by Brock Booher
Raúl rolled over and grimaced. “What did you get us for breakfast?”
“Just some bread, yogurt, and juice. You need to drink a lot.”
“No ham or dulce de leche for the bread?”
Julio shook his head. “Eat your yogurt. Drink your juice.” He began shoveling the yogurt into his mouth. “I’m late,” he said through a mouthful of yogurt. “How does the wound feel? Will you be okay by yourself today?”
Raúl sat up and draped the blanket around his shoulders. His left eye was slightly swollen. “Other than being bored out of my mind, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” He opened his bottle of juice and drank half of the bottle. “So you paid for all of this with the chip?” he asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
Julio nodded and continued to stuff his mouth with bread. “Your eye is going to turn black and blue.”
“I’ve been hurt worse by my brother.” Raúl nibbled at piece of bread. “How much money do you get every day?”
Julio shrugged. “About fifty soles a day, but they feed me lunch at school also.”
“Fifty soles a day, free lunch, and free schooling. Not bad. Except for the chip,” offered Raúl. “Can you withdraw cash?”
“No cash withdrawals,” said Julio as he finished his yogurt.
“Hmmm. Except for that, and the fact that you now have a chip to monitor your every move, it doesn’t sound too bad.”
Julio finished his juice and rose to leave. “Clean up the breakfast mess when you’re done.” He raised his left hand and pointed at the chip underneath the skin. “This chip can provide for us both. Don’t go out with los mALditos anymore.” He grabbed his backpack and skateboard and started for the door.
“It’s not that simple,” said Raúl. He sloshed the orange juice around in the bottle. “If I don’t go back to los mALditos, they will come looking for me.”
Julio shook his head. “You really think they care about you? I’ll bet they don’t even care that you got stabbed last night.”
“Unfortunately, they care.” Raúl took a drink of his juice. “They care because I lost the package.”
“You got robbed at knifepoint. You got stabbed. They worry more about the package than you?”
“You don’t understand. When you help with deliveries, everyone splits up to make us less of a target. We deliver individually, but we get paid as a group. If I don’t deliver, the group gets docked. If the group gets docked, I have to make up for the loss.”
“So, what does that mean?”
“It means that I either have to come up with the lost money, or I have to take another job.”
Julio shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. “Que diablos, Raúl! How much money did you lose?”
Raúl pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders. “I don’t know exactly. Sergio will tell me next time he sees me.”
Julio shook his head in disgust and rubbed his eyes. “Look. I’m late already. Stay here and rest. If they come looking for you, find out how much you owe.” He wagged a finger in Raúl’s face. “Now you see why Mamá told us to stay away from the gangs?”
Raúl just looked at the floor.
“Make sure you clean up after breakfast,” said Julio as he started for the door again.
“Sí, Mamá,” mumbled Raúl, but Julio ignored the comment and started down the stairs.
Julio could hear Doctor Barilla in his kitchen when he passed by. He was late, but he needed to talk to him about Raúl, and Graciela. He tapped on the door and slipped inside. “Buenos días, Doctor. How’s the new job working out?”
Doctor Barilla was searching in his cabinets for something. “Oh, buenos días, Julio. The job is going fine, if you don’t mind working late into the night with dead people,” he added with a chuckle.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Julio slipped off his backpack and rummaged through it looking for the bag with the white pills and the syringe. “Do you have a minute for a question?”
Doctor Barilla pulled a small box of sugar from the cupboard. “Of course. I’m just trying to get my morning coffee.” He spooned three scoops of sugar into his coffee and took a sip.
“First of all, would you mind checking on Raúl before you go to work? He came home last night with a knife wound.”
Doctor Barilla choked on his coffee. “What? Is he okay? Where is he now?”
Julio smiled. “I took him to your office and stitched him up last night. I hope you don’t mind.”
Doctor Barilla’s face broke into a big smile. “See? My training has paid off. How is he doing this morning?”
“He’s eating breakfast right now, and I told him to stay in bed. Would you mind checking in on him before you go, and look at the wound?”
