by T5
The sun shines in my eyes. Rubbing the sleep dust out of my eyes, I sit up in my bed and look at my two brothers, Pedro and Manito, who are still asleep, snoring. Mother is downstairs preparing breakfast for all of us. Nothing beats her hot pancakes. I usually spread some sugar on them. Hmmm, better wake my brothers. Our beds have to be made before we get any breakfast.
Carefully, I give them a shake each and say, "Good morning, my dear brothers. Another day of wonder awaits us, and nothing will keep me from mother's pancakes, so hurry up out of bed."
I help them make their beds, and then we troop down to the kitchen, where mother is just putting the plates on the table.
"Punctual as always, Juanito. I wonder what would happen if I served something else for breakfast," she says, smiling, and ruffles my hair. My little brothers giggle at me, and I give them a warning glare.
"Today I want you to pay your respects to our new neighbors down the road. I have made a fruit pie for them, and I want you to deliver it with my warmest regards. Tell them to come over tomorrow for dinner when your father has come back."
"Yes, Mom."
"Can we go as well?" asks Pedro with his face full of pancake.
"That's all right, but you must behave. Remember, they are new to this place, so you must give them a warm welcome so they feel at home. Now eat up and brush your teeth. I don't want you to be late for school because of this."
We wolf down our breakfast and then leave with the pie in my hands, wrapped up in a red and white squared cloth. It smells wonderful.
I walk down the street with my two brothers running in circles around me, giggling about nothing in particular. As we approach the tall building, three men emerge from the inside, and the tallest of them says, "Don't worry, Danny, I will make sure we don't do something we will regret. See you for lunch."
He wraps an arm around a younger guy who seems to come from here, but I have never seen him. "So, Sam, where is this place?"
"Oh, just on the other side of the Costansa Square. Nothing posh or anything."
"Mmmm... I didn't think so."
We walk up to them, and I start to say, "Ummm, excuse me, my na--"
"Some other time, kid, we're in a hurry. Sell it to someone else," the taller man says.
"But mother..."
"Not now, okay?"
I watch them march away into the town center, and I look down at the pie, not knowing what to do.
We could follow them and wait until they are ready, but my brothers need to go to school on time.
"Come, I will take you to school instead."
With loud protests and a few tears later, I wave to my brothers as they enter the schoolyard. Their teacher waves back and says, "Juanito! Say hello to your mother from me!"
"I will!" I shout back. Then I hurry back to the town center.
Careful not to topple the pie, I run slowly, but I'm just in time to see the three men walk under a building that's under reconstruction.
That's when it happens. A huge cement block starts to topple and threatens to fall on the three newcomers. I must stop them. If they take a few more steps, the block will surely flatten them. I run.
One of them, the shortest of the three, stops and complains about something in his eye, a fly or something, but the other two continue to walk forward.
I look at the pie and make a hasty decision. My aim is true and well. It shoots through the air, straight into the taller man's face. Just seconds later, the block crashes down on the pavement a few meters in front of them.
The look of surprise will never leave my memory.
Fighting to hold back a roar of laughter, I walk up to them and say, "Welcome to La Perdita." And then I run off.