We Come Alive 5

Father Figure

Thursday afternoon after school, Diego was sitting in a dress boutique waiting for Mila to finish getting her dress finished for her to take it with them. He yawned, looking around at the vibrant colors of dresses hanging from racks around the boutique.

He was about to start going through his phone, but his eyes shot up when he heard Mila's voice coming towards him. She was smiling as she thanked the dress makers one last time before leaving.

Mila walked up to Diego and handed him her prom dress. "Alright, let's go." She smiled.

Diego took the dress that was wrapped in a black cover with a hanger sticking out. "What? They have to make it from scratch?"

Mila rolled her eyes and walked out of the dress shop. Diego got up and followed her out to his truck. Diego used his keys to unlock the doors so she could get in the passenger seat while he put her dress in the back seat.

Mila was scrolling through her social media on her phone while Diego started the truck and drove off. Her body swayed with the vehicle as they went down the Texan roads. Diego's music abruptly stopped playing through the speakers when his phone started ringing. Diego pressed the call button on his phone that was on his thigh and listened to his mom's voice come through the speakers of his car.

"Ven a casa ahora mismo!" She screamed. (Come home now)

"¿Por qué? ¿qué pasó?" Diego asked concerned, picking up his speed to get home faster. (Why? What happened?)

Mila held onto her seat while Diego's mom, Maria, continued to scream in the background in Spanish at Luis, Diego's dad, before answering Diego's question.

"Tu padre se va. ¡Tiene una mujer embarazada! ¡Lo eché de la casa!" Maria yelled, grunting as she threw things at Luis.
(Your father is leaving. He got a woman pregnant! I kicked him out the house!)

Diego was only a few blocks away when he heard his parents yelling at each other. "Ya voy."
(I'm coming.)

The phone call ended right as Diego pulled up to his house. He put his truck in park and looked at Mila. "I'll be right back."

Mila nodded frantically. "Yeah. Of course."

Diego got out the truck and ran through his front lawn where he saw his mom yelling at his dad. His dad was just packing up his car with his suitcase and belongings. Diego grabbed the slipper out of his mom's hand when she was about to throw it.

"¡Mamá, cálmate!" Diego yelled, pulling his mom back to keep her from harming his dad.
(Mom, calm down)

"¡No me calmaré! ¡Quiero que se vaya!" Maria yelled, taking off her other slipper and throwing it over Diego's shoulder. The slipper hit Luis right in the back of the head as he had his back turned to her.
(I will not calm down! I want him to leave!)

Luis glared at her. "¡Estoy tratando de irme! Estás loco!"
(I am trying to leave! You're crazy!)

Diego caught his mom and pulled her back from running towards him with tears running down her cheeks. Diego picked his mom off her feet and set her down on the front porch. She sat down on the steps and cried into her hands.

Diego walked away and went over his dad. "Papá, ¿es verdad?"
(Dad, is it true?)

Luis sighed and put his hands on his hips as he looked around. "Sí, hijo. El bebé tiene un año de edad. Traté de esconderlo todo el tiempo que pude."
(Yes, son. The baby is a year old. I tried to hide it for as long as I could.)

Diego sighed, turning his back on his dad as he felt his heart fall and shatter. He expected his dad to be a better man, but somethings never change. Before he knew it, his mom was in front of it, rubbing her thumb over his cheek to comfort him. Diego grabbed his mom's hand and gave her a reassuring smile.