A broken system

"May I come in?" I asked, taking my hat off of my head.

She nodded and opened the door, letting me in.

The place was as clean as it could be.

Not a single thing was out of place.

"It's so clean.." I commented to myself.

"Cleaning is the only thing I have to distract myself from." She said as she walked ahead.

"Well, the only thing productive."

She sat in the living room chair.

I hesitated, but I also sat down.

"So I assume you want me back?"

I nodded to her question.

"We need you, Jean."

She took a moment to respond.

"I don't think I can go back to that place."

I can only assume; the thing she had to do only traumatized her.

It's not surprising; having to kill a practically innocent kid is not an easy thing to do.

"You have to get over this; I know you can." I tried to comfort her.

"Things like this happen more often than you think and-"

"That's the thing!" She interrupted me, which left me completely shocked. She had never spoken up like this before, at least not to me.

"It shouldn't be happening!"

"It shouldn't!" She continued.

"That kid was killed."

"Killed by me because of choices he didn't even make!"

Jean held her head.

Her voice sounded as if she was holding back bitter, ugly tears.

"And I'm supposed to just live with that?"

"At this point, we aren't killing for justice."

"But to please the people."

I sat there and listened to her; a small part of me agreed with what she was saying.

Though, at the same time. I don't.

I don't know.

"Look, the world is messed up. that's why we're here. " I tried to explain.

"Setting the rules, enforcing it. Without us, the world would be so much worse."

"Would it?" She asked, looking up at me with dead serious eyes.

"Would it really, sir?"

"Cops who abuse their power? Racism? Broken justice systems?"

"An innocent person can die just by being in the wrong place at the wrong times and we wouldn't know. why? because if the people aren't satisfied and we aren't finding the culprit. We're going to have to find someone."

I had no words. I couldn't respond to any of it.

Because it's all true.

Jean braced back into her chair.

Her head was facing the ceiling.

"Sir, with all due respect."

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Without saying a word I got up from the chair and picked up my hat from.

As I opened the door I looked back at Jean.

"Your always welcome back, take all the time you need."

I left closing the door behind me