Ehecatl

It is spring, and the hallways of the colegio are crowded with guys cat-calling and goofing around. Girls huddle in gossip flocks as they migrate from one classroom to the next.

Marcus jumps a bit when Diego comes up behind him, flinging an arm over his shoulder. "Oye cabron, don't be scared. What's up? Senor Marchinares practically had to yell at you to get you to pay attention last period." Diego's arm is like a hot brand over his shoulder.

"My mom's having her babies right now," Marcus stammers. "I got called to the office halfway through 2nd period. Gregorio told me she was in the hospital, right now. I'm going to be a brother."

"No way! Why aren't you skipping school, then?"

Marcus recites the whole glum explanation in one breath. "Gregorio said that mom said not to skip school, because she doesn't want me underfoot at the hospital, and the babies probably won't be born until after I get out of school anyways, so their is no point in just waiting and doing nothing when I can be at school."

Diego laughs easily. "You're not even learning anything here. Hey, why don't we just skip right now?"

"What, just us two?" Marcus perks up, trying unsuccessfully to remain casual. He notices the new earrings that Diego is wearing, little black studs that twinkle, and the way his dark eyebrows crouch and leap with each phrase. Diego always has this way of animating everything he says, like it's the coolest thing int the world.

"Sure. You're not even learning anything, and I'm bored with school anyways. If we try to get Miguel to come the teachers might catch us. Let's just go right now." Diego whispers, and Marcus jumps at the soft brush of air against his neck.

"Yeah, okay." Marcus slams his locker shut, twirling the dial a few times. "Where are we going?"

"The wall of course," Diego says, grinning. "Where else?"

...

Over the past couple months the hummingbird has been joined by a couple riding a bicycle, an eagle clutching the sun in its claws, a sailboat on the ocean, and a woman with big red lips and red flowers in her black hair that flowed out until it turned to blue lines sparkling with stars.

They topple their bikes near in the cool shadow of the walls and get to work. At first they'd been nervous someone would catch them, and they would only come in the early mornings. The first hummingbird had chipped off, and they always raced home and cleaned up before anyone could discover them.

Then one day Marcus heard Gregorio talking about the mural. Gregorio was policia, and he should have been worried about catching the perpetrators, but Gregorio and his police friends were talking about some of the beautiful street art they'd seen.

"But Gregorio, aren't you supposed to catch the people who are painting the walls?" Marcus had asked later.

"Of course. We're also supposed to catch the street vendors in the plazas. But Acapulco is a big city, Marcus. The policia have more important things to do than track down people that go to so much trouble to make our city beautiful," Gregorio answered. "Things like drug trafficking, and robberies and murders are what I worry about the most. Those are worse things." He shrugged. "If somebody complains, we'll post a lookout. But so far nobody has complained, so we concentrate on the places that need us."

After that conversation, Marcus and his friends had gotten more bold, often going to the wall after school and getting home late and paint stained and exhausted, but content. They soon white-washed the whole wall, and repainted the hummingbird on a proper base coat. Other art projects soon followed, sometimes whitewashed to make way for others, but the hummingbird always remained the same. Sometimes people walking by would say something, offer suggestions, or even ask if they could help.

But today it was just Marcus and Diego. Marcus and the swift boy with cool brown hands and an easy smile. The best friend with bright eyes. The guy Marcus wished would notice him back, and hated himself for wishing it.

Marcus knew what gay was. "Maricon!" He and his friends would shout at each other in the halls of the school, laughing. He was starting to worry that, in his case, it wasn't a joke.

Marcus pulled off his shirt, and tried to ignore it when Diego did the same. They spilled out the spray paints and some brushes from a broken gym bag, together with some little cans of paint, and got to work silently. Diego had out some black spray and was busy drawing out a new piece in broad strokes, a deep golden tan in his other hand. It used to bother Marcus, the silent intensity with which Diego painted, so uncharacteristic at other times. Now he appreciated the chance to concentrate on his own work. Marcus had discovered over the past couple months that he preferred paint brushes to sprays, and now he was hard at work putting the finishing touches on the lady's red flowers and the stars in her hair. When he stepped back from the wall, he noticed what Diego was painting.

