Across the Great River by Irene Beltrán Hernández Page A

grandchild.”
    â€œBut, what if they ask about Papa?”
    â€œI do not think they will ask about him. All they want to know is what you saw happen the night your Mama and I got hurt.”
    â€œI am still scared. What if they decide to take Pablito from us.”
    â€œThey can’t do that. Don’t worry, all will be well. Have faith, little one.” She strokes my hair, then seems to fall into a light sleep. I stay with her a while, then go out to the hall.
    â€œHow did it go?” asks Nell.
    â€œShe fell asleep.”
    â€œShe needs rest. Come, I’ll go with you to see the sergeant.”
    â€œYou will!’
    â€œOf course. Didn’t Doctor Mendez tell you I would?”
    â€œNo, but he was in a big hurry.”
    â€œDoctors are always in a hurry, Kata.”
    â€œAnita is like a doctor. I mean, she can fix people up, but she’s never in a hurry.”
    â€œOh, is that how Anita works? I don’t see how you can compare the old woman to a doctor,” adds Nell, as if she has just broken a rotten egg.
    As Nell circles the station looking for a parking space, I wonder if I will see Officer Gonzalez again. There are so many men dressed in the same uniformthat I know I will never be able to recognize him.
    After we park, Nell takes my hand and rushes me past one office after another. Finally, we enter one and Nell goes right up to the desk. Sergeant Estrada, this is Katarina Campos. We understand that you want to see her,” declares Nell in a business-like voice.
    â€œYes, I’ve been waiting.” He rises from his chair.
    I feel myself freeze up, but I say nothing. I watch Nell take a seat in front of his desk and motion for me to sit next to her.
    The sergeant continues, “Tell me about this man that hurt your Mama and Anita Morales.”
    â€œI can’t remember much except that tattoo on his arm.”
    â€œWhere did you meet him?”
    â€œI didn’t. I saw him in a dream and then at the apartment house.”
    He stops writing to look up at me, then at Nell. “A dream, you say.”
    I nod. “In the dream I woke up before I saw Anita and Mama got hurt.”
    â€œDid he live at the apartment house?” He taps his pencil against the desk.
    â€œI don’t know.”
    I watch as he bites his lips, “He’s dead, you know.”
    I nod. “Yes, I heard them shout that he broke his neck when he fell down the stairs.” I wiggle in my chair. “Who was he?” I ask.
    â€œThat’s my question!” he snaps. “Are you sure that your Mama didn’t know him?”
    I shrug. “We just came from Anita’s ranchito.”
    â€œYes, I know. Doña Anita explained all that.” He writes something on his pad. “Are you her grandchild?”
    He waits for my answer, but I give none. Instead, I cough a long time, then Nell slaps my back.
    The sergeant stares at me a long while, then says, “That man probably crossed the border illegally. Perhaps he’s a wetback who doesn’t have papers or identification. We get men like that here all the time.”
    â€œWell, he deserved to die because he hurt Mama and Anita,” I snap back at him, then begin to tremble. I grip the chair tightly, glancing back at Nell. My heart races at the sound of the word “papers.”
    â€œOkay, that will be all for now,” he says.
    Nell rises. “Thank you, sergeant. If you need us we will be at the center.”
    â€œI know where I can find you, Miss Nell. Keep her around so that if I need her, I can get hold of her quickly.”
    Nell nods and takes my hand. “Until her mother is well and able, the girl will be housed at the center.”
    Once out in the hall I ask, “Is it true that we’ll be staying at the center until Mama gets well?”
    Nell smiles. “It’s the best I can do for right now.”
    â€œThat’s great!” I cry.
    â€œWhy,