Espejos

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1

Upon entering the extremely crowded bar, one would think that everyone in the room was filled with joy. The music was pulsating with the current electronic hits, drinks were firmly in hand, and many took to the dance floor to let the day’s frustrations float away into the cool night air. Carlos Rocha was supposed to be one of many slightly buzzed men hoping to forget their troubles. However, today was not the day for any type of release.

It started out well enough. He got up, got dressed, stopped to get a Frappuccino, nothing too out of the ordinary. Then his boss called him to the office earlier and thanked him for his many years of service. He stopped for several minutes, which allowed Carlos to carefully assess the situation.

The way he said it gave Carlos reason to pause. No smile was present, nor were there any signs of celebration. After leaving the small South Texas town of Tres Reynas for the big city, Carlos worked his way up the local news station and became one of the top reporters in the city. Carlos had an idea of what was coming, but he thought a reprimand or small suspension would happen. Although there he was, being told the usual “there was only so much I could do” before hearing “I have to let you go.”

Carlos tried to keep it together as he gathered his things and walked out of the station. He did a good job until he reached his car and allowed the tears to flow from his face. Carlos knew that at twenty-eight, he was still young enough to start over somewhere fresh. He’d even managed to save a good nest egg to keep him afloat for a while. If news somehow traveled about what had happened, the road to finding a new gig would be a bumpy one.

His friends had encouraged him to go out and dance and drink the night away. “Tonight you can forget everything and worry about it tomorrow,” his friend Tony had told him. Carlos was thankful for the tiny surrogate family he had found when he moved. His was estranged from his natural family, and it would have been hard if his support system wasn’t in place. While he should have been grinding up against some handsome man, perhaps even stealing a few kisses here and there, that wasn’t meant to be.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or just been texted a nude you didn’t ask for!” Tony asked.

Carlos could hardly get the words out. He couldn’t stop staring at his phone.

“My mother. She was in a car accident and…and she didn’t make it. They couldn’t save her. My brother Beto just texted to tell me.”

Tony gave Carlos a big hug. The tight squeeze felt good and comforting, almost enough to make Carlos break down in the middle of the club. Though he knew he had to keep it together until he got home, which he was desperately trying to do.

“Texted?” Tony’s face displayed shock as he pulled away from Carlos.

“Me and Beto haven’t been that close for a while, and it got worse after I left.”

“Yeah,” Tony interjected. “Still, human decency means you call someone to tell them the news. How did it happen?”

“I don’t know. I’m leaving right now to go home and find out. Then I’ll make arrangements to go back to Texas and—”

Suddenly the world turned very hazy, and the room began to spin in different directions, until everything finally went black.

* * * *

When Carlos came to, he was surrounded by a bunch of people he didn’t know. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but he knew it was probably embarrassing as hell. The clearer his vision got, the more he realized that he was on the ground looking up at concerned faces.

“There you go. Nice to have you back. We were about to call the paramedics.” It was Tony’s voice. He was close, yet not next to Carlos.

“Please don’t. I’m fine. I think I just got a little overwhelmed. I just need to get home.”

“I can go with you if you’d like,” Tony said as he moved next to Carlos.

Carlos smiled weakly. “Thank you, you don’t have to though. I’ll be okay.”

“Nonsense. You’re my bestie and that’s what we do. Now, let’s get you to your place and figure this all out.”

Tony took Carlos by the hand and picked him up. Tony made sure to get Carlos’s keys before taking him home. He also held his hand the whole way, which Carlos greatly appreciated.