I’m not the devil. It’s true I’ve been a player. My thing with Melaina doesn’t look good from the outside. My crew probably expects me to be with Melaina, but maybe I’m not supposed to do that.
There’s a banging at the door. Penelope is on the other side, and she’s screaming for me to wake up.
“What the hell,” I say and grab a clean shirt. “Hold up!”
“What are you two huevones doing today?” Penelope asks. I check to see if her cousin is with her. She’s not. “We are going to Central Park. You want in, or are you going to stay here staring at each other?”
“Damn, Penelope. Why can’t you just ask nicely, for once?” Jaysen says. This only causes Penelope to push him.
“Is your cousin going?” I ask because I have to. I can’t help myself.
“Do not mess with her. Either of you.” She gets right in my face. “I’m telling you right now. I will cut your balls off. She needs no stress. I’m letting you two be around her because for whatever reason Eury actually thinks you are okay.”
“I promise,” I say. “I’m not going to cause her stress.”
Penelope gives me a long, hard stare. “Meet in front in ten minutes.” And with that she walks out, slamming the door behind her.
I get to spend the day with Eury.
Wait. She doesn’t want some stink ass.
“Dammit. We are going into the city. I’m not mentally prepared for whypipo,” Jaysen says as I rush to strip and jump in the shower. “I hate you, bro.”
Thirty minutes later, Jaysen and I rush down the steps to the front of the building. Penelope tells us to hurry the hell up. Eury stands beside her with a serious face. How can I communicate if I don’t have my guitar with me?
“Hi,” I say.
“Hi,” Eury says.
“Oh my god, let’s go!” Penelope breaks the trance between Eury and me.
We walk toward the train station. I never get over the surge of excitement from taking the train into the city. It’s as if we are playing hooky, like we’re entering a domain we are not meant to enter. The train arrives, and for whatever reason, I am forced to sit with Jaysen while the girls settle across from us. Damn Jaysen for cockblocking without even realizing it.
A guy standing by the door has his music so loud. Even with his headphones on I can make out the song he’s listening to is a bachata. I take this as a good sign, but I don’t say a word or even hum. I catch Eury’s reflection and there’s a grin. A tiny one.
Okay. No singing. Be cool.
Once we reach Eighty-Sixth Street, we pile out of the train. It’s only a few blocks to the park. There are groups of little kids holding hands and wearing oversized neon green T-shirts on their way to a field trip.
“Penelope, I don’t want you to get lost,” Jaysen says. He tries to grab her hand.
“¡Déjame!” she screams.
“So, what’s up with A-Aron?” Jaysen asks. I laugh. So does Eury.
“His name is Aaron, and he’s taking summer classes,” Penelope says.
“Oh, he’s stupid, huh?”
Jaysen gets decked. He deserves it. Aaron is pretty cool. Jaysen’s only ragging on him because the guy is not around to defend himself. Besides, Jaysen should know better about calling anyone that. It’s not cool or funny.
“Have you ever been to Central Park before?” I ask Eury. She nods.
“I was really young. I think we went to the zoo.”
“No, prima, that was the Bronx Zoo. The first time my parents brought you here was to see the snow. You freaked out!”
Eury puckers her mouth. Then she smiles. She remembers.
“Yes. It was too cold. I don’t belong in winter.”
“Truth,” I say. “No one does. You’re lucky you only have to deal with the summer stench and crawling rats.”
When we finally reach the Eighty-Fifth Street entrance of the park, Jaysen acts the fool and starts running wild across the green open space as if he’s never been outside his whole life.
“Wait for us!” Penelope yells and grabs Eury’s hand. I didn’t know we were regressing back to childhood, but I’m in.
I run after them, dodging kids and blankets laid out for the residents to catch rays. Parents cluck their tongues at us. Shaking their heads. I’m sure they hate seeing us brown and Black kids acting out in their park.
Out of breath, we drop down on the grass, completely spent.
“Remember when ‘running’ meant running and not running away from something?” Eury asks.
Jaysen and I look at each other. “No.” We both say it at the same time.
“There was a time when we were innocent,” she quietly says. “I remember.”
Eury lightly runs her fingers across the blades of grass. Penelope, being the smart one, pulls out a bag of oranges from her tote bag. She hands one to each of us. The citrusy smell permeates the air.
“It is nice here,” Eury says.
“Let me tell you a little bit about Seneca Village.”
“Aw, Jesus! Here goes Professor Nobody Wants to Know,” Jaysen says.
I get up to make my point. “Anyway. This land right here, where we are enjoying this orange, used to be called Seneca Village, a community founded by free working-class Blacks. Just picture it. Farmland owned by free Black folks. Alongside them were the Irish. That’s right. They lived peacefully. But guess what? All of a sudden, rich people wanted to build a nice park to chill in. They started calling Seneca Village a shantytown and those who rightfully bought the land squatters. You know what happened next?”
“They were pushed out,” Eury says.
“Why are you egging him on?” Jaysen complains. I ignore him.
“Cops came in and forced them out. Violence. Can you imagine? It’s your home and someone decides it doesn’t matter. Wouldn’t you defend it?”
“For someone who loves beauty, you sure love talking about war a lot,” Eury says.
“Violence. Beauty. It’s all connected,” I say.
“Y’all are boring.” Jaysen gets up. “C’mon, Penelope. I’ll buy you an overpriced soda. You guys want one?”
Eury and I both shake our heads. Penelope and Jaysen leave.
“What if it’s in our nature to crave blood?” she says. There’s a bright yellow wildflower by her. She plucks it.
I was taught to always be ready to defend myself. I was also taught when to back the hell down. Maybe it’s a city thing. You are always playing defense, trying not to get beat or arrested or shot. Is it in my nature to want bloodshed? I hope not.
“I believe in beauty and love because I see it every day,” I say. “I see it in the flower you are holding. In the orange I just ate. I see it right now.”
We hold each other’s stares. Damn. I want to kiss her. I do. Does she feel the same way? I won’t. This is a conversation. And yet.
And yet.
“I’m glad we came here,” she says.
Clouds suddenly conceal the sun.
“I hope it doesn’t rain,” I say as I look up.
When I turn to face Eury, her whole demeanor changes. Eury looks at something or someone behind me, but when I follow her gaze there is no one there.