“Why didn’t Trino get my new jeans and my RitzMaz T-shirt?” Félix complained as his mother sorted through the trash bags and separated their clothes onto their cots.
“If you didn’t leave your clothes on the floor, then you’d have them,” his mother said, snapping off the words. “Just be glad your brother brought you something else to wear. Now we all can take a shower and clean up.”
Most of their stuff was damp, some of it dirty, but his mother smiled for the first time that day when she saw her purse and her clothes.
“I got into trouble with Mr. Cummins for going into the trailer, but I had to get our stuff,” Trino told her.
“I should have done this myself,” she answered, then started going through the bags. “I should have made him let us go inside our trailer.”
That afternoon, everyone in his family got to take a shower, and put on damp, but clean clothes. Gus and Beto were entertained with the other small children by some older teens from a church group who played games with them. Félix met up with some boys from the school and hung out on the bleachers talking and looking at car magazines. Trino’s mother got permission to use the football team’s washer and dryer in the locker room to rinse out and dry their clothes. She made Trino stay with her, help her fold clothes, and stack them. They scrubbed the shoes clean, and set them on the bleachers to dry.
As they finished, some people showed up with sandwiches, baskets of oranges and apples, bottles of water, and boxes of cookies. Even though living in a gym was weird and boring, having food to eat when he was hungry made things bearable for Trino.
He had returned to the food table for another sandwich and more cookies, when he heard Félix calling his name. He turned in the direction of the TV since it was the last place where he had seen his brother.
“Trino! Quick! You’re on TV!” Félix yelled so loud that others ran to the television set to watch.
Trino managed to elbow his way around two tall men, just in time to see Liz, the reporter, talking to him and his mom. They were the two people the camera focused on.
“I understand there was no electricity in your house. How did you find her?”
“I listened for her voice. I knew she was stuck in the bathroom.”
“My son Trino is a strong boy.” On TV, their mother looked like a teenager with her messy black hair and no make-up. “I knew he could help me. I’m proud of him. I could have been stuck under that tree all night.”
An image of Liz standing in front of the trailer appeared next.
Trino could hear the rumble of amazement in the voices of the people in the gym. Trino had to admit that on TV, the pictures of the tree on top of the trailer looked bad to him, too.
“But young Trino wasn’t just a hero for his mother last night. Today Trino risked his life to go back into the trailer to get his family some clothes.”
The cameraman, Joe, had taken video of Trino coming out of the trailer loaded down with two bulky black bags.
Everyone watching TV heard Mr. Cummins yell, “Trino! What do you think you’re doing?”
They saw Trino stumble, but push himself upright.
A close-up of Trino’s face appeared next. It looked fatter than usual. His eyes were shiny black. His voice sounded deep like a man’s. “My family’s got nothing right now. But my mom just got a new job, and she needs her clothes. My brothers have no shoes to wear, and this T-shirt and jeans is all I have left. If you had been me, wouldn’t you have done the same thing?”
The reporter then ended her piece by saying, “Trino and his family have found shelter at Miller Park High School. For Trino’s family and many others displaced by last night’s terrible storm, this is the time to be grateful for what little you have, especially since there are others who have lost everything. This is Liz Medina, reporting for Channel 7, KVUE news.”
Everyone cheered as the final image of the people milling about inside the high school gym faded to black. A commercial for a pizza restaurant filled the screen. Those who lost interest in the television, walked away.
One of the men standing by Trino extended his hand. “Good job, son. You helped your family like a man should.”
Trino shook the man’s hand, just as he felt somebody touching his shoulder. He turned to see his mom smiling at him. He gave her a smile back. Then some of Félix’s friends talked to Trino, asking him more about the tree hitting the trailer. Others who had watched the news came by their cots later to talk to Trino or his mom. He didn’t know what to think about all the attention, but he was glad people smiled when they talked to him. He had been afraid people would think he was stupid for taking the chances that he did.
