Original subtitles

It's almost 12 o 'clock.

He'll be here, Father. He promised.

I'm sorry, Anna, but it's already been a half an hour.

I've got rounds to do at the hospital today.

Just a couple more minutes, Father, please.

I hope I haven't missed the ceremony.

Anna seems like a very pretty bride.

Although she looks a wee bit nervous. She should be nervous.

Marriage is a big commitment. It takes careful thought. It takes planning.

And it takes two people.

If your father signed this permission slip, then why isn't he here, Anna? He's

working. He has a lot of things to do.

Okay, I'm here.

Miguel, I can't believe you. Where have you been?

I had business.

You look real pretty.

Weren't you bringing the witness, Miguel?

Gonzo didn't show.

Rafael, could we borrow you for a minute?

Yeah, sure.

What do you need, Father?

A witness.

Hi, I'm Rafael. I'm running the church's new community outreach program.

Actually, you guys could help a lot in getting the word out about our new

programs. They're really, really ambitious.

You know what? We've got everybody from... Why is he talking about that

doesn't seem very wedding -like.

He's stalling. This wedding's not supposed to happen today.

a place coming to teach you on everything from woodworking to child

Is that their child?

Yeah, his name's Henry. He's six months old.

They had a baby, and now they want to get married.

It may seem like the right thing to do, but it's like building your house on a

shaky foundation.

Sooner or later, it's all going to come down.

They've got to learn how to build the foundation.

And then we can do something to help them get their lives back in order.

Did I mention the ceramics class?

Yes, I believe you did, Raphael.

But now, we need to get going.

Do you, Ana Teresa Hernandez...

Take this man, Miguel Carlos Acosta, to be your lawfully wedded husband.

Ana! Papa!

Hey, Mr. Hernandez, we really want to do this. No, no, no, no, no. Who do you

think you are speaking to me?

How could you allow this?

Ana has your signature, Tommy.

Oh, she did?

Mr. Hernandez, I'm Rafael.

No, no, no. You see, Miguel, you chose your family.

It's those punks out there who steal cars and cause trouble and make people

on us.

So why don't you go back to them and stay away from my family?

But, Papa, I love him.

For what?

For ruining your future? Huh?

For making promises he's never going to keep? You want him to change, but he

never will. Now, why don't you listen to me?

So did you do the deed?

No, I changed my mind.

Good. Something's popping.

I called a meeting this afternoon.

Chino's back.

Yeah, I know. I picked him earlier.

Hang tight. We'll come back.

I will see you later, Rano. Let's go.

Stay away from her.

I'm glad you're all here.

These streets are too dangerous for a sweet baby.

They're all babies, Miss Wayne. That's the problem.

And in a few days, they're going to make some choices that will have to do with

their future.

We'll determine whether they have one at all.

I will ride and I will walk with you.

I'll walk with you till the sun don't even shine.

Walk with you every time I tell you I'll walk

with you.

Believe me, I'll walk with you.

Hey, Miguel.

You know, Mr. Hernandez isn't a bad guy.

He's just trying to protect his family the best he can.

I can take care of Anna.

He's not just worried about Anna.

He's worried about his grandson.

Your son.

That's a serious deal.

I can handle the baby.

Yeah? You know how to feed him?

You know how to change his diapers?

What do you do when he cries?

Ana does that stuff.

Maybe if you did some of that stuff, Mr. Hernandez wouldn't be on your case all

the time.

Look, a friend of mine is teaching a class right now inside the church.

It's for teenage fathers, like you.

Why don't you come in and check it out?

You're right.

Acosta giving you any trouble there, Rafael?

No, no, no trouble.

We were just talking about him joining our parenting class.

Oh, is that right?

Yeah, that's right.

Let's get to class, Rafael.

That's good. Keep that bottle up.

That's good, Ricky. Good. You're getting the hang of it.

Hey, Andrew. Hey, this is Miguel.

He's thinking of joining our class. He's got a little boy about, what, six

months?

Yeah, I guess.

Six months, huh?

