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...
It was snowing. The snowflakes were falling all around her. It was beautiful but it was terribly cold. The only warmth she felt was on her left side, just below her rib cage. The warmth was leaving her though. It was being replaced by a stinging pain. A pain so terrible all she wanted to do was pass out. Anything had to be better than what she was feeling right then.
Unfortunately, it only got worse. The police, ambulance, and fire engine sirens began to sound off. They were coming towards her. She was alone. The car was on fire but it wouldn't explode before they got there. No, they'd extinguish the flames and see what was in the car. There was enough in the car to easily give her five years in prison.
It was December 27th in the Bronx borough of New York and Marisol Castellano had been shot after a drug deal gone wrong.
...
"What is the hell is wrong with you, Mari?!" Sofía, Marisol's sister, shouted at her.
Sofía was three years older than Mari. She always knew Mari's drug dealing would catch up her. She just didn't expect to be like this. Sofía was angry, she was upset, but most of all she was disappointed. Marisol knew that look well, she saw it many times from her sister.
Marisol was in a hospital bed, her right arm was handcuffed to it. She didn't feel any pain, they had her on the good painkillers. She was also exhausted. So exhausted she couldn't even be bothered to argue with Sofía.
"Does Mama know what happened?" Marisol asked in a groggy tone.
Sofía sighed and her anger temporarily slipped away. "Of course she does. She's out working a bail bond for you now."
After hearing that, Marisol wished the painkillers she was on worked for emotions too. Sofía was almost an exact copy of her and Marisol's mother. Her name was Valentina but she was only ever called Ma or Mama. Marisol knew if Sofía was disappointed, Ma was even more disappointed. And no ever wants to make their mother feel that way.
Valentina was a strong woman. She was angry at Marisol but she knew she had to look past it. Sofía already told her that she was handcuffed to the hospital bed so, as soon as she healed they'd have her in a jail cell. Valentina didn't want her daughter locked up, even if she did commit an illegal act. She wanted to push it back as far as possible. So, there Valentina was, at a bail bond office at 11:47 p.m. She was exhausted but, she'd stay awake nonetheless.
"Call her and tell her to stop. There's no point, I already know I'm gonna be stuck in prison." Marisol told her sister.
"No, you don't need to be there any longer than you have to be. Even if I did call her, she'd never listen to me." Sofía crosses her arms. "You're the baby, she's gonna do everything she can to protect you."
That last sentence had the tears in Marisol's eyes threatening to come out. She knew it was late at night. Ma probably went to the bail bond office as soon as she knew there were drugs found in the car. Or maybe she already assumed, and that hurt even more.
