Please, My Son Will Be Home Soon. He Can Explain.

The door to the woman’s home was on the ground, the hinges still clinging to the doorframe by splinters. She was on her knees beside the couch, wailing as if Katie and Chris were going to kill her. She clutched her hands together and begged in her language. Or maybe she was praying. She kept bowing her head like she was trying not to look at them. Katie hated people like this. People who would try to get pity when they broke the rules. People who would spend all their time and money getting over here, but wouldn’t put in the basic effort to learn the laws or language. They wouldn’t even do the bare necessities to communicate.

The woman took off a heart shaped locket from around her neck and pried it open to reveal two boys. One looked around six, the other maybe three. She held them out to Katie and Chris and pointed to her door, gesturing wildly and still saying something neither of them could understand.

‘We should go, there’s nothing here.’ Katie walked through the apartment, kicking the cheap furniture out of her way.

‘No way, we need this one. I’m only two away, and my tuition fees are all paid up, then I can focus on the car payments.’

Katie sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She was also quite close. One more for the parking fine and she could work on the seven for tuition. Maybe even look into getting a car. ‘If there’s nothing here, there’s nothing here. We can’t make unfounded arrests.’ Sometimes she wondered if it would’ve been easier to just take a job in a fast-food place or something. They didn’t pay as good, but it seemed like half the work. Even the woman who was quivering in the corner would be able to do that sort of work. Then again, that’s why she didn’t take it. She wanted to challenge herself. Prove that she could do something good for society.

‘Come on,’ Chris insisted, ‘There has to be something. They don’t do random checks randomly.’

Katie dropped her hand to her baton. She unhooked it from the loop on her belt and started to swing it in her hands. The woman covered her mouth with her hand, quieting her sobbing. ‘She’s just some immigrant.’

‘Maybe she’s illegal. I’ll check the kitchen.’ Chris ducked behind the kitchen wall. Maybe the joy of nearly being paid up was giving him all this extra energy. He did want to get himself a house one day. Best to do it while you’re in the program. Katie heard all the cutlery fall to the floor with a crash. He must’ve been pulling out drawers again.

She kept to the loungeroom, kicking furniture out of the way. It was so annoying that these people wouldn’t even buy decent furniture. It was like paper. Katie always thought that if you were going to do nothing all day and take money from the government, you could at least spend it on some decent stuff. She smacked the wall with the baton, and the woman screamed and started to beg again, but there was nothing hidden in the hole she’d made.

‘Jackpot!’ Chris came back with papers in hand.

‘What is it?’

‘Immigration papers. Apparently, she’s an asylum seeker.’

The woman jumped at the word, her eyes wide, ‘Yes! Asylum! Asylum!’ She held her hands out, the chain of the locket dangling between her fingers. ‘Asylum!’

Chris held up two pieces of paper. ‘One is hers; one is for one of her sons.’

Katie crossed the room and took the paper from Chris. It was true, there was only one child listed. No husband or other family either.

Katie came back to the woman. She clutched the locket to her chest and started to move backwards on her knees, but was up against the wall. Tears streamed down her face and she spat she tried to ask something. Katie hated this part. It was always so disgusting; the snot, the tears, the lines of spit connecting their lips. Arresting someone had no business being such a wet experience. Katie grabbed the woman by the wrist. She struggled. She tried to get up. Katie pinned her down.

‘You are under arrest for harbouring an illegal immigrant.’

The woman screamed. It wasn’t words anymore; it wasn’t even crying. She just screamed. She tried to squirm out of Katie’s grip, but Chris came over with the baton. It was always a shame when they over-reacted. If they just remained calm everything would go more smoothly.