“I will make a follow-up medical consultation and annotate his chart accordingly,” said Doctor Barilla.
Julio grinned and set the bag on the table. “Thanks. I also need some help with something else. Yesterday a friend of mine may have overdosed on drugs.” He pulled one of the pills from the bag and set it on the table. “I found these pills in her room, along with this syringe.” He laid the syringe beside the small white pill. “What is the normal medical procedure when someone overdoses?”
“An overdose? That depends on the type of overdose. Usually it requires the upper gastrointestinal track to be purged of the excess medicine,” said Doctor Barilla as he stirred his coffee. Julio gave him a puzzled look. “That means they pump everything out of the stomach or induce vomiting,” he said, winking.
“Is the procedure complicated?” asked Julio.
Doctor Barilla shook his head. “Not really. Almost every clinic or hospital could do it.” He laughed. “I have some ipecac syrup in my office. A couple of spoonfuls of that will make you throw up in fifteen minutes or less.”
“Can you die from an overdose?”
“Yes, of course, but it all depends on which drugs are involved and how long the medical response is.” Doctor Barilla sipped at his coffee. “Who overdosed?”
“Graciela, the young woman you met at Caritas, overdosed last night and died.”
“Such a shame.” Doctor Barilla set down his cup. “How is that possible? I thought the chip was supposed to monitor drug and alcohol use?”
Julio shrugged and picked up the pill from the table. “It’s supposed to, but I guess it can’t stop you from taking the drugs.” He offered the pill to Doctor Barilla. “Can you tell what this is by looking at it?”
Doctor Barilla gave Julio a quizzical look as he plucked the pill from his hand. He held it between his thumb and forefinger and slipped on his glasses to examine it before returning it to Julio’s hand. “I’m not sure, but it looks like some sort of sedative. Where did you get it?”
“We found it in Graciela’s bedroom.” He dropped the pill onto the table and picked up the syringe. “I found this under the bed too.”
Doctor Barilla slipped back on his reading glasses and examined the label on the syringe. “Hmm . . . Ketaset, a form of Ketamine. That is a recreational drug, but it could be a deadly combination with an oral sedative. Did she commit suicide?”
Julio shrugged. “We don’t know. She seemed happy enough. I mean, as happy as you can be considering the situation.” He brushed some sugar from the table. “She was sad about her boyfriend getting killed, but she was just telling me that she wanted to be a reporter like Sofía Encuentro.”
Doctor Barilla leaned back in his chair and cradled his coffee cup. “Julio, sometimes people do things you don’t expect. Sometimes they make choices to hurt themselves, even though they seem to be happy. As human beings, we are not always easy to understand. We are complicated and messy. Perhaps some things were going on in her life that you didn’t know about, and she saw this as a way out.”
“But wouldn’t they be able to save her if they got her to a hospital in time?”
Doctor Barilla shrugged. “Who knows? At that point, it is often in God’s hands. We are doctors, not gods.�
�� He sipped his coffee.
Julio stood to leave. “If I leave everything with you, can you find out for sure what the pills are?”
“I can ask one of the pharmacy techs to check it out.”
Julio slipped on his backpack and let out a heavy sigh. “Thanks for everything.”
“Don’t worry, mi hijo,” said Doctor Barilla with a smile. “The sun will rise tomorrow.”
Julio gave a half smile in return. “That’s what Mamá used to say.”
* * *
Julio swiped his hand and hurried into Caritas. Several of the computers were occupied, and he could smell Carmen’s lunch simmering in the cafeteria. Angelica was in her usual spot in the corner. She looked up at him and smiled, but continued with her lesson.
Carmen was standing in the doorway of the kitchen with her hands on her hips. “Julio, where were you this morning?”
“I, um . . . I’m sorry. I overslept.”
Carmen grinned and exposed her missing tooth. “Did you stay up late to see yourself on TV?”
“Was I on TV?”
Carmen laughed. “You mean you didn’t see it? You and Sofía Encuentro sitting right at that table over there. I’ll bet Isak can show it to you.” She wiped her hands on her dirty apron. “Are you going to stop helping me now that you’re a TV star?” she asked with a coy smile.
