Chapter Six
Its been four months since dad beat me up. I am completely healed. When I went back to school the teacher actually hugged me and told me she was very happy to have me back. She even had a little gift for me. She gave me a book about Hellen Keller. She will never know that when she gave me that one simple gift she gave me the world. I found a love for reading through that book. It will always be my favorite book both owned and read.
My tenth birthday was coming up soon and my mom asked me if I knew what I might like to have for it. She had never done that before. I usually got a stuffed animal. That's why I had so many. Every holiday or birthday that's what I got as a gift. So I was surprised when she asked me. I think I surprised her too when I said a library card so I could read all the books I wanted. Not only did she take me to the library to get a card, but she took me to a bookstore too and let me pick out two books to have for myself that I could keep. Then she also took me out to eat. We had my favorite pizza, and they sang happy birthday to me when they brought it to the table. Then on the way home we stopped at the grocery store and bought the stuff to make ice cream sundaes at home.
This had been the best birthday I had ever had. I just wished it didn't take my dad beating the crap out of me to make her be a mom. But I was not going to say that to her. In fact I was not going to complain about it out loud ever.
Later that week my mom let me know she had gotten a new job. One that would let her work through the day while I was at school and then be home with me at night. Then in the summer I would have the Seekers with me. That made me really happy.
Now I would feel a little better at night because we could keep the door chained. We also had the locks change so dad wouldn't have the keys to them. Not that he could get to us he was locked up in jail. Mom told me she had to go to court and all so they would keep him there. She also told me I might have to go too, but she was trying to have them just go by the photos that was taken of me so I wouldn't have to. I hoped she would be able to get that to work. I did not want to go through that.
Mom got a phone call from the courthouse and they told her that I had to be there. They had to hear from me about what happened because the bruises in the photo could have been caused by anyone or anything. So in order for the judge to know it was my dad that did it I would have to be there to tell them. I felt so sick to my stomach. Mom tried to assure me that everything would be OK. She said I would be safe because dad would be guarded and would not be able to get to me. She said that a child services lawyer wanted to meet with us so she could help prepare me for what it would be like in the courtroom. That didn't help my stomach. I really didn't want to relive that night again. It was bad enough I still had bad dreams sometimes because of it.
When we went to talk to the lawyer for kids we were led into a room with a door that the whole top half was made like a big window. My mom and lawyer were sitting at the desk while I sat in a chair right in front of the door. We all started talking and she began explaining what would happen. Then she started to ask questions like they would be asking in the courtroom. The way she asked them was intense. Her tone of voice changed and she sort of sounded angry. Then right when she asked me if I did something to anger him he sat down at a table right in front of that windowed door.
He sat facing that door and he glared at me. He looked like the devil himself the way he looked. I couldn't talk anymore. I just froze. He wasn't supposed to be anywhere near us, yet there he was. The only thing between us was that table and that door that was half glass. My lawyer had her back to the door , so she didn't see him. Mom was still sitting at the desk which was around a little corner, so she couldn't see him either.
Tears silently slid down my face as I just sat there frozen and unable to speak. Once the lawyer realised that I wasn't going to answer the question she asked me multiple times, she turned around. When she saw what was happening she stormed over to the door and opened it. When mom heard her open it and started angrily shouting what was going on, she got up to see why. Then when she saw him, she reached down and put her arms around me and stared right back at dad.
My lawyer finally got someone to take dad away. Once he was removed we were told that that would be enough for that day. Being that that door was the only way out of the room we were in, the lawyer made sure dad was locked in a room away from there so we could safely leave.
I broke down and cried so hard I could barely breathe on the way home. Then mom stayed in my room with me that night because I kept waking up screaming. That next morning my mom called the lawyer and told her I couldn't do it. It was just too much on me and caused too much pain and fear. The lawyer told mom she would see what she could do to get the judge to change his mind about me having to be there. She said she would let him know what happened and how it effected me. Three days later she called back and told mom that the judge threw the case out and dad was free to go. Without me being there to tell them exactly what happened they couldn't keep him. The photos of my bruises and injuries would stay in his permanent record so the police would have it on file for the future should he ever do anything bad again. But he was out of jail. He was a free man. He is out and able to go wherever he wanted. Meaning, HE COULD COME BACK!
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