Of Beetles and Angels by Mawi Asgedom

Kibrom were two skin-and-bones brothers, not even twenty when they first came to the States. They had lived with us for several weeks until their sponsors had found them a home.
    T HEY HAD GOTTEN THEMSELVES INTO TROUBLE AND DID NOT KNOW ANY E NGLISH . K NOWING NO ONE ELSE WHO COULD TRANSLATE FOR THEM, THEY CALLED ME .
    I HAD WARNED T EMESGEN BEFORE THAT A MERICA IS NOT LIKE A DI . I HAD WARNED HIM THAT THIS IS A COUNTRY WHERE YOU CAN BE JUST ONE PENNY SHORT AT THE GROCERY STORE, AND THEY STILL WON’T FORGIVE YOU .
    B UT YOU KNOW T EMESGEN, HE HAS NEVER CONSIDERED THE TALK OF PEOPLE .
    T HEY WERE DRIVING ONE DAY NEAR THE RAILROAD TRACKS, WHEN T EMESGEN BECAME DISTRACTED BY SOMETHING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD .
    T HE NEXT THING HE KNEW, HIS CAR HAD JOLTED OVER THE CURB AND BROKEN THROUGH SEVERAL SIGNS, HALTING ONLY AFTER IT HAD DEMOLISHED A YOUNG PLANT .
    H OPING TO ESCAPE BEFORE ANY AUTHORITIES ARRIVED , T EMESGEN AND K IBROM FRANTICALLY TRIED TO GET THE CAR STARTED . B UT A POLICEMAN CHANCED UPON THEM ALMOST IMMEDIATELY . H E ACCUSED THEM OF DRIVING WITHOUT RULE, BREAKING THE CITY SIGNS, AND KILLING THE YOUNG PLANT .
    T HEY CAME AND BEGGED ME , “P LEASE , F ATHER H AILEAB ! H ELP US ! T HEY HAVE THREATENED TO TAKE AWAY T EMESGEN’S LICENSE AND TO MAKE US PAY FOR THE DAMAGED PROPERTY . T HEY WILL STAIN OUR RECORDS AND MAKE US LOST !”
    I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO OR HOW I COULD HELP THEM, BUT I AGREED TO GO TO COURT WITH THEM SO THAT I COULD AT LEAST TRANSLATE ON THEIR BEHALF .
    Hntsa and I looked at each other with excitement, trying to imagine our father before a judge. This was going to be better than the
Sanford and Son
episode where Fred G. Sanford went to defend his son, Lamont, and got charged with contempt of court!
    W E WENT TO COURT, AND THE JUDGE ASKED ME IF I KNEW ENOUGH E NGLISH TO TRANSLATE AND IF I UNDERSTOOD BOTH LANGUAGES . I TOLD HIM YES AND I TOOK THE PROMISE THAT THEY MAKE YOU TAKE IN COURT .
    T HE JUDGE ASKED ME TO ASK THEM IF THEY WERE GUILTY OF DESTROYING THE PLANTS AND THE SIGNS . I WAS GOING TO SAY YES . B UT I HAVE PSYCHOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE — KNOWLEDGE THAT IS NOT CONTAINED IN BOOKS — so I STOPPED MYSELF . I KNEW THAT IF WE SAID YES, THE JUDGE WOULD FINE THEM AND GIVE THEM MANY OTHER PUNISHMENTS .
    B UT WE COULD NOT SAY NO, EITHER, BECAUSE THE POLICEMAN WAS RIGHT THERE AND HE HAD SEEN THEM TRYING TO START THE CAR .
    “L ISTEN TO ME ,” I COUNSELED THEM . “I F YOU SAY NO, HE WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE LYING AND HE MIGHT GIVE YOU AN EVEN GREATER PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR DISHONESTY . B UT IF YOU SAY YES, HE WILL STILL CONVICT YOU AND YOU WILL STILL FACE GREAT PUNISHMENT BEYOND YOUR MEANS .
    “S O LET’S TELL HIM THAT A CHILD CAME ACROSS YOUR PATH WHEN YOU WERE DRIVING AND YOU HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HARMING THE CHILD AND DESTROYING THE PLANTS AND THE SIGNS . B ECAUSE YOU HOLD NOTHING HIGHER THAN THE LIFE OF A CHILD, YOU PURPOSEFULLY HOPPED OVER THE CURB AND DESTROYED THE PROPERTY .
    “T HAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED !” T HEY BOTH NODDED . “T ELL HIM !”
    S o I TOLD THE JUDGE . H E DID NOT UNDERSTAND ME AT FIRST, AND NEITHER DID THE POLICEMAN, BUT I EXPLAINED IT TO HIM IN A GOOD WAY AND HE UNDERSTOOD .
    Hntsa and I knew our father well enough to understand what he meant by “a good way.” We could picture him hunched over in the courtroom, with his head raised high and his body leaning on his cane, taking a deep breath, starting softly, then raising his voice to a near-shout, hands pumping emphatically to accentuate his points.
    X CUES ME, FATHER . W E ARE POOR . Y OU SEE ME , I AM DISABILITY . I AM POOR MAN AND REFUGEE …. That poor judge, that poor policeman, that poor courtroom!
    “W HY DIDN’T THEY TELL THE POLICEMAN ABOUT THE CHILD?” THE JUDGE ASKED .
    “V ERY GOOD ,” I TOLD HIM . “T HAT IS GOOOOOOOD QUESTION .”
    I HAD BEEN EXPECTING HIS QUESTION AND I HAD AN ANSWER READY FOR HIM : T HE CHILD’S MOTHER HAD GRABBED HER CHILD AND RUN OFF BECAUSE SHE WAS SO TERRIFIED . M OTHER AND