A great, stylized cat encircled a woman holding two babies under the sun-and-eagle. Diego was still just outlining the basic design, but already Marcus could imagine the spots rippling across the golden hide, the brilliant green eyes glittering with malice. He didn't like how those eyes peered hungrily at the babies. "What's that, Diego?" Marcus asked, fighting to control his voice.

"Oh, this is Gregorio, um, I mean your dad." Diego said, gesturing to the beast, "I drew him protecting the twins with your mom. And the hawk is you, of course. We're all on the wall." Diego pointed to the bikers. "That's Miguel and Silvia in a few years I bet. They're always whispering to each other and passing notes. I think they'r already going out and they just haven't told us yet. The lady with the stars is Luisa because she loves flowers and when she grows up she's going to be beautiful. I'm the boat, because I want to escape far away."

"It's nice," Miguel said, feeling like he should appreciate the gesture more. "I just don't like my dad pictured as a jaguar."

"I think it's very fitting, personally," said an unfamiliar voice from the mouth of the alley. Marcus and Diego turned, startled. In the light stood an incredibly beautiful woman with lips the color of the dying sun and giant black sunglasses. A wide-brimmed white hat crowned luxurious chocolate colored hair that looked like it should be in a shampoo commercial, and heavy gold jewelry drooped from her wrists, neck, ears, and ankles. She wore a tight leopard print dress with a smart white blazer, and seemed entirely out of place in this dust-and-sun colored neighborhood.

"A father should be a protective influence," She continued. Her hand brushed up the mural. "It's beautiful. So many secrets hidden in its colors." The woman almost sounded hungry. She turned to the boys. "Diego, why don't you introduce me to your friend?"

"Marcus, this is my aunt Regina. Tia, this is my best friend Marcus." Diego's voice sounds wooden. "How did you find me?"

"You know your father keeps close tabs on you," she says. Regina continues to examine the mural. "This is really very beautiful, Diego." She clucks her tongue. "I wish you would apply yourself so fervently to your school work. Anyways, I came to tell you that your father wants you home. Now."

"But-"

"And if you come right away, I won't tell him where I found you," Regina promises. "I was supposed to find you at school."

"Can't you tell him I'm with a friend at the hospital?" Diego asks desperately. His aunt arches one eyebrow above her glasses.

"My mom is having a baby," Marcus butts in, "Two of them, de echo. We were just putting some finishing touches on the wall, and then we were going to the hospital right way." He gestures at the painting of the babies in his mothers arms. "Diego was just keeping me company."

"If Diego comes now, I'm sure I might be able to get him back to the hospital in an hour or two. Diego?" She gestures imperiously, then leaves the entrance, clearly expecting to be followed.

"Nos vemos, Marcus," Diego grumbles, pulling his shirt back over his paint-stained torso. "I'll try to get over their as soon as I can."

Marcus continued to work on the wall for a little bit after that, but he was alone, and the outline of the big cat was bugging him. He really wished that Diego had picked out something different to represent his dad, like a dog, or a police car. Anything else, really.

Marcus packs up and leaves the paints in a shallow depression in the ground, hidden with some old planks and bushes. He bikes home, showers quickly, and checks the time- 11:48. He makes some tacos, hoping to appease Gregorio for skipping school, packs the food into his bag, and heads over to the hospital.

Of course his mother is in expert care; this is the hospital Maria Teresa works at, and she's one of the most well-respected nurses on staff. Still, Marcus worries. And he sees that his step-father does too. Gregorio is sitting in the lobby, trying unsuccessfully to watch TV as a bunch of rambunctious chicos run around, in the process of tearing everything apart. Marcus hands over the tacos, and they munch in relative silence.

The kids leave after a half hour, and a new show comes on. One of the nursing staff comes into the lobby to invite Gregorio back. No, Marcus can't come in, he's too young. Marcus is left alone, except for the old cleaning lady that had been called up to clean after the kids. Slowly she mops up corn flakes and replaces the trash bags in the waste baskets, and then she too is gone.

