The Kick Back

A friend of a friend

"quédate conmigo hijo" Mateo was in a panic. "Hijo Breath .. die hecho de mí." My fatherly instinct kicked in as I instructed the paramedics to continue pumping Antonio with Oxygen. Whatever it was about this kid that had my God daughter crazy, I was about to find out. My baby girl asked me to watch out for this young snapper, at her request I did as such. Every move he made I knew about it. For the most part he was a good kid. A little troubled but what kid from the bay area isn't?

I had a lot more ties to this kid then just Stephanie. I knew Antonio's father from around the way. We use to sell dope together, and when something went down we had each other's back. Alberto was a big time hustler in the 1970's and when the crack epidemic hit, he was swimming in money. Berto had everything from the beautiful stay at home wife, to a boat load of kids. No matter what was going on he made sure his family ate. Nothing was more important than his family.

It wasn't until the money really started flowing in that Alberto became big headed. The money, cars, and women got him and he fell right into the 'trap'. His right hand man Armando introduced him to the white devil. After that Alberto changed for the worse. He became physically violent, infidelity became part of his marriage, and chasing a high became more important than spending time with his son.

He did a lot of dirty shit but I knew deep down Alberto was in there. When berto got locked up and had to do a few years, I picked up the slack. His wife never knew money was coming from, but I was the one putting money in the mail box, sending money in envelopes. Alberto was my older brother, and I wanted to make sure his family was OK. I knew his wife was doing things to make ends meet. As long as I was around she didn't have to do those strange things.

Antonio became a priority to me. Someone had to show this boy how to be a man. I made my appearance's here and there. I knew every move Antonio made. All the dirty shit he got into I knew about it, but I had to let him bump his head. I cared a lot about Antonio. He was a bright kid with a bright future. With a little guidance he would make it out the hood. I would make sure he would.

I made a vow to Alberto years ago. No matter what we went through I would always be there for him and his family. Thanks to my baby girl Stephanie I have my chance to mark my words. "Querido Dios cobertura Antonio con su espíritu ... Por favor, Dios le hizo tirar a través de este. En el nombre de su hijo. amén"

You're safe with me Antonio...