La Mission Page #4

if l think God's punishing you

for something

you already did your time for,

then my answer is no, l don't.

God don't have to punish, homey.

We do that one good enough

on our own.

Watch out.

When Rene Jr. was born

and the doctors told us

about his condition,

l was thinking exactly

what you are right now.

"God's punishing me

for all my sins,

"for all the sh*t

l did or didn't do.

Why else would he give me

a defective son," right?

When they brought him home

from the hospital,

l didn't even want

to hold him, homey.

l couldn't.

That almost broke

me and Ana apart.

En serio.

Then one night,

he stopped breathing.

And we had

all these fancy machines

and medications,

todo el pedo, 'mano.

There wasn't sh*t l could do.

So l prayed.

l mean, l got down on my knees,

and l begged, homey,

not for his heart

to be normal

or for him to even breathe

on his own.

Chale.

l just wanted him to live.

l wanted him to live

so l could pick him up

and love him.

That's it.

"Just let him live,

and l'll be happy."

- Seguro.

- Where's Tepee-ack anyway?

- Tepeyac.

lt's the mountain

where the Virgin

first appeared to Juan Diego.

- How come you making her

all dark like that?

- Because her original name,

her lndian name,

was Tonantzin.

She only became La Virgen

after the conquerors

forced their language

and religion

on everybody, you know?

- For real?

So is she, like,

Aztec or something?

- She's Mexihcah,

like you and your homey here.

- Ha!

What's up?

- Hey.

- All right, all you shorties

out of here.

The shop is closed now.

- l'm gonna have a sick-ass

lowriderjust like Che

with a fat-ass bird

right there, fat-ass eagle.

What's up, yo?

- How are you?

Preparing them

for the revolution, l see.

- Hey, the rebrowning

of America, right?

What happened to you?

- Oh, my front tire decided

to take a day off.

- Well, maybe

you were talking to it

and it just blew itself up.

- May l?

- l'm going to the bike shop

at Valencia, so it's---

- No, look, save your money.

l got all the tools you need

right here.

All right, it will take me

ten minutes, max.

Look, scout's honor.

l promise.

Cool?

- Okay.

- Let's take a look,

see what we got here.

- But you have

to let me pay you.

- Well, look,

l fix your bike.

You buy me lunch.

- Lunch?

- Hey, a fair trade

ain't no robbery.

You know what l'm saying?

- Che, you know what?

l'll come back later.

Hey, Jess.

- To Rene said

you wanted to see me.

- You hungry?

- l could eat.

- Gracias, seor.

Bendiga esta comida y las manos

que la cultivaron.

En el nombre de su hijo,

amn.

You want to try the verde?

l used them green chilies

from Virgil's yard.

- Sure.

- l guess he just picked them

yesterday.

- Look, Pop,

for what it's worth,

l never meant for you

to find out like that.

Did you hear me?

- What you want me to say?

- l don't know.

l guess l'm just wondering

how you're feeling,

what you're thinking.

- l think God made

man and woman for a reason.

- Yeah, well, he also made me

the way that l am.

- Yeah?

And which one are you?

- Which one am l?

l'm your son.

- All right.

l can't do this.

- No, wait.

Sit down.

For a minute, please?

Please sit down.

l didn't wake up one day

and just decide

to be like this.

- Then why are you?

- l don't know.

l wish l could tell you that.

All l know is that

l've been this way

for as long as l can remember.

And forjust as long,

l've been too afraid

to tell you.

- All right, look, look, look.

l told your uncle

l was going to try, all right?

And l am.

l'm trying.

But if you think

that talking about it

or processing it

or however you want to call it

is gonna somehow

make it all right or acceptable,

or that maybe one day l'm gonna,

like, give you my blessing,

then you're wasting your time,

'cause that's

never gonna happen.

- Meaning?

- Meaning l don't want

to know about it.

l don't want to have it

anywhere near me.

Me entiendes?

- So what you're saying is,

l have to choose?

Right?

ls that what you're saying?

- Hello?

Che?

- lt's supposed to be

good luck.

- Hey.

l saw the light on,

so l thought l'd see

how you were doing

with the bike, l mean.

- Check it out.

Just like downtown.

- Oh, my G---

is this my bike?

What did you do?

lt looks brand-new.

- Well, you know, you had

a little bit of rust damage,

right?

So l primed it out,

slapped on a couple of coats.

- You actually painted

my bicycle?

- Yeah, l still got to put on

the handlebars and pedals

and whatnot,

but, you know, you---

you get the idea, right?

- Che, this is---

l mean, l had no idea you---

this must have

taken you all day.

- Nah, just a couple of hours.

No big deal.

Besides, you know what?

lt was a nice change of pace,

you know what l'm saying?

- Thank you.

Your pride and joy?

- Oh, yeah.

That's my war pony right there.

- Ooh.

Wow, oh, wait.

- l guess you just read this

for the articles, huh?

- Why you always

got to say something, huh?

- Because l can.

- You trippin'.

- ls this your mom?

- Yeah.

- Mm, you look a lot like her.

Do you mind if l ask you

what it is about cars

that you find so interesting?

- Originally,

l think it was just

something to, you know,

something to do

to stay out of trouble.

- Oh.

- lt wasn't until

Jess got into 'em---

- Jess is into lowriders too?

- He used to be, you know,

when he was younger.

ln fact, it's how he made

the honor roll

four years straight, so...

- Really?

- Yeah, you know,

for every A he brought home,

l'd go out,

and l'd buy a new part, right?

So l'd go out, and l'd get,

like, a chrome mirror

or, like, you know,

a new set of rims.

And then we'd just build it

from the ground up.

This one right here,

this is---this is our first.

Hey, so anyway, you know,

what about you?

- Me?

- Yeah, like, what do you to,

you know---

- Stay out of trouble?

- Yeah.

l think l'm still trying

to figure that one out.

But okay,

l'd probably say my work.

- Oh, right,

at the female clinic, right?

- Well, it's actually

a women's shelter, but yeah.

- Hey, well, that's cool,

you know,

l mean, helping people out.

- l don't know.

l think sometimes

they do more for me

than l do for them.

So many of them

have been hurt and demeaned

in every possible way.

But when you witness

a woman discover

just how beautiful

and powerful she really is,

it somehow changes you.

- l'm up.

Good morning.

- Hey.

Stay brown.

- Can't do nothing but, right?

Hey, what's up?

- Hey.

l was baking some cookies,

and, well,

l wanted to thank you again

for fixing my bike.

lt's beautiful.

- Well, since we're neighbors,

let's be friends, right?

- Actually friends

would be nice, Che.

- Yeah.

lt would.

- Anyway, l hope you

like chocolate chip.

- Oh, yeah.

Most definitely.

- Might taste a little different

than what you're used to.

l used white grape juice

instead of sugar

and canola oil

instead of butter.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes