By Daniel Ortiz
The event that changed my life was on a Monday September 14, 2015 to be exact
That day I lost a best friend and a brother
It was a sunny day on West Washington Boulevard
I remember my boy divix picked me up from his house back on Pico in his 2006 dark blue Yukon. I remember he called me up and I answered and he said, “Sleepy que haces puto.”
“Nada Puto getting ready for school and you homie…”
“Nada vato in front of your pad. I’m taking you to school. Is your mom home?”
“No,” I said, and I got ready put on my black dickie, my dark blue polo shirt and my blue striped Adidas superstars. I brushed my teeth and slicked my hair back and grabbed my butterfly knife and backpack which was dark blue at the time.
I got my keys, said bye to my dog and walked out, locked the door and went down the stairs
And there across the street in the blue Yukon I saw divix with a white shirt, blue Dodger jersey and fresh fade
I ran across the street and he unlocked the door and said “Get in, homie”
I said, “What up, brother?” and he hugged me and told me to “buckle up, foo,” and he put the car in drive.
Then he got a call. “Homie,” he said, “sespensa, It’s my hyna.”
I said, “go ahead, I ain’t trying to get to school early,” and we parked.
I couldn’t really hear why they were arguing, all I know is that she needed money and he hung up and told me, “hey, is it cool if we stop at my girl’s house quick?”
I said, “yeah, foo, vamos.”
So we drove back, and he asked, “you hungry, foo?” and I said “Yeah,” and he said, “McDonald’s on Crenshaw Boulevard?”
We both got orange juice and our bill came out to like 13 dollars, and I said “thank foo, was I was starving.”
“De Nada,” he said, and we headed to his girl’s house.
We got there around like 8 in the morning, and he parked in front of her house
It was a light pink house.
He said, “Wait here, homie, it’s gonna be quick,” and I said, “Okay, foo take your time.”
And there I was bumping young dopey e love, waiting and waiting and waiting for literally two hours, and I was cleaning my shoes when I heard divix coming out of the house, yelling “you’re a fucking hoe.”
He said, “Hey homie, get out, we’ll bus it,” and I said ok, and he told his girl named Demi, he said “Take the car, I don’t need it” and he threw the keys, and we walked away to the liquor store called Grand Prize Liquor and Market.
It’s a yellowish color, that place
We walked to the corner and I said, “Hey my aunt Judith lives like 12 blocks from here. Ima go to her house and ask for a ride,” and he said “You sure?”
“Ya foo,” I said, and we did the eighteen handshake, and he said “Ima get a beer and head home too.”
I said, “Ok, take care,” and I hugged him and he said, “Te quiero, and take care, and sespensa carnal, I’ll make it up to you,”
And I walked away, not knowing that would be the last time I would see him,
‘Cause 8 gunshots took his life instantly
Until today I wish it was me, ‘cause it’s hard to smile sometimes
I’m in denial because I saw the car—it was a grey Honda Civic with tinted windows but on the driver’s side I saw the guy, and I still remember hearing the guns echoing, and when I heard, I knew it was divix.
I was already almost to my aunt’s house, so I turned around and threw my backpack and ran
I ran across the intersection on a green light,
I dodged the cars
And when I got there people had already called the police
I ran up and grabbed divix
I got covered in blood
And then I saw his girlfriend and she grabbed him too and said, “Perdon, I’m sorry, I loved you, please come back please.”
I was speechless.
I was in shock.
We both cried.
The ambulance got there and the paramedics picked him up and sped away but we asked what hospital they were taking him to
Brotman Hospital.
We ran back got to the car and Demi drove and we got there around 11:46
We asked how he was, and they told us he died on the way
And then I broke down.
Ever since that day I lost my brother I have changed my life.
I stopped gang banging, stopped dealing, because he had told me to promise him if something ever happened to him that I would change, that I would do something with my life
So I’m keeping my promise and doing my best to improve.
He was only 15.
He never even got to see adulthood
And the strange part was that earlier that morning he told me he had a bad feeling something was going to happen, and I told him, “Homie, we got each other, it’s all good…”
Divix got killed over drugs by a schoolyard crip, a rival gang member
I lost divix to the game and the streets
But he didn’t go in vain, that foo who did it got what he deserved
Because this changed my view of life
Changed me for good
Eighteen in peace, Juan Garcia
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