the other Alvarez

racism talk

i walked down the small hall that lead to alexs room, i was about to knock on his door when i heard form the living room "and a woman, I'm back in!" the voice belonged to elena so i paid no mind to it. i wrapped my fist on the door, "come in" with that i turn the door nob and entre.

i see alex laying on his bed facing away from the door. i sit next to his body and put my hand on his back.

"hey, you" i break the silence he turns his body once he knew i wasn't our mother.

"sorry i hit that kid" he avoided eye contact

"its okay, i mean don't be hitting kids without a good reason but its okay" he nodded a little then spoke up again.

"i just want it to go back to the way it was" i tilt my head. "all of a sudden I'm different" he propped himself up on his elbows and looked at the floor. "i don't want to be different"

"hey, is that why you don't want us to come to the games anymore" i questioned the young boy. he stayed quiet. "its not because mami and abuelita are crazy and do all that weird shit at your games" i giggled as he looked at me and gave a little nod.

"I'm proud of being cuban but..." he trailed off

"yeh i get it papito" i put my hand atop of his and sighed

"i really wish i could say this racist stuff ain't gonna happen again but it will" i admit to my brother. "some people are lucky to go through life and not have to experience racism, but for others, like you and me who are darker then the rest. we've got to learn to not let that stuff get to use" he groans "i wish it wasn't like this" he sits up "i know alex but it is, and that's why we got to be tough. more than anyone, when people yell out 'go back to mexico' or 'illegal' they want it to hurt us. but we have to ignore it. ignore them. cause if we don't react then we win, if we react then they know that it got to us and they won" he nods and smiles.

alex stood and stood in front of me. he wrapped his lanky arms around my neck and squeezed the living shit out of me. i laughed "i love you chiquita" i hear muffled through my hair. "i love you to, you goof". there was a nock on the door as we pulled away. "now i don't know if bonita told you but the one thing that stops the effect of racism is icecream!" mami revealed her self, knowing her she was probably listening the whole time.

(time skip to icecream parlor)

"your right mum i only feel peace" alex says licking his icecream.

i had ordered choc mint because its hands down the best flavour. the table chuckled at papitos comment, i look past schnieders shoulder and see a man clearing at abuelita and me. mami was next to me watching aswell. we both turned our heads, i mouthed to her 'he better not ruin our time' she nodded. we both turned our focus to the table. elena came back with her icecream "ahh, elena what did you get...vanilla" abuelita asked but elena was quick to defend herself "no!" i giggled and mami made a funny face. "but i was able to do my whole order in Spanish" she gushed. the table chidded in their praises including me. i knew elena was proud of herself. "dale, blanquita dale" i started and the table joined. elena not knowing what it meant "hey don't call me balnquita" she whinned "hey you got a nickname" mami said which made elena smile.

i had always called elena flaquita because growing up she was always so petite and skinny, the celebration was cut short due to the man that was glaring before standing up. "excuse me! i now you guys are having a feista over here but you really learn to keep it down" i looked and mami and said "feista?!?" in a low tone. "there are other people in here" he turned and walked away.

we all know what he said was discrete racism, you know the ones where people would classify it as a backhanded compliment like 'your pretty for a cuban' or sterotyping, like cubans are loud African Americans are aggressive and Mexicans are good cooks. all that migro aggressiveness of racist.

"mami would you hold my icecream please" i say and i stood up, she took it and gave it to abuelita as she was also standing up. me mami and abuelita all cut the fat man off at the door.

"hi... I'm the lady from the over there, this is my daughter and mother" she introduced us all

"yes mother not sister" abuelita continued

"question, do you own this place" i say he answers no "so you must know that we have just as much as a right to be here as you?" mami says "you were being very loud" the rude man nearly cuts her off. "yeh i notice you used the word feista" i say moving closer to the man "would you like to comment on that?" i say faking a smile. "poor choice of words-" he gruffs before mami cuts him off "yes very much" she grabs my hand and subtle pulled me away from the man.

"yeh all the other words you chose to speak to my family" abuelita said and i continued "because this isn't a library and as you could see we were having a great time" mami commented before my voiced raised "and for some reason you thought i meant all 'Arriba, Arriba, Arriba" i say making finger guns and pointing them up to the ceiling. "that's not me" i say looking him dead in the eye. "how darrre you sterrrotyyypee usss"abuelita said with her thick cuban accent.

"i was born right here, in this country. I'm an America" Mami said to the couple in front of us "cuban American" Abuelita pitched in. "we come in all shapes sizes and colours" i said. "mostly white" abuelita said before mami nudged her "and sometimes we can be a little racist too, which why we should all be free to enjoy this rich diversity of this great nation" mami finished "now you and your sugar baby have a good night" i say before walking off with my family.

"all I'm saying is just keep your voice down" he said then left.

shneider yelled something. "papito prométeme que no serás un idiota como él" i said sitting down back in our spots. he held out his pinky finger and we promised "ha! i understood that" elena said proudly. i smiled and giggled. after we left for home.