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0- Prologue (Where to begin?)
"Where to begin?" That is a question I've been asking myself all my life. To be honest, I don't know how to begin the telling of my life. I have never been good at writing stories. Probably, the reason is because I'd rather speak to you, but I am unable to do so, for reasons I will explain further in this book.
All my life, all I ever wanted was to be a great person. Someone important for the world. Delusions of grandness and desires. Did I manage to accomplish it? I don't know, you're the one who will answer that question...
My son, by the time I finish writing this book, 6 months will pass before you even get the chance to touch its pages. By then, you will have reached the apparent end to a quest you decided to take on, in order to understand more about your past, your origins, and the reason as to why your mother hid, for so much time, the truth about me, your father.
The truth is: There is a reason for all of this, and that reason is written on the last pages of this book. But before you put your fingers on such ages, I ask only one thing of you: Read the rest of the book first. Before you rush into action, you will need to know, in detail, some of the aspects of the people you will meet soon after the reading of this book.
The person who instructed you on how to, and where to acquire this book is the only one left alive. By the time you read this, I will be dead already.
Please, forgive my lack of chronological order, for I lack the patience to go through all of my life in order. However, I will write almost all of the important details you need to know, so that you may know almost everything about me. I'm an old man now, I'm sitting on a chair nearby a window, as I write this book. The only thing that has managed to keep me alive, is the desire to leave you this little piece of history, because, once you get to finish reading this book, you will realize who I truly am to society.
Many historians and critics of music have been trying to find me, all of them eager to get at least five minutes with me, but I became untraceable after the incidents of 2025. From 2025 onward, I have been living in the old motherland, and ,although many have come close to finding me, I have successfully kept my location secret.
My son, if I ever offended you, because of the lack of a father-figure, or if I became an inconvenient demon in your life, I do not ask you for forgiveness, but rather, I ask you to live the rest of your life freely, without remorse nor regret. You're young, you're full of energy and you've got plenty of time left, in order to work your future. Please, do not waste such precious gifts.
I love you son, that's why I did what I did: To give you a chance in life.
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(Based on true stories)
1-Addiction (We became blood-brothers)
The first thing you probably need to know, is who was my best friend at that time. His name was Hugo. He and I met sometime in 1996, but we didn't get to be friends until 2004. By that time, I was 15 years old, and he was months ahead of me, regarding age.
One fateful day, by the month of January (2005), we were intensely looking for a chance to play live. Our first option was to ask for permission to do a presentation at Tajin's (The school Hugo and I went to) February festival, which was 3 weeks ahead by that time. However, due to the reputation and amount of problems we had with Sonya and her sisters, who were daughters to the school's supreme board, we were rejected.
Then, we thought of doing it at someone's house, but we were not ready yet. You see, in order to have a successful night, we needed to have more practice, and skill. I had barely begun my musical training, and so did Hugo, thus, we were not prepared to take on such endeavor. So, we had no other choice, but to go out and beg to the owner of some of the night clubs in Capitol City's periphery. We agreed to go out one day after school.
Hugo made some calls, and arranged a "ride" with one of his oldest friends from his childhood. His name was Benny, he was an upper-class white male, 16 years old at that time. Little did I know, that Benny was to make me suffer in the near future... And so, the chosen day came.
It was Monday, the sky was cloudy, and the weather was wonderfully cold. There is no snow in Capital City, due to the lack of moisture in the air, but still, I have always loved the cold weather.
Anyway, after classes, Hugo and I rushed to the exit, where Benny was already waiting for us while standing next to his "vintage" car: An 80's New-Yorker. We hopped in, and we began our not-so-long trip to one of the neighbor municipalities to the one we were in. By that time, Capital City's political distribution was: 16 boroughs (inner-city), and 32 municipalities (peripheral area). It was a huge, 2nd world city. Not the largest, in the world, but one of the largest for sure.
After enjoying a couple of cigarettes, and some of the happy-punk music that was popular at that time, we arrived at "Noctal Avenue" , a large avenue, with all sorts of clubs throughout the whole 12km avenue. Strip-clubs, bars, "musical halls", discotheques, and sex-shops. It was the first time I was in such area, and even though it was one of the places you really shouldn't be during night(Specially if you're a tourist), I felt as if I were entering Las Vegas. Pretty naive of me to think like that, but think of it for a minute: You, being an inexperienced 15 year old boy, wanting to meet risks and adventure along with your "true pals", and doing "grown-up" stuff like smoking and drinking...
We arrived at a club named: "Cube" There, at the entrance was the typical bouncer and the typical line of persons waiting to "realize their dreams" (a.k.a. entering the club), we all looked young, and we were still wearing our school uniforms (Yes, we were forced to use school uniforms), but this is Capital City; all you need is money to keep on things working the way you want them to (Or they way it should be?).
Hugo gave me $200, and I volunteered for the job (Bribing the politically-correct bouncer). I approached the man by the luxury entrance:
Me: Yo, mate, is your manager nearby?
(The bouncer gave me a mean look, which made me hesitate) (I felt as if I were acting stupidly, still, I went on)
Bouncer: What do you want him for?
Me: I just need to speak to him about some business he might be interested.
Bouncer: What the ****, man! Are you stupid?! You don't do that like that, someone's gonna kill you!
(Little did I know he got the wrong idea, I was very naive at that time)
*Hugo Benny noticed the bouncer's reaction, and immediately warned Hugo, both of them were smoking while leaning against Benny's New-Yorker. * *They both approached the scene in a haste*
Hugo: What's going on?
Benny: I think you got the wrong idea, sir. We're not here for that. My friend's stupid and doesn't know how to speak properly (That which he said annoyed me, but I was more frightened by the bouncer's look at the three of us).
Bouncer: What the **** do you want?
