Electric Tacos (Wattys 2023)

SIXTEEN

"So am I in some sort of gang? Cult now?" Mateo asked as he watched the tequila soak into his wound.

Tito grabbed a cloth and held down on the wound for a moment to stifle the flow. "It's not a gang."

Mateo' raised his eyebrow. "Why did you do this weird ritual thing to me then?"

"It's not a gang initiation. It's a promise. A bond for us to be there for each other."

"And how do I know for sure that you're not a gang?"

"We don't actively recruit members, sell arms, engage in criminal activities, operate in prisons, or kill rivals. We're just a group of friends doing what we need to do to survive, and protect the ones close to us."

Jaime nodded. "Look, we don't want trouble, but we don't wanna fund the gang system either. We just wanna be our own people, and not get caught up in the caca around us."

Mateo thought for a moment. "What if the Salvatruche are thinking that way, but they're doing it on a larger scale?"

Tito shrugged. "As long as they leave us alone, I don't care. They can burn down the other gangs' houses, and pillage them."

"And what about Chuck?"

"Who cares about him? If he wants to join them, it's his choice. If he doesn't, then that's also his choice. It's the same with everyone. You have free will, you're not animals."

"We're more than animals. We have a sentient consciousness. We are spirits and souls who have loved and lost, and lived a unique life that no one else has." Jaime added. "We are more than just flesh and blood."

Tito nodded. "Most people get caught up in the rhetoric, and they blame the gangs, certain people, immigrants, and the governments for all their issues, and they never see the full story. They never go deep past the surface level."

"True, but if you go down that rabbit hole, you'll never get out alive." Jaime nodded. "But let's just say that the scapegoats aren't the problem."

Mateo nodded. "Yeah, that's true. There's the deep state, aliens, and supernatural creatures as well. But that's another topic, right?"

There was a smell of marihuana filling the air, followed by smoke. It was coming from Nick, who blew some smoke rings and took some tokes.

"We can talk about that if you want," Nick said as he passed him the blunt. "You smoke, right? If you don't, pass it on."

Mateo inhaled some. "I started last year, to help me be more calm, and I need it now."

"Does it help you arm?"

"It dulls the pain, definitely, along with the painkillers."

"Don't get addicted, kid," Nick said. "Really, get off them when your arm gets better."

Mateo passed the blunt to Ricky. "Did you get addicted?"

Nick nodded as he flicked his brown, shaggy hair from his eyes. "I was an artist, who got into an accident a few years ago. I used heroin to numb the pain, and I went to rehab last year. I was ninety pounds, and on my deathbed with nothing to live for, with no money."

"How did you get help?"

"Tito, and Jesse. They're good guys. They will be in your corner and get you on your feet."

Mateo nodded. "And how did you find your purpose?"

"I got a job in the church, and I became a Christian. I cleaned myself up, dedicated myself to Christ, and I gained hope. You might not do that, and it's fine, but that's how I got a purpose. I live by his hope alone."