Searching

Shortly after refusing his friendship, Raheema noticed that this occupant of the bed next to hers, besides the sad empty look in his eyes, the nose ring, the vinyl red head scarf, and the intermittent hoarse short coughing attempts, had a swollen jaw and was incompletely opening his mouth while talking.

Although she dislikes intruding, she could not but ask,
“Yes, in addition to bleeding internally, I had my jaw broken”
With no response from her other than an inquiring, motionless look, he continued,
“They took out my spleen, and fixed my broken jaw, I was beaten by a police officer, last week; I was caught searching”
“Police, I thought searching had become legitimate, since last year.”
“Not, when you are caught in the act though, as if there is anything other than the act”
“I am sorry.”
“Well, such is life; I did not intend to search. I went out on an early afternoon to run some errands, and when I was done, I decided to go to the park and contemplate; my future that is.
A tall heavy set man, passed couple of times in front of me, and then started looking deeply into my face. He had some kind of a deep look, a faint halo around his eyes, a confident walk and an anchored pause.
When he noticed that I saw him, and briefly watched him, he smiled. I naturally smiled back. Although it was a half mouth courteous non inviting smile, he gestured to me subtly; he had a capsule; a Truth capsule. He rolled that capsule between his right hand long fingers, gently and persuasively.
I conceded, and smiled; a full lip smile this time.
The tall stocky man then approached me, and while covering his hand with the shadow of his body, offered it to me.”
“He gave you the capsule! just like that, right in midday?”
“Early afternoon, actually”
“And?”
“And it happened; I stretched my arm and opened my hand to take it. And you can imagine the rest; we were caught in the act.
He was not beaten; Police claimed that I was guilty because I was the one who stretched out my hand; I was the one in search, the other person was not searching; he actually was getting rid of the knowledge.
I think that the other person, being big, scared them off, so they gave him excuses.
My face and body piercing did not help either; I think it actually intimidated them.”
“And then, what happened?”
“That is all I remember, until I woke up yesterday evening, when they brought your highness here. You were sleeping”

He struggled turning around a half turn, slipped his hand under the pillow which his head was on, pulled out something and swallowed it, then lit a cigarette, pulled in a deep drag, and exhaled white thick smoke right into where her face was.

A deep grunt followed a smile.

She smiled back, full lipped.