Hugo: ... (Scared like a little baby)
Benny: Look, we have a band, and we want to meet your manager so that we can book a presentation.
Bouncer: You own a band?! (The bouncer was furious) Look...
*But then, a miracle happened: The manager had gotten word of "trouble" going on by the club's entrance and approached the scene to have a look*
After a while, and after a long explanation (And some begging), he mercifully agreed to let us enter his office. I made my way through the stairs that went up to the 2nd floor of the night club. Below me, the 1st floor was filled with 20-year-olds who were drinking and feasting on themselves as they satisfied their need for lust with their respective "partners". TO be honest, I've always had a hunger for lust and sex myself, and the mere look of such ecstasy below me made me feel...
Only Benny and I were allowed to enter, Hugo remained outside the club, while he waited for us inside the New-Yorker.
We passed through the curtain-door (Pretty lame in my opinion for a night club) and came inside the manager's office. In it, I sat on a chair, as Benny waited for me right by the curtain-door. "How's it gonna be? What do you offer?" The manager asked me. I then proceeded to explain to him that we were a recently formed band, and that we wanted to make it big for our first "big-jam". That last statement didn't please the manager, so he went directly into business, and said we could do it, as long as we gathered a minimum of 150 persons. If such persons showed up, then we'd be allowed to play on-stage. No share for us, except for the drinks the three of us were to consume during the course of our presentation. The manager also requested a minimum of 14 songs from us to perform.
After a 5 minute talk, I ended up with a bunch of 300 flyers for the club, we were supposed to fill in the back of such flyers the name of our band, schedule and a "password" (Just the name of the manager written on the back of the flyer). "See you guys on Saturday" Those were the last words he said to me, before kicking me out of the place along with Benny.
Benny and I came out of the Club, and rushed to the inside of the New-Yorker. (During those 30 seconds, Benny kept saying: "What happened?!" As if he were a little child, I kept answering: "Wait, wait until we got inside the car!"). In there, Hugo asked the same thing Benny kept asking me during our "trek" to the car: "What happened?!".
Me: We made it! (Both, Hugo and Benny, smiled like a clown in a children's party)
Hugo & Benny: !!!!!!!!!!!!
Me: It's done mate, we need to gather 150 persons, play at least 14 songs, and fill a bunch of flyers.
After a not-so-short discussion and excitement about the issue, the three of us yelled things like: "****, yeah!"..., and kept repeating our handshakes. Anyway, after repeating each other, how proud and happy we were, I proposed the brightest idea: "Let's celebrate" .
Now, you don't need to be a genius to imagine how we decided to celebrate. So the only problem left, was "where" to celebrate. "Alright, *****es, I know a mountain, nearby where I live, it's a lonely place, and given the time it is now, we can easily jump off the fence" Yes, that's right, drinking during the night, and in the top of a mountain, "brilliant". You see, *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE* is a country with vast regions, although it may seem small in a map, the actual land is home to deserts, valleys, mountains, rivers, jungles, beaches, and forests. Capital City, which as the name implies, is the capital of *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE* , is located in the geometrical center of the country, and it just so happened, that both, the inner city and the periphery (the whole City), specially the periphery (Where, as of now the story is taking place) were located in the mountainous area.
Now, after stopping by in one of those convenient stores to buy some alcohol, and driving for 30 minutes (Due to the traffic), we all arrived at the foot of a mountain which served as a residential area of a place named "Forest Pewter". As the name implies (It really does?) it was an upper-class residential area, which , along with other similar upper-class residential areas (I used to live in one of them) nearby, used to be wild forests in the past. It was actually, a beautiful place to live in, far away from the noisy city, and close to the stillness of nature (You could actually spot rabbits, squirrels and other forest creatures!).
Anyway, we left the car parked under a tree that remained a few meters away from the entrance to Forest Pewter. At first, I thought we could climb up the fences that surrounded the foot of the mountain, but it had a long barbwire at the top, making it impossible for us to climb to the other side. The other way in, was to actually sneak in Forest Pewter and from there, a short walk to the wild part. You see, Pewter Forest Residential Area was built on top of 40% of the mountain we were about to climb. That left 60% of darkness and "wilderness" left for exploration. At the top of the mountain (Still the wild part of it) there was a huge antenna, which supplied all of the Residential Areas below it.
I grabbed the plastic bag containing the liquor, and carefully, we managed to crawl below the wooden gate, which had a police station guarding it. Luckily for us, policemen and guards in Capital City where as lazy as a *INSERT RACIST COMMENT ABOUT A COUNTRY HERE* . They were asleep.
Slowly, and without making any noise (I kept holding my breath until we were on the clear) we followed the pave that lead to the highest house on all of Forest Pewter. When we reached that house (A beautiful house which a year before I visited during midnight...), we looked back in order to see if anyone had seen us... We were clear!. We then proceeded to the darkest part of the pave, and from there, we made our way to the route, made out of dirt, that lead to the huge antenna.
The wind was blowing hard from that altitude, and the dark and cold night made our breaths look like steaming machines. During our shirt journey, I could feel the dry leaves of the trees and the crunchy grass as I walked trough the beauty of the mountain.
We finally reached our spot, there we opened our cans of beer, uncorked our wines, and drank vodka. Now, you may think I was too young to drink such tremendous amounts of alcohol, but the truth is that at that time, I had developed an alcohol tolerance thanks to the parties and people I used to hang with...We all had the same "problem". During our feast, we celebrated our long-awaited chance of making a big debut. We sat down by the antenna, and began talking about our "dream" girls. That's when I first told Benny about Caro (Kah-ro) the girl with whom I would experience true love for the first time in my life...
Time went by, and it was 1:00 AM already, we where dizzy (Not drunk...yet!), we where about to start planning our jam, when I reached for a sixth can of beer. Suddenly, a blue light blinded me as I tried to get a look at my beer.
