Carlitos: A Short Story

While Manuel struggled to find his place, his brothers made some clear decisions of their own. Carlitos dropped out of school to work in the fields with his father. He calmly explained to his mother that he probably was not going to graduate, and since he was not a legal citizen…

“I’m not going back to Mexico,” he announced. “I mean, I like visiting, but I don’t want to live there. And it’s not like I’m gonna go to college, so

I might as well work in the fields like Pa.”

Manuel’s father accepted Carlitos’ decision, happily taking him to work with him each day. His relationship with Juan, however, was becoming increasingly filled with tension. Each week the two could be heard fighting. El señor De La Rosa’s face lit up as he shouted so loudly

“No sirves para nada!” he bellowed as Juan walked out the front door.

It was anyone’s guess when he would return. Manuel’s mother appealed to Juan to listen to his father, but he did not seem to care.

“Ya, mamá, déjame!” he said, gently slapping her hand off his arm.

“Estoy rezando por ti, hijo,” she replied. “Te quiero mucho.”

Whenever she said this, Juan would stop for a moment. For a split second, his scowl faded…but then it returned just as fast. Juan refused to listen to his parents. He also refused to listen to his teachers at school. It did not take long before he was transferred to the community school in El

Centro for a litany of offenses: stealing, gang violence, and using profanity with anyone who dared oppose him.

8

Alan Hidalgo

10

Toward the end of junior high, Manuel was as undecided as ever.

He felt lost and without direction in life. Nobody said anything that truly interested him, and his grades suffered as a result. Whereas

Something in his eyes told Manuel that he was not as carefree as his older brother. There was a certain intensity about him.

“What’s up,” replied Manuel. He did not bother to stop as he made his way to a desk that was located in the back of the room.

Slowly, other students made their way into the classroom. As the bell sounded, Mr. Thomas, Manuel’s eighth grade history teacher, stood up behind his desk. He was a large man with a wide face and short brown hair. For the most part, students appreciated his well prepared lessons and pleasant personality. “I would like to introduce a former student,” said Mr.

Thomas. “His name is Pablo Ruiz. His family still lives here in Holtville, but Pablo’s actually in Santa Barbara now where he attends classes at the university.” Then, motioning to Pablo, he continued, “They’re all yours.”

The young man smiled and walked from the corner of the room to the wooden podium that was positioned front and center. “Thank you,

Mr. Thomas. Hola, me llamo Pablo y estoy aquí para animarles a tener éxito en la vida y hablarles un poco de mi experiencia en la Universidad de Santa