So is he eating solid food yet, or is he still in the bottle?

I said I know.

You're the father, Miguel.

Yeah, the father, not the mother.

Híjole.

What? We all came in here thinking like that, man.

And what do you think now?

You gotta take care of your kid.

At least some.

More than just some, Enrique.

You know, all you guys in here, you're fathers.

Or you're going to be fathers.

And some of you think that makes you a man.

But it's not true.

You know, having a kid doesn't make you a man. Now, raising a kid, that makes

you a man.

Get this.

I got business.

Ah, Miguel.

Good thing you're home.

This is Monica.

Hello, Miguel.

This is volunteering at the church.

Father O 'Grady says he needed a place to stay.

Where's all my stuff?

I'm not sleeping on the couch again. This is my house.

If this is a problem, maybe I should... No, no. You're not the problem, Monica.

My son is.

You want to call this your house?

You act like it's yours. You clean it, you take care of it, you show some

respect. Until then, I'm the one calling the shots.

I tried to give you money. I told you I don't want that kind of money.

This isn't about money, Miguel.

You're going to stay with your things in the garage until you start making some

changes in your life.

The garage?

Yes. You want to prowl around like an animal? You can live like one.

I'm sorry you had to hear that.

I hope you'll still stay.

I'd like to stay.

I'd like to help if I can.

He was a good boy.

He used to mow the lawns in the neighborhoods to buy me birthday

And then those boys made him feel foolish for doing it.

And they showed him another way to make money.

I love my son, Monica.

But I miss the little boy that listened to me.

Hey, come on. You can crash at my crib?

Yeah. His mama's loaded all the time. She'll never know.

Hey.

What?

Nothing.

Relax.

Mama's cool.

She's one of my best customers.

Order number seven is up.

Let me show you a little trick.

See, if you tickle him with lovely chins, see how his mouth pops right

Thanks. My pleasure.

You need to focus now, Miguel.

If Chino takes his corner back, I'll lose one of my more proper spots.

And you two will lose a chance to come up.

You gonna take him out, Gons?

No.

We're gonna take him out.

Señorita!

Chips. Anna.

Makes you mad, doesn't it?

No respect.

I come in here every day and bother my daughter.

And order nothing but free chips and salsa and refillable drinks.

Another manager would have kicked him out of here by now.

I should have done that a long time ago.

Why didn't you?

At least in here I can keep an eye on him.

You care for those boys, don't you?

I care about my daughter and my grandson.

You're good, baby. You're a natural.

Thanks, Miguel.

Ana, I told you not to talk to him.

¿Tienes problema, viejo?

Yeah, he's got a problem.

Me.

Can you go in the back and clean the pots, please?

Look, I told you, you are never going to marry my daughter, so just leave her

alone, okay?

I thought not getting married was your idea, homie.

That ain't the way it went down, Garnt. Oh, yeah?

Girlfriend say sure, you sure, bro. You don't know nothing, Alex. I showed to

tell her I don't do nothing I don't want to do.

That old man don't know what cracking, Garnt.

Glad to hear it.

Because I'd be bent to think I was riding with Tucker.

No way, not me.

Check it out.

Latino, compare respect.

What kind of game you playing?

Yo, Gons, give him a break, man.

You want to ride with me? You better earn your stripes.

Else go back to taking orders from the Taco King.

No, Gons, I'm in. I'm down.

Prove it.

Take out Chino for me.

Yeah.

Okay.

I got you.

Bam.

Bam.

You're not gonna make no more people in my house, you know?

The way that he held that gun, you could tell how it made him feel that he

mattered.

He'd get the same feeling holding his child if he just would make that choice.

Yes, but his child scares him even more than the gun.

Why? Because it proves there's going to be a future with or without him in it.

Look, I'm pretty sure you don't like what I'm supposed to do today.

And maybe you won't want to help me.

But I don't know who else can.

It's just that I'm tired of looking stupid in front of everybody.

And it's too late to turn back now.

So, I was hoping if somebody's gonna die today...

You won't let it be me.