Officer 1 and 2 made their appearance at the "crime" scene, where a 10-4 was taking place, apparently, 3 under-age minors were consuming liquor on a public place. Clearly, it was a violation to the law, and the station had made it very clear: "Full extent of the law to the law-breakers!"
Two fat policemen approached the place we where in. "Evening, lads. What were you doing?" The fattest one said in a threatening tone. "Station, this is Sanchez and Olsen, we're dropping by two minors" Sanchez reported trough the intercom.
Hugo was about to cry for his mommy, I could see it in his eyes. He had always been a cry-baby at a situation of "danger". Benny was frozen solid, as his eyes glared Olsen. I felt that weird sensation in my stomach. I couldn't tell if I was scared, angry, or even...anxious? I had never before experienced a situation like this. Sure, I was a "bad" boy: going to parties, getting drunk, smoking, having sex with other girls I barely knew from my school, and skipping school, but I was actually mama's boy for the time being. I was a little brat who went beyond his limitations, so that I could get a taste of what "living life" was. (I feel stupid right now).
Olsen spoke words of authority:
Olsen: You're gonna get screwed, you little ****ers. Not only were you drinking in a public place, but you also trespassed the limits of this Residential Area. Now, I even got the video showing the brand of the drinks you were feasting on. Hahahahahahaha. You ****ing idiots!
Olsen's hideous teeth showed as he grinned.
Corrupt swines who only wanted bribe money in order to pay-off the vicious acts of their pathetic families. Sons who were already committed to crime. Wives who were doomed to forever depend on a vicious pig who would abuse them over night. Fathers to a disgraceful product of society. Here in *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE* where corruption met the instability of an ever-decaying society. God bless *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE*! They grabbed each one of us by the scalp, and threw us inside the cop car.
Now the three of us were scared to the bone. I felt fear inside my stomach, as I moved erratically my limbs inside the cop car. Benny and Hugo were, at best, doing the same. "Holy ****ing ****!" Hugo said in frustration, followed by a punch against the car's door. "Un-****ing-believable!" Sanchez said as he mocked Hugo. Sanchez and Olsen, the two pigs, enjoyed watching the look on our faces. They drove us down to the nearest station. However, during hour 15 minute "ride" (which seemed longer for us) Sanchez and Olsen thought it'd be funny for us to tell them a joke. Now, who the hell would tell a joke during a situation like this?! They were enjoying every bit second of it, they thought it was funny to play with our little "virgin (As Olsen and Sanchez themselves said)" minds.
Obviously, none of us three replied back, and since Sanchez and Olsen felt like teasing teenagers was way too funny, Olsen took out his pistol and pointed it at us. "Now, you. Tell me a joke, or else, I'm gonna fry your friend here!" Olsen said trough the armored glass that divided the front seats of the car (Where the two policemen were sitting) and the rear seats (Were we were sitting) as he demanded me to amuse him.
At first, I couldn't stop staring at the pistol's end, but then I got a hold of myself and focused on finding a "good" joke to tell Olsen. I started stuttering the best joke I could remember, and as I went through with it, my voice became stronger and my tone became more serious. Fortunately, I managed to get a laugh out of Sanchez and Olsen with the joke I remembered, and thankfully, they left us in peace until we got to the parking lot of the station.
There, they took us out with the same violence they had gotten us in minutes before. Then, Sanchez gave us words of forgiveness:
Sanchez: Alright, *****es. It's gonna be $500 for the three of you. (None of us had that amount of money, we only had $200 left). $200?! Well, then, only one of you is free to go.
*As Sanchez prepared to receive the payment, we three looked at each other*
Me: Look, (I said with a frightened voice) you two are my best friends (Silly me). I say we either go all down together, or the three of us safe, TOGETHER!
Benny: **** yeah! (He said in a frightened voice as well) I don't care, if we remain together we will endure whatever's gonna happen to us!
Hugo: I won't leave you two guys alone! (You already know how his voice sounded) You too are my best friends!
Benny: You guys too!
It may have been an embarrassing moment, and a display of weakness. But the truth is that we spoke what our hearts told us to at that time. Sure, only Hugo was my best friend, I just recently met Benny (I first met him 2 weeks before this happened), but still, it was the need of confidence that made me speak out those words out loud. Benny didn't even know me that well, but the same thing happened to him; his only true friend (And not his best friend, however) was Hugo. And Hugo, he was feeling just like me. He told me so about one week later after this "incident". Whatever the consequences, we felt like it was the right thing to do. We felt safe as long as we had someone we could count on, and never leave us behind, no matter what. And given the circumstances, and the situation we were in, we all made a pact that night. It's that kind of pact you make, where no words need to be spoken; much like when playing on a football team, or when you're at school, and you know you and your pals have been caught doing something you shouldn't. The only thing I wonder is why we lose this ability to bond with others, no matter how much time you have of knowing them, as we grow up and become adults.
Anyway, Sanchez spoke words of understanding:
Sanchez: Will you ****ing-look at this! You ****ing *****es, you don't even know what's inside . You think you can "overcome" adversity within this walls!? Don't be ****ing naive! Now, a true friend lets his other friend save him/herself. That's a true friend. You're not doing it right...(He waited for one of us to hand him the money, but none of us did. Instead, we kept looking at each other in an attempt to find inner strength) ...You know what! **** you, you're going inside, you ****ing pieces of ****!
Sanchez and Olsen dragged us to the inside of the station.
Inside the station, we were put in front of a desk, where a lady asked Sanchez and Olsen the reason why we were brought in. "Small time dealers" Olsen answered, as he showed the lady over the desk a stack of marijuana wrapped in a piece of paper. "That's a federal crime, you guys won't have the chance for parole". The lady said as she ordered other three policemen to guide us to the "hole".
