Our thirty minute recess was up. I was back on the stand this time facing my mothers’ lawyer. I was told to stick to the truth and that she would try bending the truth to make the jury think I was lying.
Stick to the truth, Stick to the truth. I canted in my head as my mothers’ lawyer walked up to me.
“So Ms. Montgomery, before the recess you were telling us about how your brother died.” Did she really have to reopen that wound? I thought we were here talking about my mother.
“Objection, your honor!” my fathers’ lawyer stood up, “There is no need to reopen that wound. We are here to talk about what happened on August 14. We are not here to talk about what happened when the child was ten years old!”
“Your honor, it has everything to do with what happened on that night.” My mothers’ lawyer said defensively.
The honor mulled it over and said, “I don’t see how it’s relevant to the situation. Yes Ms. Montgomery did say that but she was explaining what happened.”
My mothers’ lawyer looked pissed but I honestly didn’t care, I had no desire to talk about my brothers’ death anymore than I already had.
Turning back towards me she spoke again, “Did you have a good childhood?”
I was surprised by the question. I had a fairly decent childhood, which was until my brothers’ untimely death. “Y-yes, I did but that was before my brother passed.”
“Mhm,” she said, “Now why does your brothers’ death have to do with you having a terrible childhood?”
I just said I didn’t have a terrible childhood. I had a perfectly fine one then when my brother passed it became scary.
“I said that when my brother died is when my childhood was not longer good.” I said
“Again what does your brother have to do with your childhood going sour?” she questioned
HELLO! It was fucking obvious my own mother had started to abuse me!
“Well that’s when my mother first started attacking me.” I looked down at my hands, “At first we were all in mourning and then one day my mother decided to put all the blame on me. I didn’t blame her thought because I blamed myself as well. I remember one day she was yelling at me and my tears were rolling down my face. I tried to walk away but she grabbed my arm, later that day it had bruised into the shape of fingerprints. That’s the day I became afraid of my own mother.”
I looked back up at everyone. My mothers’ lawyer had started walking back towards me.
“So the day became afraid of your mother is the day she laid a hand on you,” she nodded. “Has she ever laid a hand on you before that day?”
“No she didn’t but it only happened after my brother passed away.” I said. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore.
“So you’re saying that the reason why your mother abuses you is because your brother passed away?” she made it sound awful.
“What I am saying is that my mother started abusing me when she had started blaming me for my brothers’ death.” I stood up, “My mother can’t look at me without thinking about Mitchell, I’m the reason he’s dead. If I had just stayed outside he never would’ve been in the water and a boat never would have run him over!”
I hadn’t realized that I was shouting. The tears were streaming down my face now, “Can I be excused?”
I looked over at the judge who had a sympathetic look on his face and nodded. Stepping down from the stand I walked back to my seat and sat down.
My mothers’ lawyer had started talking to the jury but I zoned her out, I didn’t want to hear the lies that she was spitting out. The tears kept falling from my face, not only had I had to remember the night my mother brutally beat me but I had to go back to the day of my brothers’ death. I kept on picturing the scene in my head. How could I have been so stupid? It was my entire fault and that’s not the kind of guilt a ten year old should bear. In fact, it’s not the kind of guilt anybody should bear.
When I looked back up my mothers’ lawyer and finally stopped talking and it was my fathers’ lawyers turn. I couldn’t really make out what he was saying because I wasn’t actually listening to him. I could see the faces of the jury. A lot of them had looked over at me with sympathetic looks; I knew they didn’t find my mother innocent.
My mother was going away and she was going away for a long time. I was pulled out of my thoughts when the judge had banged his mallet thingy.
“Court is dismissed until the jury reaches a verdict. I want everybody back here in three hours.” Everybody rose as the judge excited to his chambers.
How could I survive these next three hours? I needed to know if my mother was going to go away or if she was going to walk away a free woman. I hoped to god that she was found guilty.
*3 hours later*
We all sat around the courtroom in silence as the jury came back into the room. One of the men stood up and read aloud, “On September 26, 2009, we the jury, find Cynthia Chloe Montgomery guilty in the charge of child abuse.”
I let out a breath that I hadn’t even known I was holding in. I started crying because I was beyond happy that she was going away.
Banging his mallet thingy the judge spoke, “Okay we are sentencing Mrs. Montgomery to 5-10 years in prison. Bailiff take her away.”
The bailiff walked over to my mother who started to scream as tears strolled down his face.
“No please, don’t take me away from my baby!” I knew she was faking it she didn’t really want to be around me.
Once she was taken away my father shook his lawyers’ hand. I turned around and hugged him. “Thank you so much.” I said.
“You did all the real work,” he said pulling away from the hug.
My father walked out of the courtroom and I followed behind him.
I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I got into the car. In the car I buckled in and leaned my head against the window. I wish we weren’t moving but it was the only way she would never come after me. I had a smile plastered on my face as I drifted off into a blissful sleep.