Long Form Piece

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I sat motionless, blankly staring down at the abyss. The sound that surrounded me echoed in my head, but nothing made sense to me. All this was the result of an unconscious decisions that had simply become the product of a strong friendship. A reaction that by nature lead me straight into the fight. The same decision that landed me into the chilean correctional facilities.

A type of question that when asked to many, answer with a fictitious lie. “Would you jump in front of car for a friend?”. Its easy to spit out words or a simple yes, as most of us do, but when put in the situation most of us just run away because its the easiest thing to do. Taking a blow for a friend is what separates those who you mean something to, with those who are just puppets in your everyday life.

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My hands cuffed behind me as i restlessly tried to calm myself and sit still. I looked down at my light blue shirt recreating patterns with the blood stains that had dripped down from my broken nose. I had been stripped of all my rights and placed in a situation that i had never been in. My heart beat was irregular and my eyesight blurry. A room filled with juvenile delinquents that screamed out helpless words slowly accumulating the guards anger as if every word they spat out was just another mosquito flying by their ear. I tried to camouflage myself but my American heritage shot right back at me. I stood out like a tall man in a short croud.

The cell door opened as another juvenile was thrown in. I quickly glanced up from the corner trying to avoid eye contact. A bulky but short teenager furiously stared at two of the guards that had just thrown him in. “Fat Fu@#,” he blurted out. The cell door was slammed open as the two guards stomped inside. “Everyone up and against the wall!” My heart started pounding on my chest. I quickly moved to the wall. I pressed my jaw tightly, laid my head against the wall and closed my eyes. Behind me, screams that one would only recognize from a horror movie flew out of the teenagers mouth as the corrupt guards relentlessly beat him.

It took me a while to realize it was all over. My mind and body had gone out of synchronization as i could not think nor move. The teenager had no marks on his face but it was clear that the beating they had given him was only done in hidden spots. “You fine?” i heard a voice call from a distance which seemed familiar but couldn't figure it out. “Yeah, im fine” i replied emotionless. Time paused and i simply was no longer thinking. I had become a statue with no emotion.

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Change and understanding only occurs when an individual goes to one end and back. When one is presented and placed in a hard situation and takes the step forward to face it. This is what builds us as people and enables us to see the deeper meanings to things.

I was placed in a situation were defending my friends stood in front of all the outcomes that resulted from the incident. I went through a day that felt like a year and all through that, i was suffering. Put at my limits and tested for my weaknesses but in the end, i came out stronger and with a deeper meaning to friendship and life. The best way to learn, is the hard way, because any other way is only scratching the surface. Loyalty to one another is the key to success and if it requires you to fall for someone, fall, but stand back up and do it better the second time.