Julio felt an unexpected sense of pride. “I’ll be here tomorrow right on time,” he promised Carmen. He hurried to one of the computers. All the events from last night made it difficult for him to focus, but Julio slipped on the headphones and got started. He struggled to concentrate, and a couple of times he found himself staring at a prompt on the screen asking him if he needed more time. The phone in his pocket vibrated. It was a text from Angelica.
Hola, you seem a little distracted. R U OK?
He kept the phone out of sight in front of him and answered—Trouble with my brother. I don’t like being late.
What time R U leaving?
A couple of hours after lunch. He glanced over at Angelica. She was looking at the computer screen, but her hands were in her lap.
I will get us a ride.
Julio remembered the taste and texture of the kiss last night and gave her a longing look. She suddenly looked over at him and smiled like she could read his thoughts. He blushed and smiled back. All of his concentration was gone, and he sat there staring at the screen for a few minutes daydreaming about kissing her again under different circumstances.
When Carmen announced lunch, Julio slid in line behind Angelica, but before anyone could fill a plate, Isak walked through the back door with Señor Goulet and Doctor Kozyar trailing behind him. His commanding voice filled the room. “Children, can I have your attention?” Everyone turned to look at Isak in the middle of the room. He was dressed in the usual khaki pants, but today he wore a blue suit coat. The doctor and Señor Goulet stood off to the side in front of the clinic door.
“Most of you know Graciela, since she often helped with your indoctrination,” he began. Angelica gave Julio a worried look. “It is my sad duty to inform you that Graciela died last night of a drug overdose.” A murmur rippled through the lunch crowd. Julio’s jaw tightened. “As you are all aware, the technology in the chip can detect drug use, but you may not realize that the chip cannot prevent you from using drugs”—he shook his head—“or even overdosing.” He gestured to the doctor standing in her lab coat and a face devoid of emotion. “Doctor Kozyar and I arrived shortly after the chip alerted us of the danger, but sadly, we were too late to save her. She died on the way to the hospital.” He bowed his head. “She will be missed.”
Isak pulled a tissue from the inside pocket of his coat and dabbed a tear from his eye. “We’re trying to save lives here. Please stay away from drugs,” he pleaded. “I invite you to join me in a moment of silence to honor Graciela.”
Isak bowed his head again, and everyone followed suit, except Doctor Kozyar. From the corner of his eye, Julio could see her blank expression and dark eyes. She stood with her hands in the pockets of her lab coat looking out over the room of bowed heads. Her icy demeanor made Julio shudder.
Isak raised his head and tucked the tissue back into his coat pocket. “I’m sorry to have interrupted your lunch,” he said. He turned on his heel and exited through the back door. Pascal Goulet followed him, but Doctor Kozyar slipped into her office.
Julio stared at the plate in his hand. Even though he already knew of Graciela’s presumed death, it still hurt to hear about it from Isak. The room was quieter than normal, like no one wanted to be the first to talk, but the line started moving, and the room was soon filled with chatter about the news by the time Julio finished filling his plate. He and Angelica were alone at their table.
“What do you think now?” asked Angelica in a low voice.
“They admit that she died of an overdose,” said Julio with a shrug. “What does that prove?”
“You know there is no way Graciela overdosed.”
“No way?” asked Julio. He remembered Doctor Barilla’s comment. “I’ve seen a lot things I didn’t want to believe possible, but that doesn’t make them less true.”
“I thought you said you were going to help me,” whispered Angelica.
Julio looked her straight in the eyes. “Do you really think we should be talking about that here?” Angelica looked down at her plate and pushed her food around. Julio had lost most of his appetite as well, but he forced himself to eat. He knew how much Carmen hated it when children wasted food.
“Isak asked me to come see him today,” he said to Angelica. She was still pushing her food around. He reached out and touched Angelica’s hand. “What should I be looking for when I go to his office?” he whispered.
