The people in the following account aren’t real, but their story is.
It is a typical morning in the home of Jack and Joanne, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and a housewife. They have a 9-year-old son, Jake.
Jack: That was a delicious breakfast, dear. I will need it, being out in the cold all day.
Joanne: Let’s make sure you have all of your gear. Tactical gear, check. Bulletproof vest, check. Nine-millimeter, check. Looks like you’re ready for another day of rounding up bad guys.
Jack: Ready as I’ll ever be. I should be home at the usual time unless we run into problems.
Joanne: Just come home safe. You know how I worry.
Jack: (Calling) Jake, have a good day in school, son.
Jake: I will, dad. Be careful out there.
Jack: Always.
Later that day, Jack gets home two hours later than usual.
Joanne: Why are you so late today?
Jack: I’ll tell you about it as soon as I have a cold beer. (Fifteen minutes later.) We were in the process of arresting a child rapist from Ecuador when, out of nowhere, a crowd of crazies surrounded our vehicles. They were shouting obscenities, spitting at us, throwing frozen water bottles and snowballs filled with rocks, blowing loud whistles, calling us Nazi Gestapo … the usual. When we got into our cars and tried to leave, a woman with two kids in car seats ran her SUV into our van.
Joanne: Was anyone hurt?
Jack: Fortunately, it was a low-speed crash. We got out of there as fast as we could. How was your day?
Joanne: Almost as eventful. After I dropped Jake off at school, I went to the supermarket. When I was in the produce aisle, a woman ran her shopping cart into mine and started shouting, “We know who you are ICE b—-. I hope you die a slow, painful death, just like the rest of your family.” In just a minute, a crowd of shoppers surrounded me and started yelling vile and disgusting things. Finally, the store manager intervened, apologized, escorted me to the car, and politely asked me not to come back.
Jack: I am so sorry that happened to you. Jake, how was your day in school?
Jake: Not that great, Dad. At lunch a group of older boys came up to me and said, “We know your dad’s in ICE. He’s a murderer and a Nazi.”
Jack: What did you do?
Jake: Nothing. They were bigger and there were five of them.
Jack: Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for all of us.
What was your day like?
Larry Moore
Valencia
