We were all outside of the house skating, my cousin Victor, my brother Francisco, my friend Angelo, and me. We thought we were skating like Tony Hawk but in others people eyes we sucked. It was friday after school, we were all happy, I was super excited that it was a friday, I came home after school gave my mom a big kiss and I ran outside right away excitedly to hang out with my friends. We just wanted to have a good time and we did not want to worry about anything whatsoever especially school. See the problem was the fact that we could only skate in front of the house because this was not Coronado where you can just wander around by yourself with 10 years of age not worrying about anything, well most of the time. Where I first grew up, this was a neighborhood where many problems would occur, problems that are not normal, maybe like um… oh well I don't know like gang fights and murder!!! I was 10 though I was not aware of anything, I had a childish mind, this story that I'm going to tell had changed my mind.

As my friends and I were skating badly there was these group of kids walking on the other sidewalk across the street, they were probably 16 to 17 years of age. It was two boys and one girl. Both of the boys were walking trying to hold their pants up, showing off their boxers which was quite nasty but funny the way they'd walk. They would walk as a penguin side to side, it was quite hilarious. These were all childish thoughts though, we did not really think these people were dangerous people at the time, as usual though I thought wrong.


The girl ended up screaming at us from across the street saying “ Yo let me have your skateboard!“


My brother replied saying in a happy mood “ No I think we're fine.”

Well the other girl did not sound so happy and she replied angrily saying “F***k You,” and as kids we found this to be freaking hilarious which I highly regret now, so then we started cracking up, thinking now to this day if I were able to go back I would slap myself and my friends across the face at least 100 times for how stupid we acted, here is why. Since we laughed thinking it was all a joke, well one of her friends did not think same way.One of the boys started walking across the street towards us saying “What the f***k are you guys laughing at,” with an angry face, with the penguin walk and he was reaching into his pocket and what he pulled out made us change our mood, it sure made me want to pee my pants as a ten year old. He ended up pulling a knife that was about three to four inches, this was the size of the blade only, yeah that would not feel so good if it penetrated my body because it has happened to me but that is another story. He had then started walking towards my brother saying he was about to mess him up ,he didn't actually say it like that, he used a different language that I am not allowed to express but it was quite disturbing, my brothers face had then turned white, not red but white, a face expression that I have never seen my brother do. I freaked out and I had no idea what to do whatsoever at that point. Luckily for us and my brother, my aunt who is now my hero for life, had come outside and she ended up screaming that she was going to call the cops and the teenage boy had then put the knife away


and he said he was just kidding but we all knew better at that point. The teenage boy and his friends had then just walked with a more fast pace of a penguin walk. At that point I was so nervous my whole body was shaking, I also had one of the best happy feelings of seeing them walking away.


After all of this happened we all went inside and we never left the house the whole day. What if my aunt had not come out, would I have a brother to this day? Would I have lost my cousin and friend? Most of all would I have lost my life? I am just glad not one of these things had happened. After this event at ten years old my brother and I would have to learn to defend each other, protect one another, and defend for ourselves because my aunt is not going to be there
the all the time. I had realized that this world is not perfect, and not everyone is perfect and that some people just can not be trusted maybe even your most trusted friends. I had realized after this incident at ten years of age that If I would not want to be counted in the list of 16,929 murders that had occurred that year in 2007, I would then have to stop acting like a child.