"¡Tío Marco!"

Four children, two girls and two boys, of varying ages ran towards a tan-skinned, tall, bulky man. He smiled at the children, spreading his arms out wide to give them all a tight hug. It had been several months since he had last seen this particular group of nieces and nephews, seven months to be exact.

"Tío, did you bring any candy?" one of the two girls asked, which prompted her brothers to look over expectantly.

"Am I a candy store or your uncle?" Marco replied in a deep but kind voice.

"Uhh..."

"Haha, I guess you can't tell the difference with all the candy I normally bring. Okay, tráeme mi mochila."

The four kids gathered around as Marco opened his backpack and pulled out a small bag. While the kids normally had access to candy, they didn't have access to Belgian chocolates and freshly made licorice. Marco normally brought bags of candy for all of the kids whenever he visited, tailoring each bag with specific chocolates and licorice flavors for them.

Marco's family was always excited to see him again. He was the first in the family to leave California for the east coast and the only one who had stories about being trapped in his car during a blizzard and getting stuck in New York after missing the last train to Connecticut. It was always a fun time for everyone.

Marco got to eat his favorite foods like posole, tacos de lengua, birria, and tatemado. His family enjoyed the new stories he had and his older sisters always had a gleam in their eyes when he talked about his girlfriend.

"So, when are you two going to get married?" asked the oldest of the siblings, Yesenia.

"When we have stable jobs and own a house, or when we're 30. Whichever happens last," Marco replied, a grin growing as he saw his sister's face grow exasperated.

"Ya no eres Mexicano. Con la guera se cambio," butted in his other sister, Mariana, her eyes teasing the man.

"And you're just jealous I don't have kids yet," Marco replied with a shit-eating grin. This was what he missed about being home. The shit talking that started with small little jabs. Soon enough, everyone was laughing as they told embarrassing stories of others.

"¿Oye, te recuredas del dia que Reyitos se emborracho?" Tony, one of Marco's three brothers asked.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Which time?" Yesenia asked

"The time he was peeing and fell backwards, asleep?" Junior, another brother suggested.

"Or the time he chased that dude down for bumping into him and beating his ass?" Marco added.

"No," Tony said with a chuckle, "the time when, hehe, when he got drunk and smoked something. Hahahaha, and he started jerking off-"

Tony couldn't finish it without laughing hysterically, leaving the others to slowly remember and start roaring those ab hurting, tear inducing, air gasping belly laughs. They continued until it was time for dinner. The last of the four sisters, Trinidad and Flor, were making their delicious orange rice and macaroni salad. Angel, the last of the four boys, started up the grill while Marco and Junior were marinating some ribs and whole hens.

Today was going to be a little barbecue for the family and everyone pitched in. Tony went out to buy some beers and sodas, Marco and Junior were on the grill, Angel and Mariana warming up tortillas and making salsa, Yesenia starting the dessert, and Trinidad and Flor were setting up the tables and chairs for everyone to sit. Their mom was watching the kids while her eight kids were getting dinner ready.

The women's husbands were still working, but they were going to bring some more food and drinks on their way home. Marco had always enjoyed the way his family got together and prepared everything. They were a team, one that worked extremely well together. This is how it had always been; Marco's heart panged at the thought of leaving back for Connecticut in a week.

He loved being out with his girlfriend, just the two of them. The peace and quiet was unreal and blissful. But he couldn't deny how much he loved his family and the controlled chaos that they were. It was what he grew up with, what he was familiar with. It always troubled him while he was in college, feeling like he would eventually have to choose between being stuck at home or going away and being distant.

His time in Connecticut showed him he could enjoy both. In fact, his enjoyment of being with his family multiplied because of how much he missed them when he wasn't there. But when he thought about leaving again to go back to work and school, he felt pangs of guilt and shame.

Marco looked over at his family. The way everyone was so focused on what they were doing but still somehow aware of who was near and what was being done amazed him. A smile creeped onto his face.

"You miss us, don't you," asked Junior. His younger brother could always read him like an open book. "I know you feel guilty, but we're proud of you. You went to college and now you're getting a master's degree. That's crazy for us. Especially with all the fights we would get into."

"You mean all the fights you got into and I jumped in when others wanted to gang up on you."

"Same shit, we got into fights. But you did it. You got out. Mom has been talking about moving out to Sac with my Tía. Angel would change schools, but he'd have a better chance," Junior replied. "I think seeing you move so far away is making us want to change. Shit, I actually finished high school because of your bitch ass."

"And wasn't that a surprise," Marco chuckled out as Junior jabbed him with an elbow.

"Nah, but seriously foo. I think it's gonna start to change for us. We've been thinking of moving. Trinidad and Mariana want to get their G.E.D. Flor wants to go back to school. Yesenia's husband wants to start school after getting his green card. You know damn well none of them were thinking about it while we were in school."

Marco nodded in acknowledgement. It was true. Their family was starting get themselves out of the city. While it didn't sound like an achievement, there were so many people, including family, that let themselves get stuck in the city. They started the same routine over and over. It was like a disease.

A kid would not want to go to school, start partying and gangbanging cause it's fun and that's what their friends do. Then they're getting arrested or getting killed. A family would want to move somewhere, but then the see all the fees that come with moving and decide it would be better to save money for a while. They save some money, spend it when an emergency happens, save more, then another emergency... It was an endless cycle for some.

But his family was starting to change stuff. Staying here for now, but setting themselves up for the future. Marco was glad. He left Fresno because he didn't want to stay stuck. He got a decent job, networked with the right people who got him better jobs. Now he was getting paid double what he made before. And that's without a Master's.

"You know, Junior. I think we're gonna be alright."