“Mija!” I heard my mother scream out as I approached her house. “I saved a space for you.” She waved at me to follow her and led me two houses over. I smiled as she pulled on the sides of her scarf and pointed with her shovel to a space between two cars... an ironing board centered in the space.
“Ay, Mommy.” I said, laughing. “What am I going to do with you?”
My mother laughed and came over to get in the car beside me.
“Chairs were too heavy to carry and that was all I could find.” My mother explained. “Titi Maria called and said that Michael was leaving and that I could save you his space. I had to get over there quickly.”
“Mommy, no. I’m not talking about that.” I replied.
I shook my head as I stared at her.
“It’s too cold for you to be walking around outside like this, Mommy.” I whined. “I could have found a space.”
My mother looked over at me and held her hands up to the heater to warm them up without saying a word.
“I do appreciate it, though.” I said.
Our eyes met momentarily and I smiled at her as I got out of the car. I slammed the door behind me, the bitter cold smacking my face. I leaned over and picked up the shovel, beginning to dig a space large enough for me to get my car in without a problem.
The wind was blowing heavily against me and I realized how much I would miss the heated garage in my apartment complex. I gazed at Titi Maria’s house across the street. I didn’t know whether I wanted to move my car at all anytime soon. Finally when I was finished I nearly crashed my car into the one behind mind as I attempted to parallel park, sliding on a chunk of ice.
“Yasmin.” I heard my name called as I stepped out of the car and turned to see my aunt standing out on her porch.
She waved at my mother and me, motioning for us to come up. I smiled at her, but glanced at my mom. She knew I didn’t want to go up there. My mother grabbed my arm and led me up the stairs, without any concern of what I wanted to do. My aunt greeted me with a kiss against my cheek and a hug as I followed her into the kitchen. If it was up to me, I would curl up in a ball under the warm blankets on the bed in my old room.
For some reason my mind began to wander and I imagined Travis had realized that I was out of the house by now. He and his new lover were probably in the house doing all sorts of things on the nice furniture that we had just purchased together.
“You’re too skinny.” Titi Maria said, snapping me out of my thought and beginning to serve me a plate of food.
I smiled nervously at her. Travis had been telling me that I was getting fat. I had nearly killed myself, counting every calorie that I ate for the last year. I thought about that as she set a plate full of Puerto Rican rice, a slab of ham, and a pastele in front of me. I breathed in the scent and smiled at my aunt as she waited for me to take the first bite.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” She said, ladling a large spoon full of salad on the side of my plate and cutting me a piece of French bread.
I laughed, not because I was happy, but because I didn’t want to eat it. Being back at home, I was sure to gain twenty pounds. I nervously ate the first bite and smiled at my aunt and mother.
That was enough for the two of them, they got to talking and soon left the room.
I was nearly done eating when we heard the sound of tires screeching outside. We all ran to the window, just in time to see someone driving off with my car. I put my hand to my forehead, this is just what I need, I thought.
My aunt called the police, and nearly an hour later, two officers showed up in separate squad cars. I walked to the door and flung it open. I was beyond aggravated at this point. Officer Martinez and Officer Colon walked into the apartment.
“Are you serious?” I asked. “If I was dying, I’d be dead by now.”
I threw my hand to my head, a nervous wreck, and the officers stepped across the room to my mother and aunt.
“It’s my car!” I exclaimed.
The officers smiled back at me, greeting my mother and aunt each with a kiss on the cheek.
“Are you serious right now?” I said loudly across the room. “God is punishing me. I don’t know what I did wrong, but God is punishing me.”
I crossed my arms against my chest and shook my head at them. They broke apart and came over to me with a notebook and pen.
“I forgot to get your number earlier.” Officer Colon said quietly.
I nervously tapped the sides of my pockets. “Crap,” I exclaimed! “My cell phone was in the car!” I spun around as I spoke. “Oh my God. Oh my God. How could this be happening?” I asked him.
Officer Colon put his hand on my shoulder to calm me down. “Listen Yasmin,” he said. “Everything is going to be okay, just have faith.”