Angelica looked up at him and gave a furtive glance at the adjacent tables. “Pay close attention to the layout of his office, especially his computer. Just try to remember how everything is organized.” She wrinkled her brow and asked, “Why do you need to go see Isak?”
“He said he wanted to reward me for the interview yesterday with Sofía Encuentro. He said I cast Caritas in a good light.”
Angelica raised an eyebrow. “You got interviewed by Sofía Encuentro?”
Julio sat up straight. “She interviewed me yesterday. I was on TV last night.”
Angelica wrinkled her brow at first, but then her eyes lit up. “That’s it!” said Angelica, pounding her fist on the table. The outburst got everyone’s attention in the lunchroom, and she blushed at the attention, but she was smiling as she stood. She leaned over and said, “I will be waiting for you with a ride in one hour.” Then she skipped over to the kitchen to deposit her dirty dishes and hurried over to her computer. After a few minutes she rushed out the door.
Julio was puzzled at Angelica’s outburst but glad to see her happy. He scooped up his dirty plate, dropped it off at the kitchen, and started for the computer, but changed his mind. He had struggled to concentrate all morning, and he knew it would only get worse after lunch. He decided on a shower instead.
He cranked up the hot water and stripped off his clothes. The hot water felt good, and he relaxed. It was nice to be able to get clean, wash off all the dirt from the street. It boosted his confidence somehow, like he could do something with his life. As he toweled off, he thought about Raúl and hoped the money from Isak would be enough to pay off his debt.
After his shower, Julio strolled through the front door of Caritas feeling confident, until he saw Isabela in a low-cut black dress doing her nails. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head and she wore a long string of pearls. She didn’t even look up when Julio walked in. Julio pushed back his wet hair with his hand. “Señor Blixt asked me to come see him today,” he said.
“He’s in his office with Señor Pascal and Doctor Kozyar,” answered Isabela as she continued to paint her nails bright red.
“Do you think I could see him?”
Isabela looked up at him and frowned.
&
nbsp; “Please?”
She finished painting her last fingernail and put the tiny brush back into the bottle. “Let me check first.” She tapped the earpiece in her ear with the tip of her finger, careful not touch her wet nails. She looked right through Julio like he wasn’t there and waved her hands back and forth to dry the nail polish. “Señor Blixt, Julio says you wanted to see him today. Should I send him in?” She looked down at her nails. “Yes, sir.” She nodded at Isak’s office door. “Go on in,” she directed as she continued to wave her hands in the air.
Julio had the feeling that he was interrupting something when he walked into Isak’s office and stopped just inside the door. Doctor Kozyar was at the window with her back to the door. She didn’t even turn to look at Julio when he entered. Señor Goulet sat in the leather chair in front of Isak’s desk with legs crossed and his fingers steepled in front of him.
Isak was at his computer and closed a window on the screen just as Julio walked in. He turned to face Julio as he crossed his hands on his desk. “What can I help you with, Julio?”
Julio glanced at Señor Goulet and Doctor Kozyar, but neither of them acknowledged his presence. He stared at his feet. “You asked me to come see you today. You said you wanted to reward me for making Caritas look good for Sofía Encuentro.”
Isak glanced at Pascal Goulet, and the French gentleman granted his consent with a nod. Isak smiled and said, “Yes, you did help us promote Caritas with Miss Encuentro yesterday. For that, we will place an additional fifty euros on to your chip that you can use for clothing or other needs. How does that sound?”
“Thank you, sir,” answered Julio with a humble nod and a smile. He got the distinct impression that he wasn’t welcome at this moment, and started to leave, but he remembered Raúl’s debt and decided to try something. “Would it be too much trouble, Señor Blixt and Señor Goulet,” he said as he stared at his shoes, “if you allowed me to withdraw that money? I want to buy a used skateboard and the seller only accepts money on a free chip.”
Julio’s bold request earned a glance from Doctor Kozyar. Señor Goulet’s normal toothy smile was gone. Isak seemed unfazed by the request. “That is beyond the scope of the program, Julio. You know that,” he replied.