Kelly Nguyen 6th period final draft

Torn into two


at the time, when I met Cito, I was about six years old. Growing up

with each other, dating, holding on tightly to someone I could not let go

of, made it hard for me to accept his death. I remember that day of

his burial; it was the worst day of my life. As I stood on top of

his grave, I just could not picture the person I loved, the one who had

been with me for years, eight feet underneath

the ground.


When I was at my aunt birthday party I, met Luis. Everyone

called him by his nickname, Cito. Cito and I used to hate each

other until we played car toys with other kids. There was a silly game

that we played. It was called the "cootie" touch. We got along

pretty well, and I was happy I had a friend like him.


During the summer, after my Aunt Jennys birthday, my mom and

Citos mom enrolled us in the same school. I was in first;

meanwhile, he was in third. Everyday after school, we would go to the

park as long as it was not too cold. Hanging out everyday was

like a routine for us. I am glad we spent everyday together.


As years past, Cito and I started talking more. We were inseparable;

without him, I would not be anything. We never let anything

happen to each other. Every time I was upset, I knew I could rely on

him to be there. He always said, "Crack a smile, or crack a

jack.", When he knew I was upset. He knew just the things to make me

laugh.


Cito and I started dating when I was twelve and he was thirteen

going on fourteen. We were together everyday; I do not

remember us being a second apart. When he started high school, everything

was cool, until he entered the tenth grade. That was

where the time that tension started to grow.


During June, summer of 2007, Citos family and I were talking about

getting him a dirt bike. He was always into street racing,

motor bikes, cars, etc. We got him a dirt bike a month later, which was

July. He was so happy, that he slept next to it for days

until he was able to drive it. That was the first time where I first

saw the biggest cheesiest smile from him. That dirt bike was an early

birthday present for him.


That morning of July 28, 2007, when he was finally allowed to

ride his dirt bike, he called me and told me he was going to go

see me after he was going to put his bike away, when he finishes

riding it. Cito told me he was going to ride his dirt bike at

Summerdale Park, which is located in north Philadelphia, I had a bad

feeling, but I just told him to be careful and that I loved him.


Little did we know, that one little dirt bike could cost him his

life. Shortly, after he arrived at Summerdale park, another

teenager asked him to trade bikes, but Cito said no because he had

just gotten the bike. At that moment Cito knew something was

up, because the boy had put his hand in his pocket and gave him a

dirty look. Cito tried to drive away, but the teenager shot him

in his back. Cito's friend who had been with him had left him laying

there knowing he was going to die.


After the boys shot cito, they took Cito's bike. He laid there

for two hours. Unwantedly, Cito had died in Summerdale park

around 6:00 p.m. If he were still alive, he would have been paralyzed for

his whole life. Well, two hours after he was shot, the news got

to the police. Cito had been shot in his back three times. There is was his dreams

and hopes shattered. He attended Mastbuam that was located

on Frankford and Allegheny. He loved cars more then anything and wanted to become a

mechanic.


When I was at home, I got a phone call saying that Cito had been

shot, and that he died. I thought this was some kind of sick

joke until my sister told me to turn on the TV. . I could not believe it.

My heart sank to my guts, I smashed the phone, cried my eyes

out, and ran out of the house to go up to the park immediately. As I

was heading up there, I was thinking it could not be him, and

that this was not happening. Why did they harm the person I loved, the guy

who never harmed a soul? When I saw him, I could not believe

what my eyes were telling me. I saw the cops covering his body with some kind

of cloth. They were asking the people around if anyone had

knew what happened. They went up to ask me what happened but I told them I wish I

knew what happened I. As I looked back at him, I

never knew I could have been so lost in my life. I lost that one person who was so

important to me.


I wanted to run up and tell him to wake him up, because he

could not have been dead; he could not have been. He promised

me he was never going to leave my side. I couldn't believe that Cito

broke his promise to me, he had never broken any before, so

why did he start now? I had never felt so hurt and lost in all of my

life. I could not believe I had to face my biggest nightmare, and that

was losing him. I dropped to the ground as I had all these thoughts running through

my mind”, Why? Why? Why Cito? Out of all people why did it

have to be him?.". My sisters picked me up and said all you need to know is that he's

in a better world, and he loved you too sweetie but

sometimes if you love him you have to let him go. I was quickly to answer”, If I love

him why would I have to let him go? If that’s the case then I don’t

want to love him so he can be here.". As it effected and hurted, me so much it

started to hurt my sister as well, because she never wanted to see

me down.





About a day or so after his death, a construction worker saw a

boy carrying what looked like Cito's dirt bike, but he was not

sure until he heard the boy's mom say, "Take that bike out of my

house; that's the dead boy bike”.. After the construction worker

heard that, he immediately reported it to the cops on the spot. That

boy had been caught and now he has to spend the rest of his

life in jail.


A couple of days later were Citos viewing. At the viewing, we

dressed him so he could leave this hurtful world as himself. I

knelt beside his casket, to give him one last kiss. My hands were shaking

because I could not handle the truth that he was leaving this world.

My heart tore into two as I looked at his face to where his cold white lips and

remembered it as red and living. I put a picture of us together

right beside him as I’m hoping he wouldn't forget what we had and what we went

through. As I looked up, I could not believe this was my last

time ever getting too sees or touch his face again. I placed a picture

of us together in the hope that he would not forget what we had

and had been through together. I looked at his face once again, for the

last time and kissed his cheek. I said to him, "Even though

everything inside you isn't living, I know that somewhere in there that

the love that we shared still lives within in you. No matter what I'll

always love you, because you were such a big part of my life and still

are, can't no one ever take that away from me and you.". I got

up and walked away but it upsetted me because it felt like he was leaving my life

forever. As I walked towards my sister she told me”, don’t worry

baby girl everything happens for a reason.". As she said that to me I slowly turned

my head away and said I wish I knew the reason whether it was

bad or good.


The next morning was the day of the burial. The burial was

filled with family and friends who came to show Cito love and

respect. I looked at the casket and I still couldn't accept that he

wasn't going to be here physically no more. As the time came to

burry him, I cried until I had no tears left. Just a minute before they

put him down, I grabbed a piece of dirt kept it on my heart,

kissed it, made the sign of the cross on the casket, and I knelt down

beside the casket and kissed it. I stood up and looked at it silently

as my sister is comforting me on her shoulder I never felt so much pain in my life

because I didn't want to lose him I thought this was one big

nightmare until my sister woke me up to reality so I knew it was real. As he went

down, my heart and soul went down with him. As he went down,

I repeated in my head, I’d always love you from back then to the end of my life.


As I look back at all that happened about three months ago, I

find that it still hurts more each day. Being so used to seeing

someone who was just with you everyday, being gone, is nothing the same

anymore. I hope that he knows I'm still thinking of him

everyday. For the time being when I go to visit him at his grave, I sit and

talk to him at his grave. When my mom thinks it's time to

leave, tears drop my face because, I don't want to leave him. However, I

know that no matter what, he will always be with me, and God

needs another angel. Therefore, I have to let him go. Every time I'm down I will

always remembered what he told me, "Crack a smile, or crack

a jack”.. It is painful, but I know it's better for him to be in

heaven then in this hurtful, killing world.