Miguel, you changed.

Yeah, I got your message, but I can't stay. You gotta watch the baby for a

couple hours.

What? I got a job interview downtown to be a receptionist in the lawyer's

office. You already got a job. You work at the restaurant.

You think I'm gonna be there till I'm old?

That lady Monica set this up for me.

Monica? Yeah.

Look, I know you don't like her because she took your room and all, but she's a

nice lady and she wants to help us. I could be a receptionist instead of a

waitress. And if I do good, they're going to pay for college.

You didn't even go to high school.

I'll get the GED.

But they're going to give me health insurance for me and Henry.

And maybe even you when we get married.

You don't think I could take care of you? Your dad stopped the wedding, not

He wants you to respect him. Why should I? Because he's my father. Well, I'm

Henry's father.

Well, you don't act like it very much.

Every time I do, your old man comes down on me.

Right now, all you gotta do is watch Henry for a couple hours, okay?

I'll meet you at your mom's house when I'm done.

Hey, Anna, how you doing?

I got a job interview.

Oh, I heard. That's great. You're gonna do great.

Hey, Miguel.

Are you and Henry ready to give this parenting class a real try, huh?

What time is it?

About 11.

Yeah,

sure.

I just got to get organized here and I'll be right down.

I'll give you a hand.

You know, your biggest responsibility as a father has nothing to do with the

diapers and the formula. It's something that lasts a lot longer than that.

And that's teaching your kids the difference between right and wrong.

Where's your kid?

Juanita took him to her aunt's. Want to borrow mine?

What for?

That's your kid.

It's okay. I got something to do anyway.

Is there a problem here?

Just working things out.

Hey, can I leave Henry with you for a minute, Andrew? I forgot something

upstairs.

Yeah, I'll walk with you. I got to go talk to Father O 'Grady about the youth

group anyway. In the chapel?

Yeah. How long you gonna be in there?

I don't know. An hour or so. Maybe more.

Why? No reason.

Never mind.

So one last thing for today will be the three -point restraint in your car seat.

I know how to buckle a stupid buckle.

Yeah, but if you center the buckle like this on the baby's chest...

It's more comfortable.

Let's look at that. You get a smile.

She's still at work, Miguel.

She's working a double shift. She won't be back till after dinner.

Oh, man.

You gotta do me a favor, Monica.

That depends what it is.

I got some business to do, and it won't take long, but I gotta leave Henry with

somebody for a while.

Well, looks like Henry's having a good time with his daddy.

Yeah.

He likes me.

Can't your business wait, Miguel?

Stay here with your son.

I got responsibilities.

Yes, to your child.

He'll understand.

Did you understand when your father took care of business instead of taking care

of you?

What do you know about it?

I know that your father was in a gang.

Your mother said he died very young.

My dad wasn't in a gang. He was the gang. And when he got smoked out, people

talked about how he died with respect. People still talk about the way he died.

Only other gang members.

The few that are still alive to remember.

Please don't do it, Miguel.

Do what?

Whatever you're planning on doing with that gun.

I gotta do what I gotta do.

No, you don't.

You could make another choice.

Change your life.

We'll all help you. Your mother, Anna, even Anna's father. And God will give

the strength to get through it.

I already talked to God about it. Now it's up to him.

No. God is not the one with the gun.

Look, are you going to watch him or do I have to take him with me?

Someone has to watch out for him.

There's going to be trouble here tonight.

Trouble any time my head waiter calls in sick.

I was thinking about Miguel.

He's a lot like you used to be.

I don't know what you're talking about. I've been working here since I was 16.

But before that, they used to call you Tommy 4 or 5.

Because you carried a .45 caliber pistol all the time.

This is not my first time at the county fair.

Yeah, well, I don't talk about before.

Well, you should, because Miguel needs to hear the truth.

That boy's not going to live long enough for the truth to do any good.

Like his father, huh?

Easy.

First one's tough, but just keep thinking they got it coming.

He saw us.

It's all screwed up. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just...

What's wrong, Miguel?