After a series of test to see if we had been drinking alcohol, (which we were, and obviously we came out positive) they took away our cellphones, belts, shoes and personal belongings. (Olsen and Sanchez took away all of our money as we handed it over). Luckily, before they registered us, I gave a look at Hugo (I wanted him to give me his phone). He immediately got the idea, and carefully handed it over to me. I put it right below my *INSERT FILTHY PART OF THE BODY HERE* And thanks to the "efficient" legal system and procedures of *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE* I managed to keep it. Finally, because all of the independent cells where occupied, we were thrown into a room with a huge glass (For people of the outside to see) together.
Inside this particular "hole" there was a guy curled into a ball while on the floor. When he heard how we were forced in, he immediately stood up and stared right at us. He was wearing filthy clothes, as if he had been working in a construction site all day long. His eyes were lost, he was obviously under the effects of some drug. It was a very sad image to look at. Now, while Hugo and Benny avoided eye-contact with this particular individual, I kept looking at him whilst I realized many of the injustices that occurred in this world on a daily-basis; something I didn't stop to analyze before in my life. After all, this guy looked like an addict, a poor addict. Probably he had become an addict because he was born in the streets, with no proper guidance from anyone in life, no father figure, no mother figure, just vice and crime in the "wilderness" of the streets, and the indifference of the society (It's funny how a problem stops being a problem when you get used to it). Probably, this guy was only a victim of drugs, and he ended up locked here because he got caught by a corrupt cop who wanted bribe money, and since this guy couldn't afford some bribe money, he just got the punishment he "deserved" for being a victim of an ever-decaying society who cares only for the latest celebrities' gossip.
"Holy,****" Hugo, Benny and I kept saying as we desperately realized the huge problem we were in. "That ******* cop!" Hugo yelled in anger as tears began to fill his eyes. Then, the guy approached us, and in the most indistinguishable voice, he said "What's your name?" After thinking on what he said, and deciphering the "code", each of us answered: "Benny", "Hugo", I said my name. Then Hugo asked the guy what his name was. Again, after deciphering the gibberish, we understood: "Simon". His name was Simon.
Hugo: Why are you here for?
Simon: **in
Benny&Me: ????
Hugo:What?
Simon:Heroine.
Hugo,Benny&Me:Aaahhh!!!
And then, Simon retired to the opposite corner we were in. Just like that. We just watched as Simon walked away from us and curled into a ball again. (Odd)
After much exasperation and concern, I finally dared.
Me: Guys, you know what? **** it, let's call our parents. Let's tell them to come and get us out of here. I mean, forget about what the might say, forget whatever punishment is in line for us. It is a hundred times better than having to wake up next to a *INSERT RACIST COMMENT HERE* everyday in jail. And we have to do it fast before they move us.
It did not take a lot of effort to convince them, after all, we were spoiled little brats, not stupid. Bravely, Benny offered to call his parents, since his parents were the ones with more money in they bank accounts. I took out Hugo's phone from my *INSERT FILTHY BODY PART HERE* and after a few minutes, Benny ended the call. "It's done, they're coming" Benny said as he handed me the phone in order for me to keep it safe. If the guards knew we had a phone they'd immediately take it away from us.
A few minutes passed, and then, a horrible thing happened. Three other guys were sent into the "hole". However, this three guys were true criminals. I never knew their names, but I did get to know why they were in: Kidnapping (Federal Crime) Grand Theft Auto (Federal Crime) and piracy (You already know). Three of the best kind of persons this country has to offer! When they got in, the first thing they did was examine us. They immediately noticed we were NOT criminals, and that we were here because of the lack of bribe money, in order to pay for our release.
The only decent thing those three monkeys did to us was to ask the reason why we were in. We told them the whole story, and as soon as we finished telling our story, one of them asked us if we had any cellphones they could borrow. Obviously we said no, and that was our mistake. They had already seen us from the outside, and they saw Benny while doing his call.
Needless to say, the three of them beat us three. I was punched in the stomach, face, and ribs, and while I fell, they kicked my whole body. Hugo and Benny got the same, if not worse, "therapy". After they unleashed their fury on us, they searched Benny's body for the cell phone. Benny didn't have Hugo's cell phone, and that did cost Benny his body's privacy. Luckily for him, he was touched, and only touched, for right when things were about to turn uglier, the cops knocked on the door. Benny's parents had already made the arrangements for our release.
A cop entered the "hole". "The three of you, get your **** on, time to go". The cop said as he waited for us to walk outside the "hole". I managed to stand up, and helped Benny get up. Hugo and Benny left the room, I remained last, as I saw one last time Simon and the other three guys who only watched me with eyes of fury.
Before walking out the station, we were given our stuff, and, right in front of our faces, our criminal records were destroyed. It seemed that Benny's parents had payed around $12,000 for the release and "cleaning" of us three. Finally, we walked out the station, where Benny's parents were waiting us...
"Oh my God! Please, clean yourselves!" Benny's mother said as she handed us three a piece of paper. She had noticed the beating we received, for our faces were bleeding. Benny's parents did what they shouldn't have: They cheered us up, gave us a ride home (Both, Hugo and Me) and promised not to tell our parents, since they understood we were framed, and we didn't actually sell drug. And to top it all, they invited us to Benny's house the next day, in order for us to make the preparations for the big presentation we were about to give.
At that moment, I felt as if I were the luckiest guy on Earth. Not only would they not tell my parents, but they also gave me a ride home, and I owed them nothing! They payed for my doings!. But now that I look back at this particular moment of my life, I say: How stupid of me, and how pathetic. I could have done better! I don't regret any of what happened, for I learned from that experience, but I truly deserved my punishment. This, was just one of the many warnings to come, right before I made the worst mistakes of my life.
In the end, as I got out of Benny's parent's van, I thought: That was very close!...
To be continued...
0- Prologue (Where to begin?)
