A Good Long Way

March 27th is a day that starts at 2:34 in the morning for three kids.  Roelito was up late studying for an algebra test, so he's not happy to be awakened by noises in the hall so early on a test day.  When he realizes those noises are his older brother, Beto, and their father fighting, he starts to get nervous.  This fight is not like all the others.  There is so much intensity and anger between the two.  Roelito is horrified by what he sees especially when Beto doesn't just walk away; he runs away, and Roelito can tell he doesn't intend to return.

Beto may not be a star student, but he gets so angry with his father for not trusting him.  He may be out late playing pool with his friends, but he doesn't drink or smoke.  He just wants his dad to respect him, but it seems like that will never happen.  He's only a few months from high school graduation, but what's the point?  Now that he's out alone a night, he starts to feel a little panicky, so he turns to his best friend, Jessy, for encouragement.  He's sure she can tell him what to do.

When Beto shows up at Jessy's window, he's just another crisis in a stressful evening.  Of course, he doesn't know about the raging fight her parents had earlier or that she spent most of the evening locked inside her bathroom.  She's tried to run away so many times, but she keeps coming back; for what, she doesn't really now.  Like Beto, she's a senior, and no one messes with her at school, not even the teachers.  Everyone knows she's tough, maybe even a little scary.  Most people don't bother to look long enough to really see how smart she is or how much she loves art.

March 27th is a day that starts too early and too hard for these three, but by the end of the day all three will experience change, learn to see others in a way, and make decisions to that will affect the rest of their lives.

Read Rene Saldana's new book to find out what can happen in a day.