HEJ, MY LOVE

STRANGER EYES

While Sierra sought to find her son, Leone stretched out his hand to touch the Swan.

Distracted by the conversation, Sierra didn't feel the little boy's hand slip away. Now she spun around in a panic. Her eyes settled on a spot along the bank where a swan fluttered its wings and destabilized the little boys' balance. Sierra made the sprint of her life to catch Leone about to topple headfirst in the water.

"Leone," Sierra grasped him by his coat which was fortunately zipped. Without this detail, the jacket was all Sierra would have held.

Yanked backward, the child stared at his mother, stupefied as she shook him. "Leone, don't ever do that again, do you hear me?"

The shock was immense for both of them. Leone's lips rippled before arching and letting out the mother of cries.

Saanvi was beside Sierra by then, her eyes roamed everywhere, and she prayed the scene didn't reel in too much attention.

"Ladies."

"Officers."

"Oh, he's okay, thank goodness he has nothing," Sierra said, assuming the police were there to check everything was in order.

"Your papers, please, madame."

Sierra opened her purse and gave her ID like Saanvi.

The officer said something in Swedish, and Saanvi translated, "he's asking if you're his nanny."

"No, tell him I'm his mom."

Saanvi repeated the officer exchanged stares. The older one smiled and asked for Leone's papers.

Sierra took them out. She guessed it was routine, "he's my son, see Potsmann. I'm Ms. Potsmann."

Her new ID with her new name was still in the administration. She was still Sierra Lennox, and it suddenly seemed a problem.

The older officer said something else in Swedish, and Saanvi translated, "they want you to go with them."

Sierra frowned, "what, why?"

Saanvi asked the policeman, even she didn't seize the reason, "they say you aggressed the boy."

"What? You saw Leone was about to fall in the water."

Sierra was unaware. If there was one country on earth where children's rights were put on a pedestal, it was in Sweden.

"It's illegal to hit children, in or out of the house here; they say," Saanvi explained.

"I didn't hit him, you saw." Sierra couldn't believe her ears. How could they think she was being violent.

"They say you have to go with them."

The younger officer went to pick up Leone, who clung to Sierra, "mama," he cried.

Different uniform, still the memory surfaced, one where an officer lifted Leone from beside Cecile. He screamed with all his might as the incident triggered the dormant trauma. The policeman had no choice then to let Sierra carry him to their car.

Saanvi insisted on going with them. The policeman let her do when she underlined Sierra didn't speak Swedish.

Ten minutes later, Sierra sat at the police station.

Saanvi explained what happened, but the police didn't want to hear it.

"Can I at least call my husband?"

They refused and said they would inform him, but they didn't say when.

Three hours Jonas got a call.

"Jonas, where are you going?" Lars asked as he saw his brother dash out of his office.

"It's Sierra; the police arrested her."

"What?"

"Lars, can you call Elsa for me? Tell her to contact the Norrmalm police station."

Jonas hurried; he didn't even listen to what the policeman said. All he knew was he had to get Sierra out.

Fifteen minutes later, Jonas presented himself at the police station.

Elsa was already there, asking to see the area's cameras. The inspector didn't even play fake courtesy. She knew all was nonsense from the moment the older policeman told her Sierra beat Leone in public.

"Elsa, where is she?"

"Papa," Leone got off the chair where he sat next to Saanvi and went to hug his father.

Jonas picked up his son, "ça va?"

"Mama," Leone said, "mama," the boy's lips quivered. He held his tears as his mom asked him, but he surrendered and sobbed in front of his father.

"Where is she?" Jonas asked his sister.

"They're interrogating her."

The man frowned, he saw no reason for his wife to be there, "why?"

Elsa returned to the desk after ten minutes. Sierra came out of an office thanks to Dirk Alstrom.

"Sierra?"

The woman was livid; the scenario was so unforeseen Sierra convinced herself she slept.

"You should explain to your wife when in Sweden do like the Swedish do. We're not savages here. You should watch the people you confine your child to, Mr. Potsmann," the policeman said in Swedish.

Jonas' blood made one round trip. The man went to grab the officer, but fortunately for him, his sister intervened and held him back. "Name and registration number, your supervisor, will hear about this," Elsa yelled.

They left the police station, but Elsa stayed behind. She refused to let go of the incident. Accustomed to discrimination by her sexual orientation Elsa was a pit bull when she saw any misconduct. The man didn't know what he was up against. One of the youngest inspectors of her promotion, the law was law, but not anyhow.

Sierra turned to Saanvi before climbing in Jonas's car, "thank you for your help."

"You're welcome. This type of incident is why we have our group. Take care, Sierra."

Sierra remembered how she shrugged off Saanvi. Now she recognized the woman's support was precious. Though a stranger, Saanvi didn't go home to her husband. She could have left, estimating it wasn't her business, yet she waited with Leone until Jonas's arrival. No matter how Sierra would not forget the gesture.

"Can I drop you off?" Jonas asked the woman.

"No, I'm good, my husband is already waiting for me," Saanvi waved, and Jonas saw the headlights of a car flash twice.

"Okay, thanks again."

"It's nothing," Saanvi ran to her husband's car.

The drive home was silent. Once home, Sierra went straight to the bathroom. She took a shower that seemed to have no end for Jonas. Exhausted, Leone skipped dinner and slept.

Jonas didn't know what to do or say. Never in his life had he experienced anything like Sierra or even his brother Lars. The matters weren't even comparable.

Sierra went straight to bed and crawled under the covers. Jonas didn't know how to comfort her, but the man had to attempt something.

"Sierra, talk to me. You can't shut yourself off like this, I know-."

Sierra shot up, "you don't know, Jonas."

"Sierra."

"No, I swear, Jonas, you have no idea. My life flashed before my eyes when Leone leaned forward. I just kept thinking our Leone, Cecile's Leone. I was scared to death, Jonas. I thought the police came to see everything was fine and theyㅡ," Sierra was lost for words. They thought I was a nanny. I know what you think. It's not the first time, right. But those officers refused to believe he was my son; worse, they imagined I hurt him. They were soㅡ," Sierra closed her eyes. "I have never been arrested, and God knows the assumptions the Dijonaise population had about black people. Here,ㅡ you know what. I can't get this idea out of my head. The woman shook her head as if to say no, "I keep wondering if things would have been the same if I was a white woman." A single tear strolled down her cheek, "would they have doubted my words if I was a white woman claiming to be his mother?"

"Sierra."