"Where to begin?" That is a question I've been asking myself all my life. To be honest, I don't know how to begin the telling of my life. I have never been good at writing stories. Probably, the reason is because I'd rather speak to you, but I am unable to do so, for reasons I will explain further in this book.
All my life, all I ever wanted was to be a great person. Someone important for the world. Delusions of grandness and desires. Did I manage to accomplish it? I don't know, you're the one who will answer that question...
My son, by the time I finish writing this book, 6 months will pass before you even get the chance to touch its pages. By then, you will have reached the apparent end to a quest you decided to take on, in order to understand more about your past, your origins, and the reason as to why your mother hid, for so much time, the truth about me, your father.
The truth is: There is a reason for all of this, and that reason is written on the last pages of this book. But before you put your fingers on such ages, I ask only one thing of you: Read the rest of the book first. Before you rush into action, you will need to know, in detail, some of the aspects of the people you will meet soon after the reading of this book.
The person who instructed you on how to, and where to acquire this book is the only one left alive. By the time you read this, I will be dead already.
Please, forgive my lack of chronological order, for I lack the patience to go through all of my life in order. However, I will write almost all of the important details you need to know, so that you may know almost everything about me. I'm an old man now, I'm sitting on a chair nearby a window, as I write this book. The only thing that has managed to keep me alive, is the desire to leave you this little piece of history, because, once you get to finish reading this book, you will realize who I truly am to society.
Many historians and critics of music have been trying to find me, all of them eager to get at least five minutes with me, but I became untraceable after the incidents of 2025. From 2025 onward, I have been living in the old motherland, and ,although many have come close to finding me, I have successfully kept my location secret.
My son, if I ever offended you, because of the lack of a father-figure, or if I became an inconvenient demon in your life, I do not ask you for forgiveness, but rather, I ask you to live the rest of your life freely, without remorse nor regret. You're young, you're full of energy and you've got plenty of time left, in order to work your future. Please, do not waste such precious gifts.
I love you son, that's why I did what I did: To give you a chance in life.
---------
(Based on true stories)
1-Addiction (We became blood-brothers)
The first thing you probably need to know, is who was my best friend at that time. His name was Hugo. He and I met sometime in 1996, but we didn't get to be friends until 2004. By that time, I was 15 years old, and he was months ahead of me, regarding age.
One fateful day, by the month of January (2005), we were intensely looking for a chance to play live. Our first option was to ask for permission to do a presentation at Tajin's (The school Hugo and I went to) February festival, which was 3 weeks ahead by that time. However, due to the reputation and amount of problems we had with Sonya and her sisters, who were daughters to the school's supreme board, we were rejected.
Then, we thought of doing it at someone's house, but we were not ready yet. You see, in order to have a successful night, we needed to have more practice, and skill. I had barely begun my musical training, and so did Hugo, thus, we were not prepared to take on such endeavor. So, we had no other choice, but to go out and beg to the owner of some of the night clubs in Capitol City's periphery. We agreed to go out one day after school.
Hugo made some calls, and arranged a "ride" with one of his oldest friends from his childhood. His name was Benny, he was an upper-class white male, 16 years old at that time. Little did I know, that Benny was to make me suffer in the near future... And so, the chosen day came.
It was Monday, the sky was cloudy, and the weather was wonderfully cold. There is no snow in Capital City, due to the lack of moisture in the air, but still, I have always loved the cold weather.
Anyway, after classes, Hugo and I rushed to the exit, where Benny was already waiting for us while standing next to his "vintage" car: An 80's New-Yorker. We hopped in, and we began our not-so-long trip to one of the neighbor municipalities to the one we were in. By that time, Capital City's political distribution was: 16 boroughs (inner-city), and 32 municipalities (peripheral area). It was a huge, 2nd world city. Not the largest, in the world, but one of the largest for sure.
After enjoying a couple of cigarettes, and some of the happy-punk music that was popular at that time, we arrived at "Noctal Avenue" , a large avenue, with all sorts of clubs throughout the whole 12km avenue. Strip-clubs, bars, "musical halls", discotheques, and sex-shops. It was the first time I was in such area, and even though it was one of the places you really shouldn't be during night(Specially if you're a tourist), I felt as if I were entering Las Vegas. Pretty naive of me to think like that, but think of it for a minute: You, being an inexperienced 15 year old boy, wanting to meet risks and adventure along with your "true pals", and doing "grown-up" stuff like smoking and drinking...
We arrived at a club named: "Cube" There, at the entrance was the typical bouncer and the typical line of persons waiting to "realize their dreams" (a.k.a. entering the club), we all looked young, and we were still wearing our school uniforms (Yes, we were forced to use school uniforms), but this is Capital City; all you need is money to keep on things working the way you want them to (Or they way it should be?).
Hugo gave me $200, and I volunteered for the job (Bribing the politically-correct bouncer). I approached the man by the luxury entrance:
Me: Yo, mate, is your manager nearby?
(The bouncer gave me a mean look, which made me hesitate) (I felt as if I were acting stupidly, still, I went on)
Bouncer: What do you want him for?
Me: I just need to speak to him about some business he might be interested.
Bouncer: What the ****, man! Are you stupid?! You don't do that like that, someone's gonna kill you!
(Little did I know he got the wrong idea, I was very naive at that time)
*Hugo Benny noticed the bouncer's reaction, and immediately warned Hugo, both of them were smoking while leaning against Benny's New-Yorker. * *They both approached the scene in a haste*
Hugo: What's going on?
Benny: I think you got the wrong idea, sir. We're not here for that. My friend's stupid and doesn't know how to speak properly (That which he said annoyed me, but I was more frightened by the bouncer's look at the three of us).
Bouncer: What the **** do you want?
Hugo: ... (Scared like a little baby)
Benny: Look, we have a band, and we want to meet your manager so that we can book a presentation.
