Interview 6 · Have You Ever… (1)
Does a 2009 ticket count?
Transcript
Rafa: Mom, the Have you ever part is super easy: say No to everything. No, no, no… and you go home.
Lupe: Have you ever been arrested, cited, detained or confined?
Rafa: No! My mom is a saint. Not one ticket.
Lupe: Mmm… No. Never.
Rafa: … Mom. What about this 2009 ticket in the glovebox?
Grandpa: Rewind.
Grandpa: Ever means: at any time in your life, anywhere in the world. Even many years ago.
Grandpa: Arrested: the police took you and held you. Cited: the police gave you a ticket. Detained: police or immigration kept you for some time.
Grandpa: Convicted: a judge said you are guilty. And even if the record was erased or sealed, you still tell them.
Grandpa: And probation is not parole. Probation: instead of jail, you stay free with rules. Parole: you get out of jail early, with rules.
Grandpa: A traffic ticket is cited too. If you got one, even if you paid it, the answer is Yes.
Grandpa: And with a Yes: tell the truth, explain, and bring your papers if you have them. For your own case, talk to an immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the Department of Justice.
Grandpa: Okay, like at the interview. Are you on probation now?
Rafa: Probation, parole… same thing, Grandpa!
Grandpa: Rafa! Not the same thing. … Lupe?
Lupe: No. I was never on probation.
Grandpa: Good. Another one: Have you ever gotten a ticket or been arrested?
Lupe: Yes. I got a speeding ticket in 2009. I paid it.
Rafa: My mom, the saint… speeding?
Grandpa: Saints speed too, kiddo. And then they pay.
Lupe: Your turn, mijo: What does 'arrested' mean?
Rafa: Mmm… It means the police take you to jail?
Grandpa: That's it, kiddo. And if you don't know a word, ask what it means.
Lupe: My fifteenth stamp in the passport!
Grandpa: Fifteen out of twenty, Lupe. And that ticket… goes in the folder.
Grandpa: Now, your ear. These are Lupe's answers: you always give your own, the true ones. Listen, answer… then repeat after me.
Officer: Have you ever been arrested?
Grandpa: No. I was never arrested. eye WUZ NEV-er uh-REST-id.
Officer: What does 'arrested' mean?
Grandpa: It means the police take you to jail. thuh puh-LEES TAKE yoo to JAIL.
Officer: Have you ever gotten a ticket or been arrested?
Grandpa: Yes. Can I explain? YES. kan eye ik-SPLAYN.
Officer: Tell me about that.
Grandpa: I got a speeding ticket in 2009. I paid it. Here is the paper. SPEE-ding TIK-it… PAY-per.
Officer: Are you on probation now?
Grandpa: No. I was never on probation. NEV-er on proh-BAY-shun.
Officer: Were you ever detained by immigration or at the border?
Grandpa: No. I was never detained. dih-TAYND.
Lupe: Ever means my whole life… even the 2009 ticket!
Grandpa: Your whole life, Lupe. Say them out loud every day.
Rafa: Okay, okay… not No to everything. The truth to everything.