POLICE ACADEMY II
As the unconscious person slowly regained consciousness, he felt a sense of confusion and disorientation. He had no idea how he had ended up in a hospital bed, or why Damian was sitting next to him, looking worried. At first, the two men were hostile towards each other, with the patient glaring at Damian, his enemy and refusing to speak to him. Damian who had been pacing back and forth in the room, hoping and praying that the patient would at least move a finger or deliver a blink so that his conscience would stop judging him for dragging the young man into this predicament, was surprised that when the motion he was anticipating finally came, it was followed by an argument. The young man was pissed off at Damian for being the cause of him missing his first training in the Academy, and spending valuable amount of time sleeping on a hospital bed. Damian apologized to him and took the blame for his actions, then he placed the bowl of rice which was served for breakfast next to him and said "Here, uhm... The nurse's advice was that you should eat when you wake up, she said it'll help you regain your strength. She also said that you should drink enough water every morning before training starts, "if he doesn't want to end up like this again'"
"So what? Are you my nanny now?" The young man fumed "You can go out, I'm okay." "I'm really sorry, but I can't do that, the instructor's orders were that I stay with you and make sure you and I get along 'if' we really want to be under his mentorship" Damian explained, "wow, just when I was planning to give you credits for being here you reveal that you were forced to be here, fine, you can stand over there or sit, I care less what you do. For both our sake, let's pretend we're cool even though we're not, so that we don't get suspended, cos I won't be happy to go home before the six months is up, aughh, not to talk of the look on my Dad's face, he'd probably bury me alive" the young man said, as he scooped some rice into his mouth. "Ooh-" Damian wailed a concern, "you didn't want to be a police?" He asked, as he came closer and sat on a chair next to him, "Not really, I just wanted to work side by side with my Dad and get the respect he gets, but he said that this is the only way I can support his business in the long term." The young man explained, spooning another rice into his mouth, trying to eat as quickly as he could and return to the dormitory, it was then that Damian noticed the tattoo on the back of his left hand, a tattoo of a spider's web, but before he could ask about it, "what's your story" the young man asked, his question sent Damian sailing into deep thoughts, he began to reminisce the sound of the gunshots that took his father away from him and the tears both he and his mother shed over his death, Damian didn't notice how teary his eyes had become, he was so sucked into thoughts that the voice of his companion asking if he was okay could not wake him until the young man pricked his shoulder. "Uhm... Sorry" he apologized, "what was the question again?" The young man gave a corky laugh that almost caused him to choke, then he said "I heard men do not shed tears, what happened to you? I was only asking why you chose to be a Policeman dude" "Why I chose to be a Policeman" Damian muttered to himself, then finally he looked up to answer the question, "I'm just some guy on a quest" he said "on a quest to arrest and probably kill any burglar or robber who steals from helpless people. You know.... I lost my parents at an early age. One night on our way back from church some robbers attacked us and shot them both to the ground in front of me, I was forced to watch as both of them gulped in air, struggling to survive. I was fortunate though, they asked me to go free, and do you know what they said? They said that there was no justice, that nothing can happen to them because they were or worked for powerful people, I just want to show them that nobody is above the law, even if they are dead, or they are alive in the actions of robbers and murderers that run our streets and neighborhoods today, I will prove them wrong."
As touching as those lies were, the intensity with which Damian released each word caused the hairs of his companion to stand erect "Wow, I'd be really scared if I were them" the young man commented "I'm deeply sorry for your loss mahn" he stretched out his hand towards Damian for a handshake, Damian shook his hand with his eyes fixed on the spider web tattoo "thanks mate, I appreciate it" he responded, still not taking his eyes off the tattoo until the guy asked if he wanted to get one. Damian shook his head and responded with "Naa, my foster Mom will kill me if I got one".
The young man who perceived Damian as an arrogant person per his actions when they met in the morning, began to change his perception about him. He was moved by his story and began to empathize with him. He realized that he had been wrong to hate him and that Damian had been through a lot. As the days passed, the two men began to bond over training sessions at the Academy and spent most of their free times together. They talked about their injuries, their fears, and their hopes for the future. They also shared stories from their past and laughed together, despite their differences, but Damian was really calculative of the words that escaped his lips. He found out that the name of his new frenemy was Jalen Brazel, son of the great Jimmy Brazel, his father's murderer. He then began to plan how to get to him and bring his mission to an end. Life in the police academy was a rigorous and demanding experience, as the two young men, Damian and Jalen, quickly discovered. The early mornings began at 5 a.m, with a loud and piercing wake-up call that echoed throughout the dormitory. The two friends groggily got dressed in their crisp, navy blue uniforms and made their way to the mess hall for a quick breakfast before their first training session of the day. Yes, their "training before meal" policy changed, this was because after Jalen fainted that day, other incidents of people fainting were recorded, forcing the instructor to amend his undocumented constitution.
Physical training was intense, pushing the limits of their endurance and strength. Damian and Jalen pushed each other to keep going, often finding themselves competing to see who could run the fastest or lift the most weight. Despite the grueling nature of the training, both men thrived on the challenge and were determined to become the best officers they could be. In addition to physical training, the academy also focused on developing the mental and emotional fortitude needed for the job. Classes on de-escalation techniques, crisis management, and the legal aspects of policing were just a few of the subjects the two friends studied.
As the weeks passed, the two men grew closer, forming a strong bond of friendship and mutual respect. They were always there to support each other, whether it was during a particularly difficult training exercise or a late-night study session. Despite the challenges, both Damian and Jalen graduated from the academy with flying colors and were ready to take on the real world as fully-fledged officers. Their time in the academy taught them discipline, perseverance, and the importance of camaraderie in the face of adversity. When Damian informed his mother that he was about to graduate, behind the phone she sobbed, pleading that her son would quit the journey ahead and return home, Damian apologized and requested for his mother to rent a place in Kamloon for him to stay and also told her not come for the graduation. "Aren't you coming home baby?" "No Ma, I have some stuff to take care of, this is an undercover mission" Damian explained, "So soon? I'm not a cop and haven't been one before but Damian I'm pretty sure this is not how it works. What're you not telling? Didn't you miss home? What about me? You've been gone for too long Damian" his mother asked in her state of perplexity. "Mom!" He called, "Yes Damian, speak to me, are you okay?" She replied anxiously, she had noticed a sudden drop in his tone, "I know you will disagree with me if I explain my reason to you, so I'm going to try not to, but I have some good news, we will finally get justice for Dad's death and -" "Justice from the law or by you?" "Mom..." "Answer me Damian, I have the right to know cos you're my son. Damian, you know you are the most important person in this life to me, without you, I have nothing to live for, I held on all these years because of you, I invested everything good that I had to offer in you, and if there's one thing you failed to learn from me, I believe, it's forgiveness, but son, like the scripture says, "I have laid before you good and evil" and now the choice is yours, you're man enough now Damian, I believe you can decide whom you want to become. I'll get you a place at Kamloon, and I'll try to stay away from you at the graduation, but you cannot stop me from coming. Take care Damian, congratulations."