Bouncer: You own a band?! (The bouncer was furious) Look...
*But then, a miracle happened: The manager had gotten word of "trouble" going on by the club's entrance and approached the scene to have a look*
After a while, and after a long explanation (And some begging), he mercifully agreed to let us enter his office. I made my way through the stairs that went up to the 2nd floor of the night club. Below me, the 1st floor was filled with 20-year-olds who were drinking and feasting on themselves as they satisfied their need for lust with their respective "partners". TO be honest, I've always had a hunger for lust and sex myself, and the mere look of such ecstasy below me made me feel...
Only Benny and I were allowed to enter, Hugo remained outside the club, while he waited for us inside the New-Yorker.
We passed through the curtain-door (Pretty lame in my opinion for a night club) and came inside the manager's office. In it, I sat on a chair, as Benny waited for me right by the curtain-door. "How's it gonna be? What do you offer?" The manager asked me. I then proceeded to explain to him that we were a recently formed band, and that we wanted to make it big for our first "big-jam". That last statement didn't please the manager, so he went directly into business, and said we could do it, as long as we gathered a minimum of 150 persons. If such persons showed up, then we'd be allowed to play on-stage. No share for us, except for the drinks the three of us were to consume during the course of our presentation. The manager also requested a minimum of 14 songs from us to perform.
After a 5 minute talk, I ended up with a bunch of 300 flyers for the club, we were supposed to fill in the back of such flyers the name of our band, schedule and a "password" (Just the name of the manager written on the back of the flyer). "See you guys on Saturday" Those were the last words he said to me, before kicking me out of the place along with Benny.
Benny and I came out of the Club, and rushed to the inside of the New-Yorker. (During those 30 seconds, Benny kept saying: "What happened?!" As if he were a little child, I kept answering: "Wait, wait until we got inside the car!"). In there, Hugo asked the same thing Benny kept asking me during our "trek" to the car: "What happened?!".
Me: We made it! (Both, Hugo and Benny, smiled like a clown in a children's party)
Hugo & Benny: !!!!!!!!!!!!
Me: It's done mate, we need to gather 150 persons, play at least 14 songs, and fill a bunch of flyers.
After a not-so-short discussion and excitement about the issue, the three of us yelled things like: "****, yeah!"..., and kept repeating our handshakes. Anyway, after repeating each other, how proud and happy we were, I proposed the brightest idea: "Let's celebrate" .
Now, you don't need to be a genius to imagine how we decided to celebrate. So the only problem left, was "where" to celebrate. "Alright, *****es, I know a mountain, nearby where I live, it's a lonely place, and given the time it is now, we can easily jump off the fence" Yes, that's right, drinking during the night, and in the top of a mountain, "brilliant". You see, *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE* is a country with vast regions, although it may seem small in a map, the actual land is home to deserts, valleys, mountains, rivers, jungles, beaches, and forests. Capital City, which as the name implies, is the capital of *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE* , is located in the geometrical center of the country, and it just so happened, that both, the inner city and the periphery (the whole City), specially the periphery (Where, as of now the story is taking place) were located in the mountainous area.
Now, after stopping by in one of those convenient stores to buy some alcohol, and driving for 30 minutes (Due to the traffic), we all arrived at the foot of a mountain which served as a residential area of a place named "Forest Pewter". As the name implies (It really does?) it was an upper-class residential area, which , along with other similar upper-class residential areas (I used to live in one of them) nearby, used to be wild forests in the past. It was actually, a beautiful place to live in, far away from the noisy city, and close to the stillness of nature (You could actually spot rabbits, squirrels and other forest creatures!).
Anyway, we left the car parked under a tree that remained a few meters away from the entrance to Forest Pewter. At first, I thought we could climb up the fences that surrounded the foot of the mountain, but it had a long barbwire at the top, making it impossible for us to climb to the other side. The other way in, was to actually sneak in Forest Pewter and from there, a short walk to the wild part. You see, Pewter Forest Residential Area was built on top of 40% of the mountain we were about to climb. That left 60% of darkness and "wilderness" left for exploration. At the top of the mountain (Still the wild part of it) there was a huge antenna, which supplied all of the Residential Areas below it.
I grabbed the plastic bag containing the liquor, and carefully, we managed to crawl below the wooden gate, which had a police station guarding it. Luckily for us, policemen and guards in Capital City where as lazy as a *INSERT RACIST COMMENT ABOUT A COUNTRY HERE* . They were asleep.
Slowly, and without making any noise (I kept holding my breath until we were on the clear) we followed the pave that lead to the highest house on all of Forest Pewter. When we reached that house (A beautiful house which a year before I visited during midnight...), we looked back in order to see if anyone had seen us... We were clear!. We then proceeded to the darkest part of the pave, and from there, we made our way to the route, made out of dirt, that lead to the huge antenna.
The wind was blowing hard from that altitude, and the dark and cold night made our breaths look like steaming machines. During our shirt journey, I could feel the dry leaves of the trees and the crunchy grass as I walked trough the beauty of the mountain.
We finally reached our spot, there we opened our cans of beer, uncorked our wines, and drank vodka. Now, you may think I was too young to drink such tremendous amounts of alcohol, but the truth is that at that time, I had developed an alcohol tolerance thanks to the parties and people I used to hang with...We all had the same "problem". During our feast, we celebrated our long-awaited chance of making a big debut. We sat down by the antenna, and began talking about our "dream" girls. That's when I first told Benny about Caro (Kah-ro) the girl with whom I would experience true love for the first time in my life...
Time went by, and it was 1:00 AM already, we where dizzy (Not drunk...yet!), we where about to start planning our jam, when I reached for a sixth can of beer. Suddenly, a blue light blinded me as I tried to get a look at my beer.
