Bleeding Perseverance - Episode 42

Autobiography Fridays

CHAPTER 17

A Bitch Of A Betrayal,

A Night In Fast-Forward,

And Working In Slo–Mo

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My boss at Renaissance Security said he hated to see me go, and was even planning to give me a permanent spot in a “comfy location”, where I’d be sitting down watching security monitors. As with all my past employers, he wished me luck, offered me a great reference, and said there would always be a job waiting for me if I needed it.

Funny how things end up. I was now the one leaving town before Mom and the kids. After taking the eight-hour bus ride up to Stockton, Chino was there at the station to pick me up. Once we got to the one-bedroom duplex, Jackie and Alex showed me a sign they had made which said, ‘Welcome Home Uncle Rico’. As for baby Eric, he just looked at me like he somehow knew who I was but wasn’t sure.

Chino was working two full time jobs, often putting in overtime. Working security at one and wielding at another. Leticia worked as well, at one of those places where you could get your glasses in one hour. They had two cars. A nice Chrysler and an older one, with Chino usually using the latter. The first few weeks there I’d help them out by babysitting the kids. This gave Eric a chance to get to know me again. In the mornings I’d sometimes use one of the cars to drop Jackie and Alex off at school. I really enjoyed driving the Chrysler because it ran so smooth. But most of the time I’d just walk them, while pushing Eric along in the stroller. Dropping Jackie off was no problem, but with Alex it was a nightmare. He didn’t want to be left alone there and would scream when I tried to go. The walks back home with Eric were nice, with many times people assuming he was my son. By the time we’d reach the halfway point he’d always be asleep.

In the afternoons after I’d pick up the kids it was like a mad house there at the duplex. Their cousins lived next door, and all would be running around like crazy. I’d oftentimes take them all to the park around the corner to get them tired, so by the time evening came they’d be settled down.

Although I was babysitting, I felt like I really needed to find work, so I started turning in applications. Unfortunately, most places were fully staffed, or so they claimed. I came across an ad that I had seen for a Business Administration program at Heald Business School. Since I had always had a fondness for business and liked the idea of working in an office as opposed to a fast-food kitchen or zombified as a security guard, I looked into it. I decided to enroll, but still needed a job to take care of finances here and there.

I wasn’t too keen on going back to work as a security guard, but I hadn’t had any luck finding anything else, so I applied at the company Chino worked for, Pinkerton Security. I needed evening work since I went to school during the day. After being hired and going through a tedious orientation of watching videos and doing workbook-type assignments I started working at the building where the main office was located. Chino let me use his dress up clothes for school since we were encouraged to wear business attire.

He also did something I wasn’t expecting. He gave me his second car. He said he’d have to use it sometimes until he got another one, but that it was mine now. Wow, my first car! And it was given to me by my big brother. I planned on fixing it up really nice and washed it that afternoon to a shine. I didn’t have a driver’s license, but planned on getting one asap.

I was soon transferred to work security at a shopping center across town, which was good because it was close to the school. In order to stay there I had to switch to a day shift, which meant changing my school schedule to evening classes. My favorite class was one I didn’t know I’d like when I first started, but soon found that it was pretty interesting. Accounting. I enjoyed learning how businesses kept track of their finances and the whole balancing act of the accounting equation. The class did make me think of Renee though, and wondering how things were going for her as a CPA.

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When you live with someone for a while you get to know who they truly are. Back in Pasadena, Leticia was outside her normal environment, so she had kept her facade going of acting like a genuine good person. But given the fact that I was on her turf now, along with having been there for over two months, she couldn’t hide her inner ugliness, nor did she try. I’m not saying she was evil. After all, everybody has a good and bad side. But if someone is really a good and sincere person that bad side usually only comes up when it has to be used as a defensive tool. Well, Leticia’s inner ugliness was not out of defending herself, but rather from being a spoiled brat. I’m sure she would deny it, but as the old saying goes, ‘actions speak louder than words.’

For example, once while babysitting the kids I packed them all into the car to go pick her up from the mall. We would then go pick up Chino. So as I got to the mall I pulled up beside the curb so she could get in the car. It was around five o‟clock so traffic was pretty heavy, otherwise I would have parked and given her the keys. As soon as she got in she scooted me out the driver’s seat while saying, “give me my car.”

These were the type of things she’d do every now and then, but I’d just let it go without saying anything so as not to cause problems. That is until Halloween.