Marcus kicks the legs of his chair and tries to find something interesting on the TV, but nothing holds his attention. He looks at the books for children, stacks them neatly, finds a Princess coloring book, looks for crayons and finds only yellow, orange, purple, and red, colors a fiery dress, hunts around and finally finds a half broken brown crayon, finishes the princess with skin the color de cafe, turns the page, does another brown princess with purple and pale blue (found when looking for the skin-tone crayon), puts the book away, looks out the window, wanders into the lobby, and finally sits down again to wait.

A woman's voice startles him, and Marcus looks up to see Regina standing in front of him. Her giant sunglasses hid her expression, but Marcus could imagine a hint of pity.

"You know, in the old days twins were considered lucky. They represented the divine duality of all things." She sets herself in the chair next to Marcus, carefully unwinding the turquoise scarf wrapped around her soft curls. "How do you feel about it?"

"I'm doing okay, I guess," Marcus allows. "I  think it'll be fun to have some siblings. My friend Miguel has eight sisters and three brothers, and they always have fun together. And Gregorio--that's my mom's husband-- he's really nice. Probably much nicer than my real father." He thinks about the jaguar outline in the alley.

"I'm sure you'll make an excellent big brother," Regina says, smiling. "But you seem troubled."

"Well yeah. I mean, babies are noisy and stuff. Family comes first, my mother always says. If I have to take care of them, I don't think I'll get to spend as much time with my friends." Of course, her own family had abandoned her when he was born. Maria Teresa's sister in California was the only one that still called regularly. And she never, ever mentioned his real dad.

"Diego couldn't come," Regina said gently. "But he wanted me to check up on you. It ended up that his father needed him to stay."

"I thought so," Marcus nodded glumly. Diego seemed afraid of his own father sometimes. At least, he wouldn't ever take any of his friends home with him. Whenever he talked about Gregorio, it was always with a hint of wistfulness.

"Well, Marcus, why don't you tell me all about it?" the old woman put her arm familiarly over Marcus's shoulder, and he found himself spilling everything. Not just about Gregorio and the twins, but about Roberto's death, and how he felt it was his fault; about the jaguar that seemed to follow him everywhere, and the vision of the alligator. Even about the feelings he was scared to admit to himself, for another boy. When he finished he felt drained, like all the darkness he'd kept inside was dredged up and washed away. It scared him, how much he told Regina, but she listened like silk, and he couldn't stop himself.

"Would I know this friend that you like?" Regina probed.

"Probably not," Marcus had answered quickly. "Maybe, me and Diego share allot of friends. Do you know all of his friends?" He managed to keep back only that little piece, that it was her nephew.

"No, but now I know you, Marcus." Regina smiled. "You're a good boy, and you've been wise to confide in me these feelings. They're a horrible burden, I know. But I also believe you will do the right thing and drive them away from you. You can be strong."

Marcus felt tender, like his heart wanted to leap and sink at once, and any moment it would rip itself in half. "I can?"

"I know what you told me is very serious and private. I won't tell anyone, and I suggest that you do not as well." Regina shook her head sadly. "Many people will not be very understanding of you, I know. But I'm glad you trusted me."

Afterwards, the Regina hugged him and smiled in satisfaction, tucking away the disinfectant wipes she'd used to clean Marcus's tears. "I think you know what is best, in your heart," she said. "Your mother raised you right. I know you can be strong against temptation. Como dios quiere."

She checked her watch and stood up suddenly. "Dios mio! I'm going to be late," she said as she rustled Marcus's hair. "I own a little spa, and it's being inspected today." She handed Marcus a card. "Tell your mother to give me a call, and I'll give her a free week of sessions. Childbirth can be rough on a woman's body. You are welcome to come too, if you like."

She hurried to the elevator, turning slightly as she tied her hair back up into into the scarf. "I'm glad Diego has friends like you, Marcus."

Marcus was left alone in the waiting room for another lonely hour until the twins, Tochtli and Teresa Maria, were born. It was a long labor, but Marcus's mother was fine, the twins were fine, everyone was fine. Over the next few weeks Marcus only had a few spare minutes in between diapers, helping his mom around the house, and homework to think about what Regina had said. Still, it circled back in his mind, hovering like a buzzard over a carcass. Waiting slowly to descend on him.