Later that night, when the gym lights were turned out, Trino finally had some time to think about the news report. Liz, the reporter, and Joe, the cameraman, had put words and pictures together that made Trino seem important. Some of the adults in the gym had used the word “hero.” As Trino tried to get comfortable on the stiff cot, he wished that being a hero came with a money reward. His family needed a lot more than words of praise right now.
Since the next day was Sunday, a male preacher with a black shirt and white collar, two other ladies, and a pair of teenage girls came into the gym and asked everyone to join them in a prayer service. Trino was more interested in eating breakfast, but the people who were setting out boxes of cereal and little cartons of milk, announced that food came after prayers. Trino’s mom made them all comb their hair with a comb someone had given them, and they had to stand together in the middle of the gym and listen to the preacher read from the Bible.
Trino watched the two girls standing by the preacher, thinking that the one with glasses looked familiar, somehow. Did she go to his school? She had a nice face, but the other girl had blonder hair, prettier blue eyes.
Later, after all the preacher’s talking and praying were over, everyone got to eat some breakfast. Trino sat at a table, eating a third bowl of cereal when the girl in the glasses came up to stand by him.
“You go to Carson, don’t you? I saw you on TV last night,” she said.
Now that she was closer, the idea that Trino knew this girl seemed to press harder upon him. But he didn’t want to sound dumb, just in case she just had one of those faces like everyone else. So he just nodded, saying nothing.
“I’m Stephanie. You’re friends with Lisana and Jimmy, right?” She giggled, even though there was nothing to laugh at.
And then Trino remembered. “You’re Amanda’s friend.” He also recalled that Amanda and Stephanie hadn’t been very nice to him when they met at school. He made an effort to talk to her only because of Lisana. “Your dad’s a preacher, huh?”
“Yeah. It was his idea to come here. This place smells bad, doesn’t it?”
He wanted to tell her that a flooded trailer smelled even worse, but he heard a woman’s voice call, “Stephanie! It’s time to leave.”
“Bye. Uh—see you at school, I guess.”
As he watched Stephanie in her clean jeans and ironed pink blouse walk away from the table, he thought about Lisana and Jimmy, Hector, even Amanda. What would his new friends think if they saw Trino in a shelter like this? His family had no house, no food, no money—the little bit they had owned had been lost in the storm.
Trino sighed. He’d probably lose his friends, too, once Stephanie told them what she saw and “smelled” today. He pushed away the cereal bowl, and left the table.
As he returned to the row of cots where his family now lived, he saw his mother taking their “clean” clothes and packing them in two cardboard boxes.
“Are we leaving?”
“No. I just want to put things away. I noticed a little boy wearing a T-shirt that looks like one Gus had.”
“Where?” Trino looked around, anxious to catch a thief who had taken what little they had left. He’d love to pound someone—anyone—at this moment. “Who is it?”
“What does it matter?” she said. “The shirt had a hole in it.”
Trino sighed, wishing there was something to do besides think about how bad their life was right now. But he wasn’t a little kid like Gus and Beto, who were happy to play wherever they were. And Félix had made friends who hung out on the bleachers and bragged about stuff that Trino knew was nothing but lies.
“¡Ay, Dios mío!” His mother’s startled voice took Trino by surprise. He saw her hands move over her hair, smoothing out tangles and pressing it down with her fingers. “What is he doing here?”
Trino turned and immediately understood his mother’s reaction.
Nick Longoria walked towards them. He wore a clean, white, buttoned shirt and black jeans. He stopped at the cot between Trino and his mom. His dark face was serious, his eyes taking in what he saw before him.
“Hello, María. Trino. Are you all right?”
She lowered her hands. They hung limp at her sides. “How did you find us, Nick?”
“I saw you on the TV news. You should have called me. I would have come for you and the boys.”
“How could I call you? We don’t have a phone,” she answered.
Then Nick turned to stare at Trino. “Are you okay, son?”