Nothing. I don't believe you. You left here with a gun. Now you're home in a

panic. Mind your own business.

They were talking on the bus. You guys, I overheard them. They said that you saw

Chino. I didn't. I missed.

I'm glad I missed. I didn't really want to kill him.

But they saw me and I... Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Now they're going to kill you.

That's what they said. You and Gonzo and Alex.

Yeah, I got to go for a while.

Please, Miguel.

Don't do anything until you think it through. There's no time. Trust me. I

go. Where?

I don't know. I got a cousin in Cleveland.

Come with me.

Miguel, I got the job.

With the health insurance and the college money.

If I stay, I'm dead.

Look, I know your dad hates me because I'm in the life. And I hate it, too. But

if we go, I'm out. We can start over.

I love you, Anna.

And Henry, too.

We can really be a family.

This is no way for a family to live.

You've got to trust me, Anna.

It's the only way.

Okay.

All right.

Okay.

Please.

How are you going to take care of each other?

How will you take care of the baby?

We'll make it.

Anna, Miguel.

At least leave him here until you're settled.

Miguel, please.

Lady, leave us alone.

I'm sorry, Monica. Thanks for trying to help us.

Miguel, they're coming!

Father, help them.

If I stopped to pray every time an ambulance ran by, you'd be eating cold

off dirty dishes.

Well, that seems like a small price to pay.

Mr. Hernandez, a bunch of guys were shooting at Miguel.

Anna and Henry were there, too.

They took them all to the hospital.

Come on, come on, baby. I'll drive. I'll drive. Come on.

How's Anna?

Is Ms. Hernandez's father here? He's on his way. I'm Henry's father. Please,

doctor.

Anna's going to be fine.

It was just a flesh wound. She did break her arm when she fell, so she's under

sedation.

Thank God.

And my grandson.

The baby took a direct hit, but he's alive.

It's incredible.

The bullet didn't even penetrate his skin because it hit the buckle on the

seat.

However... The impact did give him a severe hematoma.

What's that?

It's a medical term for severe bruising. Yes, which for an adult is not a big

deal, but for a baby, you might as well have hit him in the chest with a

baseball bat.

I'll tell you this, though.

Without that buckle, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

It's a miracle.

Yeah, and we don't see many of those around here.

Excuse me, I have to get back.

I need some answers, Acosta.

I didn't see anything.

Miguel, you won't let them get away with this?

Miguel, this won't stop unless someone has the courage to stand up and tell the

truth. Well, it ain't gonna be me.

Hey, look, Acosta.

I know Gonzo sent you out to get Chino.

And I know Chino was probably trying to pay you back.

Make it easy on everyone and just say so.

Hannah's going to be okay.

And the baby? They don't know.

I can kill you right now.

Will you back off?

This is not going to help anything.

Look at him.

Not a scratch, no holes, nothing.

My daughter lying in a bed somewhere alone and my grandson.

And he's running away.

Just like your father.

Coward. My father wasn't a coward. He was no better than you.

So desperate to prove he was somebody, he did something stupid.

No, man. My father was so tough, they took him out, man.

Oh, come on.

He took himself out.

Estupido.

Playing Russian roulette to show us his machismo.

Yeah. And you know what he showed us? His stupid brains all over my cousin's

garage.

It's a lie.

He got taken out. Everybody knows, man.

Tell him all of it, Tommy. He needs to know the rest.

We made up that story so our friend wouldn't look so stupid. He wasn't your

friend. Yes, he was, Miguel.

He was, but he was always trying to be something that he wasn't.

He wasn't tough or smart, and he wasn't a hero.

He didn't have any more business being in a gang than I did. He just didn't

the guts to get out. No. Yeah.

So go ahead. Run away.

Put a gun up to your head, too.

Better little Henry never knows you.

That's not exactly what I had in mind. Yeah, well, it's the truth. So what does

it matter how I say it? It matters because the farther that young man is

away from his family, the harder it's going to be to get him back. I don't

him back. Well, this is not about what you want, Tommy.

This is about what God wants, and don't you forget that.