I swung my body around and stared at him. “Everything is going to be okay?” I asked. “I don’t have my car, I don’t have my phone. How am I going to go on that job interview on Monday?”
My aunt pulled Officer Martinez into the kitchen and I could see her preparing him a plate. I threw my hand to my forehead as Officer Colon led me to the sofa to sit down.
“Listen Yasmin, I’m off tomorrow, why don’t you let me take you to get another phone? You’ll have the same number and you’ll be prepared for your interview on Monday.”
My mother walked over to us and put a hand on each of our shoulders as we sat down on the sofa. She smiled and vigorously rubbed my back, leaving me feeling more than uncomfortable.
“Um, can we do the report on my car?” I asked. “I really need it back as soon as possible.”
Titi Maria walked back into the room followed by Officer Martinez, who was holding two plates of food. He motioned at Officer Colon and handed him one of the plates. Officer Colon pushed a pad of paper and a pen toward me.
“Here go ahead and write all your vehicle’s information down.” He said as he inhaled the scent coming from the plate. “Make, model, color and the plate number.”
Without waiting for my response, he started eating. I shook my head in disbelief. This would only happen in our neighborhood. Nothing like this would have happened if I was in Wheaton, the prestigious suburb that Travis and I lived in. That isn’t my home anymore, I thought to myself, shaking my head as I began writing down my vehicle information on the pad of paper. By the time I was done writing everyone except Officer Colon had finished eating. Officer Martinez took the pad of paper from me and called in the vehicle information.
“You know Yasmin, you have to loosen up a little.” Officer Colon said to me in between bites.
“She’s been living in the suburbs for years.” Titi Maria whispered loudly to Officer Martinez. “Lives forty-five minutes away and only comes to see her family during the holidays.”
He shook his head as he stared at me. I leaned back on the sofa so that I could focus on Officer Colon. Everyone else in the room was obviously confused by my behavior. Had their car ever been stolen, I wanted to ask.
“How can I loosen up?” I asked. “My world is crashing down around me.” I put my hand up to the side of my face, grabbing a strand of hair in my hand and pulled it until it was straight.
“You just have to look for the good in this, Yasmin.” Officer Colon replied. “You have to talk to God and ask him to help you see it. If you don’t, you might miss out on something good.”
“No,” I said shaking my head. “I didn’t do anything to deserve any of this and look at how God is punishing me.”
“Mija, don’t say that.” My mother said from across the room. “God has a plan.”
I grimaced as I sat staring at my aunt’s television set, trying my best not to make a smart comment.
“Look, I know how you feel,” Officer Colon said hesitantly, putting his hand on mine.
“You don’t know how I feel.” I replied sadly, looking at my mother across the room.
“No, Yasmin, look at me.” He said.
I hesitantly turned my head and focused my attention on him.
“Don’t tell me that I don’t know how you feel.” He continued. He held up his hand showing me his ring. “I still wish that I’d be able to walk into the house and see her there. Like she was before, when she was healthy.”
He stared across the room at the door.
“There were some times that I questioned God and what I did to deserve everything that was happening. I walked around with my eyes closed to everything else that was going on around me.” Officer Colon sighed, pausing briefly. “The truth is that while it was happening, while she was still here, I wasn’t there for her like I should have been. I wasn’t there for anyone like I should have been. Most importantly, for myself. I’ll never have the opportunity again. Don’t make the same mistakes that I did.”
I shook my head as I stared at him. He stood up and walked to Officer Martinez’s side.
“You have to believe that God does these things for a reason.”
“I don’t know what your situation is.” Officer Martinez said stepping forward. “But, God doesn’t bring us to situations that we can’t get through.”
I felt very odd. I was being preached to by a couple of Chicago Police Officers. Officer Colon smiled at me. I realized for the first time that he had dimples. Both officers nodded at my mom and aunt, thanking them for the food before heading out the door. Wait a minute, I thought to myself. You forgot to ask me for my number. I glanced at Mom and Aunt Maria, who stood smiling at me at the end of the sofa. As hard as I tried not to, I smiled back.