“Yes, it doesn’t matter,” Rosa said as she adjusted the baby’s Braves baseball shirt. “He’s worth it. Doesn’t he look cute in this shirt you bought for him? Say thank you, Manuel.”
“No big deal. It only cost me fifty cents at Goodwill.”
“But he’s so cute in it. Like a real baseball player. I’m trying to teach him to say thank you. He said it yesterday.”
Manuel beamed up at Eve. “Mama.”
“I don’t think so,” Eve said.
“He calls everyone mama,” Rosa said. “Even my papa.”
“He’ll get it straight soon.” She dropped a kiss on his head and opened the gate. “See you, Rosa.”
Rosa nodded. “I saw your mama a few minutes ago. She looked real pretty.”
“Sandra always looks nice,” Eve said as she started the four-block walk to the bus stop.
“Eve.”
“What?” Eve glanced back over her shoulder.
“Watch out.” Rosa’s gaze was fixed on the alley at the end of the block. “I saw Rick Larazo and Frank Martinelli and some of their gang around earlier this evening. Rick looked… wild. I think he’s on something bad.”
“I always watch out,” Eve said. “You keep away from them, Rosa.”
“They don’t do anything but call me bad names.” Rosa cuddled her baby closer. “They can’t hurt me, but I don’t like them talking like that about Manuel. He didn’t do nothin’. It was all my fault.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” That wasn’t true. It was Rosa’s fault for trusting and believing and for being born in a world that victimized the innocent and the weak. “It was just something that happened. It can work out. You take good care of Manuel and look through that GED pamphlet I gave you. You’ll get your diploma, then you can get a good job.”
She shook her head. “I’m not smart like you, Eve.”
“You don’t have to be smart. You just have to want it enough. Look, Rosa, we don’t have to be like our parents, living hand to mouth, falling into the same traps, making the same mistakes. We can dig ourselves out of here.” She could never understand why that desire wasn’t there in the people around her. It had always been a burning passion with her. But she didn’t have time to argue with Rosa at that moment. “Study for that GED. I’ll talk to you later. See you.”