Stay back here, Miguel.

They're gonna get me sooner or later, Monica.

Might as well be sooner.

Here I am!

Come and get me!

What about your family?

They're better off without me.

Ask Anna's dad.

Were you better off without your own father?

Yeah, I was.

I didn't know that before, but now I do.

He was a loser, Monica.

Just like me.

I never had a chance.

So it's your father's fault that you made the choices that you made?

Maybe.

Maybe it's time for you to start taking responsibility for your own decisions,

Miguel. You have a child.

You have a young woman who loves you, a mother who prays for you every day.

They don't expect you to be perfect, but they do expect you to try.

You sound like Raphael.

There's a reason for that.

We have both seen you coming to this.

And this is the moment in which you have to make a decision which way to turn.

This moment comes in everyone's life.

Now it has come for you.

Let me help you through it, Miguel.

At least let someone help you through it.

Can you take me to the church?

It's okay, Miguel.

It's just me.

I need to talk.

Well, this is a very good place to talk.

To God.

Not to God. To you.

God doesn't know anything about me.

Sure he does.

He knows you have a child, but you haven't really been a father to him.

He knows that you've fallen in love, but you aren't a husband.

There's an order that God has created that you haven't been following, Miguel.

Don't judge me, Raphael.

Just because I broke a couple of God's little rules, so what?

Those rules don't work for everybody.

Gravity works for everybody.

That's one of God's rules.

I mean, you know the moment you step off a cliff, you're a dead man, brother, no

matter what you believe.

He doesn't make the rules to keep you in line, but because he knows that falling

from a great height will kill you.

Actions have consequences.

And he knows that there are things in this world that will hurt you.

So he shows you how to avoid them.

Because he knows what's best for you.

Nobody knows what's best for me except me. I am?

How's that working out for you, Miguel?

Hmm?

Think about it.

You're in here, but you're still hiding.

From the people that hate you and from the people that love you.

Why?

Because you know what's good for you?

I can take care of myself, yeah.

Well, then why do you keep coming back here?

Huh? You keep running back to this place where when you were a little boy,

Sister Claire taught you about all those rules. Unless, what, maybe you still

believe them?

You let them into your heart when you were a little boy.

And even though the streets are hard, you still believe.

You need to start over and get things in order again. You need to find the faith

of a child.

And only then will you find the strength of a father.

I don't know how to do that.

It's okay.

That's why God sent me to you and your family, Miguel.

He sent Monica and Andrew and a woman named Tess who's working with Anna's

father.

God sent all of us to help you.

After all I messed up?

Yeah.

Because he loves you.

Because you are his child.

Because even though there's rules, there's also grace.

That's one of the messages we bring.

We're angels, Miguel.

Don't worship me.

Worship him.

I'm just a messenger.

I just told you the truth.

He is the truth.

He can help you live in it.

Just ask him.

Angels?

God sent angels to my neighborhood?

He'll go wherever he's needed and wait as long as it takes.

That's what a loving father does.

Yeah.

You know, Tommy's a good father too, Miguel.

Maybe you haven't seen that yet, but he must have done something right if he

raised a woman that you love.

Talk to the police, Mom.

And guess what?

Alex already told them I didn't want to shoot.

They're going to arrest Gonzo, and I'm going to testify against him and Chino.

You did the right thing, Miguel.

I'm proud of you.

Could you sit with

my mom for a minute? I got something else I got to do.

I'd be glad to.

I went to the church.

I talked to Monica and Raphael.

They told me who you are.

Then you know what you need to do, baby.

I said a prayer for Henry and all of my family.

Including you, Mr. Hernandez.

What?

I know Anna and I did everything in the wrong order, but I want us to start over

as much as we can.

I'm going to prove to you that I can be a good father to Henry.

But I'm going to need your help.

My help?

Yeah.

You know I don't have a real dad to help me.

So I'm asking you if you'll teach me to be

as good a father as you are.

Am I wrong or was that a tone of respect I just heard?

I'm sorry.

It's gonna be alright.