Читать книгу Canoeing with Jose онлайн

27 страница из 81

José’s mother met his father on the streets of Chicago’s West Side. José learned at a very young age not to mess with her. “My mom used to do armed robberies for the Latin Queens,” he once told me. “She was homicidal, bro.” Unlike many of his cousins, who endured painful initiations as teens, José was born into gang life.

In the early eighties, José’s family migrated north to Saint Paul in an effort to escape the violence that was spiraling out of control in Chicago. It was a time when many men of his father’s generation were claimed by violence, drugs, alcohol, and the criminal justice system.

By the time he was a freshman in high school, José was doing his best to feed his six brothers and sisters. He bought his first eight-ball of crack (3.5 grams) at 14, and started selling it on the streets of Saint Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood, which was known in those days as Cracktown.

José squirted red sauce from packets onto his tortilla, then switched the subject from his family history to a budding scheme to murder Joan and Sonic. I assumed he meant it, and intended to keep him under wing until his sleep-deprived delirium subsided. Grinding his teeth and gazing out at the cars passing on Snelling Avenue, he added, “I think I’m going to fucking explode if I don’t cry. I haven’t been able to since my dad died. I just wish I could cry.”