The Charity Chip Read Online Free PDF Page A

.” Raúl stood and collected the small packages of picaras and coronita cookies. He whistled the Alianza anthem and danced around the room. He stacked the stolen goodies on the tray and pulled out a cold fry. “Did you get these from the dumpster behind Roky’s?”
    Julio continued to stare at the ceiling. “No. I charmed a waitress into giving them to me.”
    “How did you get past the security guard?”
    “I didn’t. I whistled at her as she was crossing the plaza on her way to work. She brought them out to me.”
    “Ha! I’ve never seen you even look at a woman. When did you get to be a ladies’ man?”
    “Okay, okay, I waited out back and the busboy let me have the fries before he threw them away. Then I begged for the bread as well. You know Roky’s slogan—We always give you more.”
    Raúl shoved a handful of fries into his mouth. “Too bad. Some of the chicas that work at Roky’s are hot. You could use a girlfriend.”
    Julio remembered the waitress in her tight-fitting shirt and laughed. “If I could get a girlfriend that worked at Roky’s I wouldn’t care what she looked like as long as she gave me free chicken and fries every night.”
    Raúl laughed through a mouthful of fries. “You say that now, but if she was ugly you might be tempted to put one of those bags over her head when you were done eating.”
    Julio laughed with his brother. “Remember what Mamá used to say? Love is not found in words, but in deeds. I could fall in love with an ugly girl, if she kept me fed every night.”
    “Not me. I would rather go hungry with some hot mamacita on my arm than grow fat while I had to look at the face of some cow.”
    Julio shook his head. Raúl had cared mostly about himself for as long as he could remember, and he didn’t expect him to change anytime soon. “Too bad you weren’t there to sweet-talk a pretty waitress at Roky’s tonight. She could have kept us both fed, and you would be happy to be seen with her on your arm.”
    Raúl offered Julio his hand and he lifted him to his feet. “I don’t want some woman to take care of me. Besides, nobody can replace Mamá.”
    Only a glance was exchanged between them and they began getting ready for bed. Julio kicked off his ratty shoes before he blew out the candle closest to him and slid under his blanket. Raúl closed up the bag of fries and blew out the other candle before he slid under his own blanket. The glow of the city peeked through the ripped plastic on the windows as they curled up and tried to stay warm.
    “Do you ever dream of Mamá?” asked Julio.
    “Not very often,” replied Raúl. “I sometimes dream about things we did together, but that’s about it.”
    “She comes to me in my dreams all the time. She is always reminding me to watch out for you,” said Julio. “Why did she make me promise to take care of you? It doesn’t seem fair.”
    “She always said—Life isn’t fair, but God is merciful.” Raúl shifted in the dark. “She’s gone, Julio, and God is too busy to be merciful to us,” he said with a yawn. “We have to watch out for ourselves.”
    Julio kissed the pendant of Saint Michael and prayed that God would be merciful to him and his brother. He drifted off to sleep pondering Isak’s offer.

C HAPTER F OUR
    Caritas

    W ith a full stomach from the night before and an overcast sky, Julio slept in the next morning. Raúl was still sleeping when he slipped through the door and headed down the stairwell to the bathroom on the first floor. Doctor Barilla let them use the bathroom in the back of his office as long as they kept it clean and didn’t interfere with any of his patients, not that he got many.
    Despite the fact that Doctor Barilla was drunk the night Mamá died, Julio pitied him more than blamed him. Julio had been angry at first, but the doctor’s charity and his lighthearted good nature made it difficult to hold a grudge against him. The doctor seemed incapable of any real malice. He was