Part 3 (Twazyèm): REBELLION
Self-Defense
Mirogoane Stronghold
They unload the truck and are taking things inside when a loud commotion is heard outside the gate. Kat just finished closing it, so she opens it partway again while Dirk and Jocelyn join her. A crowd of a few dozen neighbors is shouting and shoving Ti Mon around, who was still outside when they closed the gate. The crowd is calling him names that even Kevin can understand, “Ti vagabon. Tet cho”. Kat begins to talk with a few of the neighbors on the edge of the crowd, but no one seems to be listening. Kat follows the crowd, trying to take Ti Mon’s hand, but the crowd absorbs him too quickly. She’s following at the back of the crowd, so Dirk and Kevin join her. Jocelyn says something quickly to Dirk, who nods, and Jocelyn steps back into the courtyard.
The crowd grows larger as they approach the police station. A few cops are lounging outside with cigarettes and a bottle, but they stand and get weapons ready as the crowd approaches. One calls back into the station and a Haitian man in plainclothes and dark glasses steps into view, holding a handgun. A handful of uniformed cops form a line behind him, still smoking their cigarettes, but the bottle has been replaced with rifles at the ready.
Kat, Dirk, and Kevin are now part of the crowd. Dirk is acting as a fullback, pushing his way toward the station steps. Kat is behind him, her hands holding onto Dirks’ shoulders from behind him. Kevin tucks in behind her. He feels a lot of groping and grasping hands but ignores them and keeps his hands on Kat’s shoulders ahead of him. Suddenly the crowd goes quiet as Ti Mon is shoved onto the station steps, stumbling and sprawling at the feet of the police. One slings his rifle and grabs Ti Mon by his ear, yanking the boy to his feet with an anguished scream.
Kat lunges forward toward Ti Mon when he seems to be dangling in the air by one ear. The plainclothes officer stops her with an outstretched hand, shoving her back into the crowd with Kevin and Dirk. The cop holding Ti Mon’s ear, lowers him slightly so that the boy’s toes can barely touch the ground. Plainclothes asks something to the crowd, and everyone begins shouting at once. Kevin can’t understand what they’re saying, but Dirk is just shaking his head. Kat looks horrified and as Dirk’s shoulder’s slump, she cries toward the cops in English “Please, stop! He hasn’t done anything wrong.” The uniformed police don’t even seem to hear her, but Kevin notices that Plainclothes is looking only at Kat. His lips part in a sneer and he slowly says to her, “M pa pale Angle.“
This encourages the crowd to begin shouting their accusations at Ti Mon. Kevin catches them saying, “Today” and “steals” and then his stomach is in his mouth, “Pere Lebrun”. The cops are nodding along now and one of them pulls out a box of wooden matches, lights one and passes it slowly back and forth in front of Ti Mon’s eyes. The boy squeezes his eyes shut, so another cop starts smacking him on the back of the head until he opens them again. The crowd is cheering now, so the match cop takes another from the box and tries to light it on the top of Ti Mon’s head. Roughly dragging the wooden stick across his short hair, but not able to strike the match.
Kevin freezes in horror as another cop emerges from the station with a tire and bottle of kerosene. But now the crowd is quiet, as the police continue to slap Ti Mon around, shoving him around like a pinball, while striking matches on his head and face. The one holding Ti Mon’s ear lets go when a match lights near his own hand. Ti Mon falls to the ground in the fetal position, rocking back and forth and sobbing, “Mama. Papa.” Finally, Kat is able to push herself forward and talks to the plainclothes officer in Creole, her voice cutting through the silence. Kevin’s heard enough speeches to realize what she’s doing. She partially turns toward the crowd and asks, “What would President Titid say? Is this how he would want a small boy to be treated?”
The cops are laughing and pretending not to hear her, but Plainclothes is watching her closely. Kat continues, “This boy was with me and the other blan all day. He has done nothing wrong.” Then she gestures to Dirk and Kevin and dramatically asks them, “Was Ti Mon with us all day and with us in the truck when we returned?” Dirk is already nodding his head in agreement, when she repeats the question again in English. Kevin immediately begins nodding vigorously. Kat turns to the cop in charge and asks, “Are you calling these two men and me liars?” Then she turns to the crowd (much smaller now) and asks, “Are you saying Ti Mon is worth nothing?” No one’s talking now and the cops are paying more attention to Dirk and Kevin as they step out of the crowd and join Kat, facing the cops with their backs to the crowd as Kat continues. “I will not watch this anymore.” Her face changes and she draws herself upright, now looking like an avenging angel. “I will take this boy back home with us. Do NOT do this to our family again.”
Kevin holds his breath, as Kat steps past Plainclothes’ gun and gently pulls Ti Mon to his feet. No one moves or makes a sound, as she puts her arms around him, picks him up, and carries him toward the gate where Jocelyn is waiting and watching. Kevin turns to follow and glances over his shoulder. Two of the cops are starting to move toward Kat and are raising their weapons, when Plainclothes gestures for them to stop. He sees Kevin watching and very loudly and slowly says in English, “White bitch!” Kevin follows the group toward the gate. Dirk is walking backward toward the house, keeping his eyes locked on Plainclothes. When they get inside, Jocelyn quickly shuts and locks the gate behind them. She calls out to Dirk, “Key on peg” before joining Kat and Ti Mon. Kevin offers to take Ti Mon from Kat’s arms, so she can wipe the tears streaming down her face. But the little guy has a death lock around her neck and won’t let go. They slowly exhale and look at each other. Then Kevin’s chosen family has a tearful and joyful reunion like no other.