Nadia burst into the shop door, “Where is he?! Where is that rotten piece of shit?!” She yelled at Salvador who was busy sweeping the floor. Luca ran after her.

“Don’t Mom! I’m telling you I’m fine!”

She continued down the aisle towards the storeroom. “Milo!” She yelled out.

“What is this racket?!” The big sturdy man came out of the storeroom, cleaning his hands with a cloth. Before he could finish his sentence, to everybody's surprise, Nadia hit him across his face. “How dare you hit my child?! I will have the police here and your shop closed before the end of the week, do you hear me?!”

Milo rubbed his face, he had a shocked expression, which was the first time Sara, Salvador or Luca had seen him surprised by something, or anything other than being upset. It quickly turned into pure rage and he lifted his hand to hit her. Before he could make his next move, Salvador saw his intentions and dive tackled him into aisle racks, sending all the aisles falling like dominoes.

Salvador was nimbler and faster than Milo, quickly sitting up straight on top of Milo and going to town on the pudgy face with his fists. Sara was screaming for help while Luca was holding onto his screaming mother. Eventually, passerbys heard the screaming and commotion and when two men saw what was going on they quickly pulled Salvador off Milo. Luca saw his face was red with rage.

“Don’t you ever hit anyone again Milo!”

The men held Salvador back and sirens could be heard outside as the motorcycle police arrived.

They were taking statements from everyone and when they finished Luca saw Salvador sitting on the bench alone, holding an ice pack to his shoulder.

“Can I sit with you Salvador?”

Salvador gave him a big grin, “Sure big man. What can I do for you?”

“Are you okay?” He asked, looking at Salvador's shoulder.

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

“I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for saving my Mom.”

“No problem big man, he had it coming. And between you and me,” he lowered his voice to a whisper. “It was actually kind of fun,” and he winked at Luca.

“Luca!” His mother was calling him and he turned back to Salvador. For the first time he recognized lots of scars on his face with short unshaven beard turning grey in some places.

“I will see you around Salvador,” he waved his goodbyes.

“Goodbye big man.”

Luca didn’t go back to Milo’s Groceries. He and his mom spent their days looking for piece jobs and when they couldn’t find a babysitter for Carla, Salvador would go out with him.

They didn’t make a lot of money, but the pressure was much more bearable knowing he won’t be seeing the horrible managers again and he could go back to the ones he liked.

He had almost forgotten about the flier and interview call he made so many months ago. But late that night after a day which he would rather just forget, the phone rings next to his bed.