A tall white man walked in hospital room. His partner was shorter, yet he was on the stockier side with a slight beer belly, and they both were white.
The tall police officer said, "I'm detective Johnson, and this is officer White."
Officer white nodded his head in acknowledgment.
Officer Johnson said, "We know it must be hard just having woken up, but we'd like to ask you some questions."
Alejandro said, "Oh... Ok."
The boy was nervous he was nervous because he wasn't sure what they wanted from him. They didn't start off hostile so he thought he was fine.
"Where were you two weeks ago on the eleventh of September?"
Alejandro said, "You mean the two weeks ago when I was attacked."
"Yes... when you were attacked..." Officer White said with a skeptical look on his face.
Detective Johnson walked at a slow yet hypnotic pace. He disconcerted Alejandro with the delay between his words, the delay between his question and his incoming accusation.
Detective Johnson sat down at the chair next to the hospital bed and said, "Tell him officer White."
"When we analyzed the blood on the concrete and inside of the dumpster we found drugs in your system. Care to explain?"
"But I don't so drugs..." Alejandro said.
Indeed, he was confused. He stayed away from weed and crack and cocaine because his Mom wouldn't have it. She impressed on him at a very early age that that's the reason his Latino Dad went to prison for life. I say for life, but it was only twenty two years. But it might as well have been for life the way they bring you right back into prison for minor crimes.
"You say you don't 'do drugs,' but our lab clearly found traces of weed in the blood you left behind. Care to explain that?"
'What's going on?' Alejandro thought to himself, 'What's going on?'
"Don't worry detective Johnson said, "We just need a quick statement, and we'll be on our way."
"I-I, I didn't," the boy said.
Detective Johnson closed the hospital bedroom's door.
"You know, let's go back to the day you were attacked. Why were you injured?"
"These three boys (Alejandro left out their skin color). They attacked me. They were bullies, you know?"
"What was their skin color?" Detective Johnson said.
"They were... white."
Detective Johnson exchanged a meaningful glance with officer White. Alejandro didn't notice.
"You know sometimes, these things have a way of remembering, incorrectly."
"What are you saying?" Alejandro said.
Detective Johnson said, "Well, I'm saying that when you're on drugs, you imagine all sorts of things, if you catch my drift."
"No, I-I don't know what you mean."
Alejandro was fourteen. He did not have a fully developed brain. He didn't know the ways and trucks of adults.
"You see any visions or hallucinations while you were injured?"
Alejandro was about to say no, but he remembered his encounter with God. 'Did I encounter God?' he thought. 'Don't tell me Alex and his friends drugged me!' He thought, 'What should I do?'
Detective Johnson and officer White exchanges glances again.
"Now, if you could just give us a statement saying that you were on drugs, we can put this behind us, alright?" Detective Johnson said.
"We just need a statement."
"Like?"
"Like, I was doing weed, or I was under the influence, or any way you want to put it," Officer white said as he was taking out a notepad.
"I-I... I was—"
Suddenly, a nurse, a black nurse barged into the room and said, "We didn't find any drugs in Alejandro's system when he arrived. You can check with the doctor to confirm."
She was tall, large and had a big head. Her eyes were determined, and her mind was courageous. She held the door open to Alejandro's room with her back and she motioned with her hand for the police to leave.
She said, "Visiting hours, are over."
Detective Johnson said, "We just need a statement, and we'll be on our way."
"Do you have a warrant?" She said.
Officer White came closer to her and place his hands on his handcuffs.
He said, "Now we wouldn't want anything to get ugly, now would we?"
In that moment, Alejandro realized what was happening.
They were trying to trick him!
He clenched his hand on the metal railing of his hospital bed, and he felt the metal bend like butter. 'I did meet God! I'm not crazy! I have power! These liars!"
He said with a firm and loud voice, "I'm not giving any statements today!"
Detective Johnson cursed, and Officer White sighed. They moved to leave, and they both bumped elbows with the nurse who had interrupted their interrogation.
"Thank you, miss..."
"Miss Tanya," the nurse said with a smile.
"I'm glad you came, or I would've been hurt or something."
"You would've been framed," she said, "The tongue is powerful. It can condemn, convict, and free with a single syllable. Don't give away your words so easily, ok."
Alejandro nodded his head with conviction and said, "Yes mam."
"You're a good boy, aren't you," she sighed, "Good things happen to the bad people, while bad things happen to good, little boys like you...."
"Miss Tanya..."
"Anyway, you keep you guard up, okay? Don't let those bullies get you next time."
"Don't worry, they won't!"
She smiled and walked out of the room, but just before she completely left, he said, "Miss Tanya, good things to happen to good people! We just gotta pe-perservere, I mean, persevere! I mess up my words when I'm nervous."
She said, "I hope to meet you again, young man."
And with that she was gone.
Alejandro felt the sweat on his palms he felt the sweat on his neck. He realized that he couldn't just have a strong cheat power, he need a strong mind.
Though he was a long way away from that stage, he refused to give up hope.