“I’m fine. What do you want, Nick?” Only after he heard his words did Trino realize how cold he sounded. It was this place, everything he had been through, that made him sound like he wasn’t glad to see Nick. But he really was.
Nick gave Trino one of those easy smiles he carried around with him like a comb in his pocket. “I came to check on you and your mother, Trino. With this storm, I’m going to have plenty of work for us to do. Are you ready?”
“I’d be stupid not to work with you,” Trino replied, still uncertain why his voice sounded so ungrateful and cold. He shook his head, trying to clear it and think straight. “I tried to get us a job with Mr. Cummins cutting down the tree that hit our trailer, but he didn’t want us.”
Nick shrugged. “Sometimes the guy says no. It happens to me, too.” He turned back to Trino’s mom. “I’m proud of what Trino did to help you, María.” He stepped forward and took her hands in his. “I’m glad nothing happened to you.”
“Me, too.” Her voice shook as she looked up at him. She swallowed with difficulty, then said, “How are you, Nick? Was the storm bad where you live?”
“The ground was so hard, the rain couldn’t seep in. The water got high pretty fast, but it’s going down now.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah, that’s good.”
“María—Nick—” They spoke at the same time.
Trino watched as Nick pulled her towards him, placing his arms around her shoulders, like he didn’t want to break her. She slipped her arms around his waist. They seemed to melt together into one person.
Yesterday Trino had seen people hold one another, cry together, or find some awkward words to say. But what he saw in front of him gave him a glimpse of love, a feeling of hope. His family needed both. Was he ready to admit that he wanted it, too?
He had only admitted to himself in the past few days how much he missed Nick. At first, he missed earning twenty dollars when he worked with Nick. Now, he knew he missed a man he could talk to, a man who gave him some good advice without making a big speech like teachers did.
For the first time, Trino saw Nick kiss his mom. It wasn’t one of those long, hungry kisses like characters in a telenovela, but a kiss that didn’t embarrass a person to watch. It just made him think, they must really like each other. It didn’t scare Trino or make him mad. Nick had returned because he cared about Trino’s mom, and because he had some work for Trino. The storm had done some serious damage, but Trino didn’t feel like everything was gone for good. He’d help his mom put their lives back together, and it looked like Nick would help them, too.
“Nick! Nick!” Gus and Beto had seen him and had run over from their games with the other children.
“Did you bring us any candy?” Beto asked, clinging to one of Nick’s long legs.
Nick let go of their mother to lift Gus into his arms. He rubbed the top of Beto’s head.
“I don’t have candy, but I’ll take you to my house. Do you want to see where I live?”
“Where you live?” Gus asked him, his little fingers searching the pockets of Nick’s white shirt. “I want some gum, Nick.”
“Nick, how can we go stay with you? How will the boys get to school? I need to be close by so Mala can watch the niños. I start my new job tomorrow.” His mom’s sudden smile made her look like a happy kid at a birthday party. “Nick, I got a job at the college.”
He grinned and put his other arm around her shoulders. “I knew you could do it.”
“I was so mean to you—I know you didn’t break the TV—but I was scared to go there.”
“What changed your mind?”
She looked towards Trino. “My son. Trino got food from Mr. Epifaño. He even tried to bring home a little money. And he did some stuff for school that got me thinking.” She turned back towards Nick. “I wanted a better job. It was something I had to do for myself. And for my kids.”
Nick lowered his face and kissed her lips. “I’m very proud of you, María. And I just know you’re going to like working at the college.”
“It’ll be good to work at a place where you do, Nick.” She reached up to stroke his cheek, then let her hand slip down Gus’s squirming body. She patted her son’s back. “You get down now. Nick and I need to make some plans. Go and play.” She looked down at Beto.
“You, too, vámonos!” Then she gave Trino a look and a slight jerk of her head that meant get lost.
Trino walked off, wishing he could stick around and see what plans his mom had in mind.
