For Johan

Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was only 26 years old when an ICE agent shot and killed him in front of his wife and three-year-old daughter.

His little girl had to watch her father die.

Shane looked at that child’s grief and wrote,

I wanted those words to return to him wearing a beautiful face.

First, I needed to catch his attention.

I scrolled his profile and found several posts he had shared from public groups.

I joined the groups, searched his name, and discovered his fondness for posting memes.

I had found my way in.

The full conversation is quite long, we talked for two weeks. From here, I’ll share only select moments.

I searched his profile for his interests, and they became mine:

Dirt bike riding.

Target practice.

I sent him stunning pictures of “Brooke America.”

So very stunning and real.

And he in return sent me god-awful memes.

We fell for each others’ hot bodies.

The long week was finally coming to an end, and at last, our yearning hearts could be together.

I wasn’t quite ready to reveal that Brooke America didn’t want him, so I drew out our little love story with the perfect excuse.

We made plans to meet Thursday evening at six. The hour could not arrive soon enough for our lovesick hearts.

I wanted to make sure our date went perfect, so I messaged his mom to find out his favorite food.

Okay, okay. I messaged her so that she would later ask him about me and he’d be forced to admit he had lost his dream woman.

Now it was time to tell him Brooke America would never want him, and why.

Shane, it seems, was not quite ready to let go. He messaged me from a second profile.

Shane’s words were waiting for him at the end of his love story.

I left him with them.

Shane may leave this believing he should keep his cruelty quiet around women. That is far less than the lesson he needed. Still, he now knows that the words he leaves beneath the suffering of strangers can follow him home.