The Boys

Rolando took a drag from the cigarette that his uncle had given him, and which he currently held in his right hand. He was about to light the fuse of the firecracker that he held in his left hand, but there was a loud bang nearby that made him recoil.

Disoriented and pissed off, Rolando looked around for the son of a bitch who had thrown the firecracker. All of a sudden, he heard a hissing sound. But this was no snake. Panicked, he realized that he had lit the firecracker's fuse by accident, so he quickly threw away the explosive. Or rather, should have thrown it away if he had discarded the correct object: the one he held in his left hand. He could still hear the hissing sound, however, which alerted him to his crucial error. He had thrown away the cigarette instead of the firecracker. Realizing his mistake, he flicked his fingers just as the firecracker exploded with a loud BAANG!

“Shit!” he cursed and doubled over. Half-blind and half-deaf, he grabbed his left fingers and squeezed them with those of his right hand. His index finger had turned blue and it was split at the tip. It quickly grew numb and swollen, but at least it wasn’t bleeding.

“What happened, ma’e?” said Toti.

“Who was the son of a bitch who threw that firecracker?” said Rolando sucking on his finger and looking around for the culprit.

“Wasn’t me,” Toti said with a grin. “It was probably that goat licker.”

“You fat ass!” said Rolando turning to glare at Manko.

“Wasn’t me,” said Manko shrugging his shoulders. “I was throwing over there.”

“Well don’t look at me?” said Martin, who was still chucking firecrackers onto the street.

Toti looked at Rolando’s finger. “Doesn’t look too bad,” he said.

Rolando shot him a nasty look and pulled back. He went over to the corner and sat on one of the rocks there.

Laughing, the other boys continued throwing firecrackers onto the street. When they had finally exhausted their arsenal, they joined Rolando at the corner.

Toti laughed at him.

“It’s not funny. Don’t be a son of a bitch,” Rolando told him.

“Lucky your finger didn’t get blown off.”

Rolando sat back against the lightpost and tried to put his feet up on the other rock.

Martin pushed his feet aside and said, “I’m sitting here."

“Sit on the other one.”

Manko rushed to the third rock and said, “I’m sitting here now.”

The three large rocks had been placed on the corner of 17th avenue and 8th street. They had been there for as long as anyone could remember and made the corner an essential spot for kids (and sometimes adults) to hang out. It was particularly lively during the Christmas season. Nobody knew who had put the rocks there or how long ago. Perhaps they had been there since the beginning. Not that Rolando cared about this particular mystery. His fingers were throbbing in pain.

“Look who’s coming!” said Toti turning his gaze down 8th street.

“The hooker,” said Manko.

“What hooker?” said Rolando.

The boys remained silent. Rolando prodded Manko with his foot, knowing that the chubby boy couldn’t keep a secret if his life depended on it. “What hooker?”

“Should we tell him?” said Manko looking at Toti. Being the oldest, Toti was the de facto leader of the little rascally gang.

“Wait after she passes,” Toti said watching the woman who was now approaching them. She wore high heels, a tight blue skirt, and a loose white blouse. Her hair was jet black and pulled back with a glittering headband.

The boys grew silent as she passed by. In her wake, she left the lingering scent of perfume, flowers, and sweat.

Toti lifted his nose like a hound and smacked his lips. “Ay mami! Shhh!”

The other boys chuckled.

“She’s a hooker,” said Manko once she had turned the corner. “She lives in the house behind Toti’s place."

"We saw her," said Martin.

“You saw her?” said an incredulous Rolando.

“There’s an almond tree on Toti’s backyard. We climbed the tree and could see her through the window.”

“Liar!”

“Don’t believe me? See if I care.”

“Then what did you see?”

Toti stuck out his tongue between his fingers.

Rolando grimaced. “Gross.”

“You wanna come see?” said Manko.

“When?”

Manko looked at Toti.

“Saturday night,” said Toti.

Rolando looked shrewdly at his mates. Maybe they were lying. Then again, maybe not. He began to feel better though. Maybe, it hadn’t been such a bad day after all. Sure, a firecracker had blasted his fingers, but at least he was gonna get to see a hooker. Maybe…

He stood up, grabbed the spare cigarette behind his ear, and lit it with a match. Then reaching into his bag, he fished out a full pack of firecrackers and proceeded to light their fuses. He threw the whole pack near the rocks. The boys jumped to their feet swearing and scrambled away amidst the flashes, the smoke, and the ear-splitting bangs.