Officer 1 and 2 made their appearance at the "crime" scene, where a 10-4 was taking place, apparently, 3 under-age minors were consuming liquor on a public place. Clearly, it was a violation to the law, and the station had made it very clear: "Full extent of the law to the law-breakers!"
Two fat policemen approached the place we where in. "Evening, lads. What were you doing?" The fattest one said in a threatening tone. "Station, this is Sanchez and Olsen, we're dropping by two minors" Sanchez reported trough the intercom.
Hugo was about to cry for his mommy, I could see it in his eyes. He had always been a cry-baby at a situation of "danger". Benny was frozen solid, as his eyes glared Olsen. I felt that weird sensation in my stomach. I couldn't tell if I was scared, angry, or even...anxious? I had never before experienced a situation like this. Sure, I was a "bad" boy: going to parties, getting drunk, smoking, having sex with other girls I barely knew from my school, and skipping school, but I was actually mama's boy for the time being. I was a little brat who went beyond his limitations, so that I could get a taste of what "living life" was. (I feel stupid right now).
Olsen spoke words of authority:
Olsen: You're gonna get screwed, you little ****ers. Not only were you drinking in a public place, but you also trespassed the limits of this Residential Area. Now, I even got the video showing the brand of the drinks you were feasting on. Hahahahahahaha. You ****ing idiots!
Olsen's hideous teeth showed as he grinned.
Corrupt swines who only wanted bribe money in order to pay-off the vicious acts of their pathetic families. Sons who were already committed to crime. Wives who were doomed to forever depend on a vicious pig who would abuse them over night. Fathers to a disgraceful product of society. Here in *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE* where corruption met the instability of an ever-decaying society. God bless *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE*! They grabbed each one of us by the scalp, and threw us inside the cop car.
Now the three of us were scared to the bone. I felt fear inside my stomach, as I moved erratically my limbs inside the cop car. Benny and Hugo were, at best, doing the same. "Holy ****ing ****!" Hugo said in frustration, followed by a punch against the car's door. "Un-****ing-believable!" Sanchez said as he mocked Hugo. Sanchez and Olsen, the two pigs, enjoyed watching the look on our faces. They drove us down to the nearest station. However, during hour 15 minute "ride" (which seemed longer for us) Sanchez and Olsen thought it'd be funny for us to tell them a joke. Now, who the hell would tell a joke during a situation like this?! They were enjoying every bit second of it, they thought it was funny to play with our little "virgin (As Olsen and Sanchez themselves said)" minds.
Obviously, none of us three replied back, and since Sanchez and Olsen felt like teasing teenagers was way too funny, Olsen took out his pistol and pointed it at us. "Now, you. Tell me a joke, or else, I'm gonna fry your friend here!" Olsen said trough the armored glass that divided the front seats of the car (Where the two policemen were sitting) and the rear seats (Were we were sitting) as he demanded me to amuse him.
At first, I couldn't stop staring at the pistol's end, but then I got a hold of myself and focused on finding a "good" joke to tell Olsen. I started stuttering the best joke I could remember, and as I went through with it, my voice became stronger and my tone became more serious. Fortunately, I managed to get a laugh out of Sanchez and Olsen with the joke I remembered, and thankfully, they left us in peace until we got to the parking lot of the station.
There, they took us out with the same violence they had gotten us in minutes before. Then, Sanchez gave us words of forgiveness:
Sanchez: Alright, *****es. It's gonna be $500 for the three of you. (None of us had that amount of money, we only had $200 left). $200?! Well, then, only one of you is free to go.
*As Sanchez prepared to receive the payment, we three looked at each other*
Me: Look, (I said with a frightened voice) you two are my best friends (Silly me). I say we either go all down together, or the three of us safe, TOGETHER!
Benny: **** yeah! (He said in a frightened voice as well) I don't care, if we remain together we will endure whatever's gonna happen to us!
Hugo: I won't leave you two guys alone! (You already know how his voice sounded) You too are my best friends!
Benny: You guys too!
It may have been an embarrassing moment, and a display of weakness. But the truth is that we spoke what our hearts told us to at that time. Sure, only Hugo was my best friend, I just recently met Benny (I first met him 2 weeks before this happened), but still, it was the need of confidence that made me speak out those words out loud. Benny didn't even know me that well, but the same thing happened to him; his only true friend (And not his best friend, however) was Hugo. And Hugo, he was feeling just like me. He told me so about one week later after this "incident". Whatever the consequences, we felt like it was the right thing to do. We felt safe as long as we had someone we could count on, and never leave us behind, no matter what. And given the circumstances, and the situation we were in, we all made a pact that night. It's that kind of pact you make, where no words need to be spoken; much like when playing on a football team, or when you're at school, and you know you and your pals have been caught doing something you shouldn't. The only thing I wonder is why we lose this ability to bond with others, no matter how much time you have of knowing them, as we grow up and become adults.
Anyway, Sanchez spoke words of understanding:
Sanchez: Will you ****ing-look at this! You ****ing *****es, you don't even know what's inside . You think you can "overcome" adversity within this walls!? Don't be ****ing naive! Now, a true friend lets his other friend save him/herself. That's a true friend. You're not doing it right...(He waited for one of us to hand him the money, but none of us did. Instead, we kept looking at each other in an attempt to find inner strength) ...You know what! **** you, you're going inside, you ****ing pieces of ****!
Sanchez and Olsen dragged us to the inside of the station.
Inside the station, we were put in front of a desk, where a lady asked Sanchez and Olsen the reason why we were brought in. "Small time dealers" Olsen answered, as he showed the lady over the desk a stack of marijuana wrapped in a piece of paper. "That's a federal crime, you guys won't have the chance for parole". The lady said as she ordered other three policemen to guide us to the "hole".
