Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francesco X Stork Page B

supposed to be for a summer. We don’t take kids that young, normally. But Helen was an old friend and I made an exception. She was in a bad state of mind. Her husband had just died and she was suffering from a mental illness. Then the summer turned into a year, and a year into two, and things slowly began to turn around for her—marriage and a successful career as an artist. She visited Daniel frequently as soon as she was able. When Daniel was fourteen, she wanted to take him with her, but he refused to the point of becoming ill. I don’t know how to describe it. He did not like the rich, comfortable life his mother offered him in Albuquerque. He was happy at St. Anthony’s. He was thriving there, doing well in school. We forced him to spend holidays with her and her new husband, but he always wanted to come back. She had every right to make him stay with her, but she sacrificed her wishes for his happiness.
    “Then came the diagnosis of cancer six months ago. It is different now. He is her responsibility. She sees it as her duty as a mother to make sure he gets the best treatment available. She has too much at stake not to fight for him. And…she has fought internal battles of her own and won. She knows how important it is to want to live, to have the right attitude. She honestly wants to give this hope to Daniel. She believes that his best chances of survival are with her.”
    “She thinks he can make it?”
    “She believes it with all her heart and soul.”
    Pancho paused to think. All that he knew about D.Q.’s illness had come from D.Q. Maybe the kid was overly pessimistic. Hehimself knew the results of going into the ring believing you could win versus the self-fulfilling effects of thinking you were going to get beat. What did he know about D.Q.’s illness? But then again, why should he care? He decided to ask the question anyway. “Does he have a chance? Do you think he can make it?”
    Father Concha twitched his nose again. “I believe that with God, everything is possible.”
    Pancho narrowed his eyes. It was the kind of answer that said nothing.
    Father Concha read the dissatisfaction on Pancho’s face. “We need to believe that it is possible…even if the statistics of the disease indicate that it is not likely.” Pancho looked away from his intense gaze. After a few moments, he felt Father Concha touch his forearm. The touch remained until he turned to face him. “He needs you . He needs a friend like you. Wherever it is you are thinking of going, it will still be there in a few months. Think about it.”
    Pancho grimaced. He could almost feel heavy iron chains begin to coil around his feet. He jumped up from the bench. “I need to get my stuff,” he said.
    “Wait one more second. You said that it didn’t look like his mother will let Daniel go after the treatments are over. Daniel is seventeen, like you. His birthday was last month, like yours. He’s not a child anymore. He’s still a minor, but more and more hospitals and judges are taking into account the determination of young people with regard to their medical treatment, especially with end-of-life decisions. I don’t know how to say this. I’ll try. I believe in what Helen is doing now, but it could be that a monthfrom now, I won’t. A month from now, I might be more inclined to let Daniel determine what is best for him. I promised him that. If she doesn’t let him go, I will support whatever you two decide.”
    Pancho didn’t know how to respond. Why would he have anything to do with any decision involving D.Q.? He wasn’t even sure he understood everything that had been said to him. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t planning on being around a month from then.

CHAPTER 15
    B ehind the hospital, by the emergency generators, in a place that looked like no one had ever set foot there, he dug a hole through the crusted earth and buried the plastic bag with the revolver and the bullets. Then he grabbed his backpack and headed to the