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AGAINST THE ODDS

The cop changed tack, asking him to set someone up. ‘Can you help us by going to a club and trying to buy ecstasy to show us who is selling?’

‘Are you nuts?’ Rafael retorted. Before leaving, the boss took phone numbers from Rafael’s mobile. None were drug dealers, as this was his ‘clean’ phone, but he took Rafael’s number, and soon started using it.

He kept calling me every day. I was, ‘Fuck, don’t call me anymore. Okay, let’s make a deal: you can come here now, I’m going to give you 500,000 rupiah [$50] – not to help me, but for you to forget me, never call me again.’ He comes like ‘Hah-bah-hah’ [panting]. He sees my lifestyle, and I think he thinks, ‘I have to take some money from this motherfucker.’ He tried everything he could.

Rafael was safe, for now, bailed out of the hot spot by his tactic of keeping a squeaky clean house, his quick inscrutable lies and glib tap-dancing. But he was furious at Marco.

I never believed police were going to come like this. I was very pissed off with Marco. I call and say, ‘Man, if you put me in jail you are going to die, because I’m going to kill you, motherfucker. Why did you talk about me?’ ‘Oh I don’t say anything, I don’t say anything.’ But his name was on the note.

So did he try to cut a deal?

I believe so. The cops show me the paper; they have the statement from Marco. I was thinking to fuck him. I was angry. I was boxing training and I taped his photo on the bag and punch so hard. Pow pow pow. I remember it gave me motivation.

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