right away.

“Ahahaha aite fasho, that’s what I wanted to see”

We spent the whole night we spent drinking and dancing forgetting about everything else. My phone kept vibrating. But I didn’t dare touch because I already knew who it was. So I let it go and turned it off to avoid further interruptions. As I kept drinking, I started to feel everything spin around me. I figured that it was better to stop now because soon we would be on our way home and God only knew what was going to happen.

“Hey Gio, tell the others that we bouta leave in ten minutes ‘cause its already bouta be 2:30,” Christian said.

“Aite I got you. Let me go get them right now,” I said, attempting to walk straight and not fall.

Once everyone was ready to leave, we said bye to the birthday girl and made our way to the car. I didn’t know if everyone was walking kind of sideways or it was just my head that was spinning. Soon we were on the freeway going back to Berkeley. Everyone was too tired to talk, that the whole ride was as silent as a library. The first stop was my house. But I was too tired to even think about what my Dad was going to say this time.

“Thanks for the ride Christian, you actually came through. That’s what’s up. Hit me up tomorrow to see was next,” I said.

As I walked up the stairs, I saw the shadow of someone standing by the door. There was no question in my mind that it was my Dad. Hell was about to break loose.

“Hurry the fuck up Giovanni and get over here now. I’ve had it with your stupidity. This is the last time you’re gonna do this to your mom and me again. I buy you a damn phone so you can at least answer it. But no, like always you know what you’re doing. I want you to go inside and look how your Mom got ‘cause of you,” he yelled at me.

When I went inside, the first image that hit me was my mom’s face that was covered in tears. She must have been crying for a long time because her eyes were completely red.

“Is this how you want to see me Gio? Crying and suffering every time you leave like that? If you‘re gonna keep on doing this, you might was well kill me already,” she said in shaky voice.

I tried saying something back to her, but nothing came out. What had I done?

Next thing I knew my mom was falling in slow motion, her whole body loose. Immediately, I ran to her and tried to pick her up but my attempts were worthless. As she lay there motionless, her whole body cold as ice, I grabbed her and hugged her as tight as I could thinking of the worse. I felt water starting to slide down my face. I could taste the salty tears in my mouth. Right away I screamed so loud that the neighbors might have heard me.

“DADDDDDDD! Come please, hurry. It’s my mom. HURRY!”

My dad came as fast as he could, my sister following him.

“Dad, its all my fault. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to have turned out his way. Please Dad, just tell me she’s gonna be alright. I’ll do anything but just make my mom wake up.”

Slowly my mom started waking up again. I didn’t hesitate to hug her.

“Madresita mia, please forgive me for all those tears that I have made you shed. I don’t want you to ever leave me. I’m sorry mom, please forgive me I’ll do what ever it takes to get your trust back but just forgive me. I’m begging you.”

My mom didn’t have the strength to talk and my dad told me it was just best to go to sleep and let her rest. I didn’t contradict anything he said. Everything had happened so fast that my dizziness had gone away. That whole night I spent it thinking about my actions. I knew that if I didn’t start to listen to what my parents had to say and respect their rules, things would only get worse. My party days had to be decreased and I would have to get home earlier. Now it was up to me to show my parents that I accepted that I had done everything wrong. It was going to take time, but I would never forgive myself if I caused more pain to my family.