Although his friend survived and recovered, the experience of witnessing such violence scarred Steven. Once he got over his shock, he ran back to the school and ran into his mother who was looking for him. They took him to a hospital where he stayed for several days. When asked who beat him within an inch of his life, he cast the merest glance at Steven who avoided his gaze by looking at his feet. He told the police he didn’t know who it was and Steven found him that way. The police accepted this and blamed gang activity. Renato has been beaten by a gang before, they said. It seemed he was targetted again as a right of passage. While in the hospital, he was finally given a bath and a haircut, the first he had in years. Eileen bought him sets of clothes to add to the donations from the hosp
