Cholo

(15) Quince

María left work no longer feeling withdrawn and burdened, but as light as a feather. She added a skip to her walk as she sauntered towards her car. With the keys dangling around her finger. As a nurse she was delighted with how her name seemed to be passing from one doctor to another in recommendations; she assisted all types of doctors. Her position seems to be escalating, to the point where doctor's recommended her to pursue a medical degree and become a Doctor. One doctor in particular advised her to become a Surgeon. He was a grey haired doctor with a wrinkled face but a bright smile. He spoke to her in a very deep and wise voice: "There are two vital attributes to being a good surgeon," his eyes glanced into hers, "firstly, integrity, and secondly, the ability to make good decisions." His finger pointed at her. "And I see them in you Miss Lopez."

The Latina shuddered with excitement. Grinning madly at the thought of herself in a white lab coat. Me? A Doctor? Doctor María Lòpez.

She slurred the title out loud. A sense of belonging clung to the title; it suited her name perfectly. The twenty-three year old envisioned what her life could be; she would be able to pull out Cesar from the gang, but Oscar would be a difficult case.  At the thought of him, she was reminded of their wobbly relationship. She loved him - that was for sure. But, his actions were not understandable. From her perspective, he seemed conflicted, almost as if he regretted kicking Cesar out but just as swift as that moment came it went.

Her red painted nails clutched the steering wheel. The cars engine ran but it remained unmovable as she stared ahead; engulfed by persistent thoughts of Spooky. She frowned. María knew that she had to be careful about her actions, in fear of committing the wrong. She has to premeditate a carefully articulated plan; something so flawless that the three of them would be free.

The frown on her lips turned upwards into a smile. She imagined a life with Oscar and maybe children? But not in Freeridge. Maybe by a beach somewhere? They could open a restaurant and Oscar would be the chief. She would work to become a Doctor. And as Bildungsroman as it sounds, it suited her perfectly. That life that could exists outside of Freeridge was intoxicatingly beautiful. It would've felt real had it not been to the sound of honking that brought María back to reality.

She blinked as reality struck her. Her hands motioned for the aggressive honker to go away. Maria's breath hitched at the realization that that dream would only be a dream; it could never happen - Oscar was Spooky. He was the leader of Los Santos, why would he throw that away? Her palm slammed the steering wheel. I'll always be stuck in Freeridge.

Feeling grim at the thought, as bitter taste of reality kicked in. Maria checked her mirrors before leaving the parking lot and heading to Freeridge - a place that no matter how many miles parted her, it always dragged her back. You can't erase where you came from, right? Grimacing, she increased the volume of the radio until the song blared loudly.

-      C     H     O     L     O     -

Ever since her father passed away, Maria had had a hard time with coping with it. The most difficult coping was how empty their house had become. In the first few month, she had spent the majority of them locked up inside of her room. With time, she started to move around the house - but never did she enter her fathers bedroom. She feared that if she enters his essence would drift away, or the emptiness of the room would be too unbearable. Her heart would sink overtime she passed by the soundless door. It never creaked open, or left ajar; she missed sneaking by - only to have her papa's head poking out with a goofy grin. He was never angry at her, he worried but always managed to smile and joke at how bad she was at sneaking in.