Countryhumans Hispanic Heritage Month 2024

El Juicio

Prompt: Argentina

Argentina was careful to keep his face blank and show no emotion. This lesson had been taught to him throughout his time under the military government. It was a safeguard to keep the government from trying to go after him or his provinces and to prevent them from knowing how much control they had over his mind at any given time.

Now, he was keeping it blank for a very different reason.

He was happy to see the military junta on trial after all they had done to him, his provinces, and his people. But he was afraid of what would happen if they were acquitted if they were set free—what they would do to his children and siblings to punish Argentina for being happy that they were finally facing justice.

Someone had already threatened him, told Argentina precisely what would happen to his family if he showed any support to the prosecutors, if he testified.

So, Argentina kept his face empty.

It was safe. It had always been safe.

Now, he would see how much longer he needed to keep his face like this, to see if they would be convicted of their crimes and if Argentina would finally be free of them.

Argentina hoped they would be convicted. He...he was afraid of them. He was a coward. If he were a better nation, he would have stood up to them, done something more to protect his people. But...by the time he saw how bad it really was going to be, he was too scared; their influence had already wriggled into his mind like an evil little worm.

A part of him was glad he had lost la Guerra de Malvinas. It helped lead to the military facing the consequences of their actions. And...it was better that Islas Malvinas did not have to deal with the Junta. She would rejoin Argentina again someday, but hopefully, on a better day when Argentina was a country that his people could be proud of.

Today was far from that day, though.

Argentina spent every day of the trial silently praying in the back of the courtroom. Some days, his siblings and children joined him, and others, he was alone.

He prayed for them to be convicted. He prayed for forgiveness for his inaction. He prayed for mercy for his people. He prayed that all those who died, all those that he failed in the most intense way possible, made it to heaven. His rosary twisted through his fingers again and again and again, soothing his nerves as he looked now at his feet, refusing to make eye contact with the witnesses, refusing to make eye contact with the people he failed.

He couldn't face them. Not yet.

Maybe he would never be able to face them.

Argentina was a coward, after all.

Argentina sighed, the beads of his rosary wrapped tightly around his fingers as he waited for the jury to return and read the verdict. Buenos Aires, who had joined him for the reading of the verdict, elbowed him in the side. Argentina moved his eyes from his hand to her face, which was twisted into a small frown.

"Cut it out, Argentina. You're going to hurt yourself," she whispered, concern in her eyes. Argentina looked away, back down at his hands, drawing the beads tighter.

He deserved pain, for his failure.

"It's my fault," he whispered, "I should have stopped them before they got this far."

"It's not your fault! It's United States' fault for supporting them! He gave them this power. But it's not your fault," Buenos Aires said, grabbing his hand. Argentina sighed, leaning his head against his older sister's shoulder, trying to keep the tears from his eyes. He could feel Videla's gaze on him.

"I...I still should have done more."

"And ignore the fact that a government like that can mess with your mind? I know you...maybe you could have broken out of it, but I watched that government force its will to be yours. The days you came home with foggy eyes and a confused gaze, and I watched you break free time and time again. You tried," Buenos Aires said, wrapping an arm around Argentina's side.

"I could have tried harder. I was a coward. I was too scared of them to try to do anything more," Argentina protested. It was becoming harder and harder to keep the emotions from his face.

"You were scared that things would get worse for us and your people. You can't...hermanito, you can't take the weight of their sins. Their crimes are theirs alone to bear, not yours. You never commanded anything. You...you are a victim. We all are," Buenos Aires said right as the jury entered the room.

Argentina was quick to sit back up, straightening out his back and letting any emotion slide from his body language. Buenos Aires shot him a look that promised that their conversion was not over yet.

He ignored her. He could escape his sister later. Instead, Argentina put his complete focus on the jury, staring at them perhaps a bit too intently.

It felt like the entire courtroom was holding its breath.

"We find the defendants guilty."

Argentina burst into joyful tears, the blank mask falling off his face as sheer, pure joy overcame it.

They were guilty. They would be sentenced for their crimes. They would face punishment. Argentina could live again, not being weighted down by the heavy fist of the junta.

Nunca más. Argentina thought, remembering the words of Chief Prosecutor Julio César Strassera. Never again.

Argentina would not let this happen again. It was time to make a better future for all his people.

And make up the best he could for the ones he had failed.