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I've come to grow as a person because of certain events that have happened in my life. I firmly believe that past events have molded me into the person I am today. I continually look into my past for answers to situations I'm in now, which leads me into something that has haunted me for years.
It's been 13 years since the night that changed my life forever. With the holidays around the corner, you expect good tidings and a new year. For me, it reminds me of a friend that helped me become what I am, before and after his death.
Monday marked the week of the thirteen-year anniversary of my friend Salvador Leyva's death. December 7th is a day in my life that marks much more than a date on the calendar. Salvador was a 17-year-old teen from Pico Rivera that I had the pleasure of meeting during my days as an employee at In-N-Out Burger. Before I pour my heart out about the night of his death, I want to tell you about the type of person Sal, aka "Chava", was.
Sal was a kind and appreciative young man that only saw the good in people. He had high hopes and dreamed of being successful. He was the kind of person that would smile, laugh and tell jokes to help you have a good day.
The night Sal was killed, he and I worked together in the morning at In-N-Out. It was a Friday. He was on fries and I was on board. On a normal day at In-N-Out, the board and fry people helped each other to get the orders out. This meant we had a lot of communication. During the end of our shift, I was helping Sal cut fries. I remember we were talking about girls and school. It was a common conversation amongst most young men. I was telling him about my recent break up and my plans to go back to school after dropping out from college. He was talking about going to winter formal and a girl he just met. He was planning to ask this girl to winter formal during their planned trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain the next day. Then a guy we called "Beef" walked in and asked if we were going to his party later in the night. He was there to pick up his check when he asked. We knew about the party and knew we were going to go. As our shift ended, Sal thanked me for all the help I gave him on fries and told me that he looked up to me and thanked me for being his friend. I was thrown back by his comment because up until then, nobody had ever told me thank you for being a friend. This is what made it hard to lose him. This made me feel good about myself because earlier that week I had got a ticket, wrecked my car, and was soon to get into an argument with my parents.
As soon as we got off work, I asked Sal to give me a ride home. He did. When we got to my house, we chilled for a little bit, made some calls, and planned to go out. When he turned his car on to leave home, his engine shut off. We opened his hood and noticed that his cables leading to his battery were rusted from the acid from the battery. I called my Dad to fix the problem and he did. Then, Sal went home.
During the time I was getting ready, three friends, Mike, Moro, and Ismael called to let me know if I could pick them up for the party. I didn't have a car but my parents had a van, so I figured I could borrow it. When I asked to borrow the van, my parents sat me down to lecture me about partying and the fact that I had just got a ticket, got into an accident and needed to have my priorities straight, and that going to parties is not a priority. This led to the argument. They refused to lend me the van.
Immediately after walking out to the front, I called Sal and Mike. Mike decided to borrow his uncle's car and pick us all up. When we got to Sal's house, he was working on his car again. It didn't want to start. We asked why he was planning on driving and he told us his cousin wanted to come with us and that we all wouldn't fit in Mike's car. After trying for about fifteen minutes to start his car, we gave up and all piled into Mike's car.
Skipping forward, we decided to leave Beef's party because we felt like a fight was about to break out over some drunken girls that were teasing all the guys at the party by freaking them while dancing. So we left to another party in Walnut, one of Mike's friends, near Nogales High School. When we got there, the party was practically over, so we decided to go back to the car and all share one beer and smoke a half of a joint. We did and then we all piled up back into Mike's car to go back to Beef's party, which was still going on. Because there were six of us in a five passenger Nissan, one of us had to lap it. At first I was asked to lap it but Sal stepped in and offered to lap it instead because he knew I would be uncomfortable. Plus, I was a lot bigger guy than Sal.
As we were on Nogales Street going back toward the 60-west freeway, we stopped for a red light. As we were stopped, a car pulled up next to us and started throwing gang signs at Ismael, who was seated behind the passenger's seat. Being the young idiots that we were, Ismael decided to taunt them and throw back fake gang signs. The rest of us in the car flipped them off. We figured the light would turn green and we would all just be on our way. Before we knew it, shots rang out.
With all the chaos, we managed to pull into the Mobil gas station right off the Nogales freeway exit from the 60. Ismael was screaming out loud that he was shot, but really wasn't. I was screaming to follow the car that shot at us. When we finally stopped in the gas station, I ran out to call for help while Ismael stepped out of the car and was covered in blood. We all noticed that Sal was slumped over in his seat and his cousin had blood all over the back of his jacket. Mike rushed to check on Sal. I came back from using the phone and switched with Mike and held Sal. Sal had been shot three times in the head. I was holding a bandana to Sal's head to try and stop the bleeding but he was gone.
If I had known that the night was going to go the way it did, I would have told Sal that I appreciated his friendship. With his anniversary coming, I'm telling this story to you so that you understand what it's like to lose somebody, figuratively or literally. It's easy to take for granted the life we live. All decisions we make affect our future. There were a lot of what if's to that night. What if we had just stayed home? What if my parents had just lent me the car? What if Sal's car had started? What if I had lapped it? But the fact is, it happened.
It's hard for me to share this and not get choked up. So this Holiday I would like to tell Sal, because I know he follows me and protects me, that I value your friendship. I learned a lot from that night and I continue to live the best life that I can live for you. I will never forget you or that night and I promise that I will see you when my time comes.
I understand that times may get tough and that sometimes we all feel like giving up, but in the end, time mends all. I know that sometimes it may feel weird to hear it from a friend or a loved one that they truly care about you but don't let the opportunity pass you buy to really say how you feel or better yet, show them how you feel. Let my lesson in life be a teaching in yours that tragedy can strike at any second. Let me be the first to tell you that when I say that I love you or value your friendship, whatever our situation, it's because I truly do. I don't want you to go through life not knowing. It's because of his death that changed me forever and makes me loyal, emotional, trust worthy, and reliable. It shouldn't only just be the Holidays that bring out the best in us. We should continue to show our love throughout the entire year. There is no excuse not to. Don't be afraid of change. Welcome it. Don't be afraid to take a chance. Sometimes a chance is all you need. Don't hold your emotions back. Open your heart and share your thoughts. Live your life without causing harm to others. One Love.