Caballeros

Cowboy Up

Joaquin

I feel bad leaving to Houston with my daughter screaming like a maniac for me. I will have to try to call them as soon as I can; I am sure gonna miss them this week. I go and drive over to pick up Joseph and he is girlfriend Britni are making out in front of her car; I just laugh and roll down my window.

"Come on ya'll get a room! Joseph lets go man times a wasting." I say with a laugh.

"Really Joaquin! Okay I'll be right there." He laughs.

"Bye Brit," I say.

"Bye Joaquin, ya'll be safe." She says with a smile. She is a sweet girl who has helped Jules and me by watching Trinity from time to time.

Joseph finally makes his way to the truck and puts his stuff in the back. He climbs in and has the nerve to change my station to some station playing some music that will put my ass to sleep. I turn it back and I get the side eyes from him and I just laugh at him. He opens his back pack and takes out two energy drinks; he hands one to me and I pop the top.

"Thanks Joe-Joe," I say. We heard Brit call him that. Now we call him that and he rolls his eyes.

"Always busting my balls Ortega!" he laughs.

"You're the youngest now so it's pecking order."

"Man whatever! How was Trinity when you left?"

"Man she was having the biggest fit she threw herself on the floor. I have to call them the first stop."

"Man that's too bad. Why did she do that if her mama was there?" he asks and in the next hours I fill him in on Trinity's whole trauma. "Wow Bro that is wild! I am so glad that she is okay. I really thought that Jules was her mama she looks just like her."

"Everyone says so. Just my hair and eye color. Jules is a lot darker than me and Trinity is tanned because of being outside all the time. If she wasn't she would be really light like her birth mom."

"Do you think that you will let her contact her birth mother when she is ready?"

"That is something that we will have to think about when get to that point. I don't think she will want to though."

"I wouldn't want to meet her if I was her."

"Hey how is school?"

"It's going okay. I am glad I am going to night school instead of regular school. It gives me the opportunity to work with ya'll."

"Are you caught up?"

"I am taking the accelerated program and I almost done with all my classes. I graduate in May because I pushed myself to do more than I needed to."

"I'm proud of you Buddy."

"That means a lot."

I drive down the highway for three hours and Joseph is sound asleep. I have to take a piss bad and get some food. I pull into a Carl's Junior and shake Joseph's arm and he wakes up startled and it makes me feel bad. He looks at me crazy for a second and he realizes where he was and goes back to normal.

"You good?" I ask concerned.

"Yeah just a weird dream."

"About what?"

"Oh nothing; I don't remember."

"Well time to get some food and take a bathroom break."

We go in and head to the bathroom; I do what I need to and head to order food for us while he is finishing up. He is still acting a bit strange man that must have been some dream. I take out my phone and dial Jules. It rings only once and she picks up and see her beautiful face it makes my heart pitter patter. She smiles broadly at me man that smile will bring me to my knees.