After a series of test to see if we had been drinking alcohol, (which we were, and obviously we came out positive) they took away our cellphones, belts, shoes and personal belongings. (Olsen and Sanchez took away all of our money as we handed it over). Luckily, before they registered us, I gave a look at Hugo (I wanted him to give me his phone). He immediately got the idea, and carefully handed it over to me. I put it right below my *INSERT FILTHY PART OF THE BODY HERE* And thanks to the "efficient" legal system and procedures of *INSERT THE NAME OF YOUR COUNTRY HERE* I managed to keep it. Finally, because all of the independent cells where occupied, we were thrown into a room with a huge glass (For people of the outside to see) together.
Inside this particular "hole" there was a guy curled into a ball while on the floor. When he heard how we were forced in, he immediately stood up and stared right at us. He was wearing filthy clothes, as if he had been working in a construction site all day long. His eyes were lost, he was obviously under the effects of some drug. It was a very sad image to look at. Now, while Hugo and Benny avoided eye-contact with this particular individual, I kept looking at him whilst I realized many of the injustices that occurred in this world on a daily-basis; something I didn't stop to analyze before in my life. After all, this guy looked like an addict, a poor addict. Probably he had become an addict because he was born in the streets, with no proper guidance from anyone in life, no father figure, no mother figure, just vice and crime in the "wilderness" of the streets, and the indifference of the society (It's funny how a problem stops being a problem when you get used to it). Probably, this guy was only a victim of drugs, and he ended up locked here because he got caught by a corrupt cop who wanted bribe money, and since this guy couldn't afford some bribe money, he just got the punishment he "deserved" for being a victim of an ever-decaying society who cares only for the latest celebrities' gossip.
"Holy,****" Hugo, Benny and I kept saying as we desperately realized the huge problem we were in. "That ******* cop!" Hugo yelled in anger as tears began to fill his eyes. Then, the guy approached us, and in the most indistinguishable voice, he said "What's your name?" After thinking on what he said, and deciphering the "code", each of us answered: "Benny", "Hugo", I said my name. Then Hugo asked the guy what his name was. Again, after deciphering the gibberish, we understood: "Simon". His name was Simon.
Hugo: Why are you here for?
Simon: **in
Benny&Me: ????
Hugo:What?
Simon:Heroine.
Hugo,Benny&Me:Aaahhh!!!
And then, Simon retired to the opposite corner we were in. Just like that. We just watched as Simon walked away from us and curled into a ball again. (Odd)
After much exasperation and concern, I finally dared.
Me: Guys, you know what? **** it, let's call our parents. Let's tell them to come and get us out of here. I mean, forget about what the might say, forget whatever punishment is in line for us. It is a hundred times better than having to wake up next to a *INSERT RACIST COMMENT HERE* everyday in jail. And we have to do it fast before they move us.
It did not take a lot of effort to convince them, after all, we were spoiled little brats, not stupid. Bravely, Benny offered to call his parents, since his parents were the ones with more money in they bank accounts. I took out Hugo's phone from my *INSERT FILTHY BODY PART HERE* and after a few minutes, Benny ended the call. "It's done, they're coming" Benny said as he handed me the phone in order for me to keep it safe. If the guards knew we had a phone they'd immediately take it away from us.
A few minutes passed, and then, a horrible thing happened. Three other guys were sent into the "hole". However, this three guys were true criminals. I never knew their names, but I did get to know why they were in: Kidnapping (Federal Crime) Grand Theft Auto (Federal Crime) and piracy (You already know). Three of the best kind of persons this country has to offer! When they got in, the first thing they did was examine us. They immediately noticed we were NOT criminals, and that we were here because of the lack of bribe money, in order to pay for our release.
The only decent thing those three monkeys did to us was to ask the reason why we were in. We told them the whole story, and as soon as we finished telling our story, one of them asked us if we had any cellphones they could borrow. Obviously we said no, and that was our mistake. They had already seen us from the outside, and they saw Benny while doing his call.
Needless to say, the three of them beat us three. I was punched in the stomach, face, and ribs, and while I fell, they kicked my whole body. Hugo and Benny got the same, if not worse, "therapy". After they unleashed their fury on us, they searched Benny's body for the cell phone. Benny didn't have Hugo's cell phone, and that did cost Benny his body's privacy. Luckily for him, he was touched, and only touched, for right when things were about to turn uglier, the cops knocked on the door. Benny's parents had already made the arrangements for our release.
A cop entered the "hole". "The three of you, get your **** on, time to go". The cop said as he waited for us to walk outside the "hole". I managed to stand up, and helped Benny get up. Hugo and Benny left the room, I remained last, as I saw one last time Simon and the other three guys who only watched me with eyes of fury.
Before walking out the station, we were given our stuff, and, right in front of our faces, our criminal records were destroyed. It seemed that Benny's parents had payed around $12,000 for the release and "cleaning" of us three. Finally, we walked out the station, where Benny's parents were waiting us...
"Oh my God! Please, clean yourselves!" Benny's mother said as she handed us three a piece of paper. She had noticed the beating we received, for our faces were bleeding. Benny's parents did what they shouldn't have: They cheered us up, gave us a ride home (Both, Hugo and Me) and promised not to tell our parents, since they understood we were framed, and we didn't actually sell drug. And to top it all, they invited us to Benny's house the next day, in order for us to make the preparations for the big presentation we were about to give.
At that moment, I felt as if I were the luckiest guy on Earth. Not only would they not tell my parents, but they also gave me a ride home, and I owed them nothing! They payed for my doings!. But now that I look back at this particular moment of my life, I say: How stupid of me, and how pathetic. I could have done better! I don't regret any of what happened, for I learned from that experience, but I truly deserved my punishment. This, was just one of the many warnings to come, right before I made the worst mistakes of my life.
In the end, as I got out of Benny's parent's van, I thought: That was very close!...
To be continued...