He wouldn’t mind living at Nick’s place—wherever it was—but like his mother, Trino wanted to stick around the neighborhood. He wondered if they could stay here in the gym past tomorrow. The school would need the space for gym classes, wouldn’t it?
He wandered towards the TV set, but there was just a football game and a bunch of older men watching it. He felt a nervous feeling inside him, like he had been inside this place too long. He looked behind him, saw Nick and his mom talking as they sat on a low bleacher near their cots. He wanted to walk outside by himself to think.
The girl’s voice was familiar, but Trino didn’t want to think it could be her, coming inside a place like this. Slowly, he turned around to face not only Lisana, but also her brother Jimmy, Hector, Albert, and Amanda, too. His face flushed hot. They all looked so clean, and he felt like he had slept in his clothes, which he had, of course.
“We didn’t know for sure if you’d still be here,” Amanda said, glancing at Lisana, then giving Trino a slight smile.
“Wow,” Hector said, turning his head to look around the gym. “Do they let you play B-ball all you want in here?”
“Yeah, right. He’s going to dunk a basket and hit some old man in a cot, right?” Jimmy gave Hector a friendly shove. “Use your head, man.”
Hector just laughed, then he gave Trino a shrug, tossing his hands up at his sides.
Trino found himself smiling, although his legs felt weak as he saw Lisana watching him. “Uh—why are you here, anyway?”
“We saw you on TV last night,” Lisana said. “That tree looked just deadly. I’m glad you—and your mom—are okay.”
“Were you scared, going inside the trailer with that tree on top of it?” Albert asked.
Trino shrugged. “I don’t know. I was too busy to be scared, I guess.”
“It’s too bad about your house, man,” Jimmy told Trino. “What are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know,” he said again, then realized he sounded dumb. “I mean—my mom hasn’t made any real plans yet. I guess we’ll stay with somebody—maybe my aunt—or one of her friends …”
His voice trailed off as he saw them looking around the gym, staring at the sight to which he had grown accustomed. It was noisy, crowded, and filled with messy people. Like his family, they had little money, no place to call a home, and didn’t know what would happen next. These were clean kids from a nice neighborhood. What were they thinking about all this?
“Trino? I brought you a couple of candy bars.” Amanda’s voice was quiet as she extended him a small brown bag. “I know it’s not much, but I thought you might enjoy them.”
Trino took the bag from her, surprised by her kindness. “Uh—thanks—Amanda.”
“Albert and I brought you some of our comic books. There’s a real cool one with aliens that always makes me laugh,” Hector said, as Albert handed him a short pile of colorful comic books.
“I brought you two T-shirts,” Jimmy said, and gave Trino a white plastic grocery bag. “I heard on the TV that you didn’t have any clothes. My sister, Abby, washed them and everything. We’re about the same size, don’t you think?”
“Sure, man, thanks,” Trino said, but words were getting more difficult to say. He couldn’t believe they had come to see him. They had even brought him stuff. What about that?
Lisana stepped forward and looked right into Trino’s eyes. “I want to help you and your mom clean up the trailer. I can help after school—just let me know.”
“Sure, Trino, I’ll help, too,” Amanda said. “Once we give the history reports tomorrow, we’ll be free to help you anytime.”
Hector gave Trino a friendly slug on the arm. “Yeah, man. Can you imagine how it’s gonna be tomorrow when you and I stand up and tell everyone about José Antonio Navarro. I guess we ought to call you a tejano hero, too, huh?”
Trino’s eyes widened as if Hector had just hit him in the stomach. The nauseous feeling grew stronger as Trino realized what else he had left behind in the trailer.
He recalled everything as if it had just happened. Yesterday, he had just dumped his books and folder on the sofa before he went to get Gus and Beto at Mala’s house. He had tossed everything on the floor later when he tried to take a nap. How could he have been so stupid? And how was he going to tell his “partner” that their report was now a pile of mush under muddy waters in a trailer?