NEPO BBY

15

"Okay. I'd like to now talk about the family trip you took with your father and Mrs. Heard to the island...Your father testified that Lily and Mrs. Heard began to argue over dinner. Do you recall about what?" Camille asked me.

"Lily confronted Amber about her physical abuse towards Dad and Amber didn't like that. It seemed to really upset her and she kind of lost it," I recalled.

"Okay. And at a certain point, you got upset and left the dinner table. Is that correct?"

"That is correct."

"And where did you go when you left the dinner table?" Camille asked.

"I went out the back door which led to the beach front. I took a seat in the sand and then Lily came a few minutes later to console me."

"And you witnessed that night Mrs. Heard physically assaulting your father on the beach. Is that correct?"

"That's correct."

"Can you tell the jury about that night?"

• • •

Lily and I flew out to the island for a family vacation. Dad had begged us to join and Lily's schedule was finally compatible with everyone else's and we had decided on one week on the island together. Lily and Amber's relationship had never recovered - and it was safe to say they strongly disliked one another. But Lily went for Dad.

The first two days were awkward. Lily and I spent a lot of time together the first day catching up. We hadn't seen one another in a few months. I told her how I'd moved to Spain to be closer to my girlfriend at the time. I told her I hated college and was contemplating on dropping out but was terrified of disappointing everyone. She encouraged me to follow my heart and do whatever it was that would make me happy. She told me she's recently ended up single and was focused on her career. I told her how proud I was of her. And I told her Mum was just as proud. At the time, Lily and Mum didn't talk much. But Lily promised she would give Mum a call when she returned back to LA. I told her how we had recently found out that Benoit had cancer and it didn't look good. We decided to keep that news between us as not to ruin the family vacation.

The following day, we spent a lot of time with Dad on the beach. Amber was around sometimes but she didn't interact as much. And Lily and I could feel the tension between Amber and Dad. Dad was not himself anymore. He was completely unrecognizable and it was difficult for us to deal with. Amber had left him a shell of who he once was. But we tried to make the best of our time with him. We spent most of the day on the beach updating him on our lives. It was the first time in so long that we got to spend with one another - and luckily Amber stayed away that day.

That night, we had dinner together on the patio outside. It was uncomfortable for Lily and I because the memories we had always included Mum and Sparrow. But now things were different. Amber was in a generally displeased mood that night. Dad was tense again. And Lily and I were extremely uncomfortable by it all.

I don't recall how it got to this point but it didn't take long before Amber and Lily began to exchange jabs at each other.

"Looks like Dad got into another bar fight," Lily remarked sarcastically.

"Maybe he should stop drinking," Amber suggested.

"Where was the bar?" Lily asked Dad who was clearly uncomfortable. "Oh! I think I know! The one in your house! And let me guess - Amber was the big dude who fought you."

Dad and I just exchanged shocked expressions.

"You're implying I beat him up?" Amber asked Lily. Lily smiled and nodded. "You've become very delusional since you've began acting have you?"

Lily shrugged, "At least, I can act."

"Hardly!" Amber laughed.

"I know what you're doing. And you won't win," Lily dared. "You think you can steal everything from him and you won't. I won't allow it. Look at what you've done to him!"

"What I have done to him? Oh please!"

And I took a glance at Dad and I couldn't deny Lily's accusations - dad wasn't himself since marrying Amber. I stood up from the table and walked out the backdoor - I needed some air. I took a seat in the sand and looked out at the tide. A short while later, Lily sat next to me. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder - like I'd done for her many times. "I'm sorry about that back there." She told me.

"It's okay," I told her. "You were right anyways. He's not the same - she's destroyed him."

Lily and I sat there together - in silence. For awhile. And then we heard some commotion in the background that caught our attention. Amber was standing in front of the car shouting at dad to get out. She was begging him and she was crying. He looked like he wanted to get away from her because the car was on and he was in the driver seat. He looked over at Lily and I who were watching this all play out and he turned the ignition off and got out of the car and walked inside the house with her.

"She's crazy," Lily remarked to me. I agreed.

Some time had passed and we heard Amber again. So we turned around to see what the commotion was this time. Dad was sitting on the back of the golf cart looking off into the distance. He was clearly distressed and his shirt was soaking wet - I assumed they had been arguing and she threw wine at him as she was very famous for that act. She was again in front of him crying and begging him to come inside. When he didn't respond she straddled his lap and was clinging to him and begging him to come inside and work it out. I guess he told her he would come inside so she got off of him and he stood up and she began walking inside but he started walking towards us.

Lily and I had stood up and began walking towards him to check on him. But Amber ran up behind him and was crying and screaming and pulling his shirt so that he would come inside. But he kept walking towards us. When he didn't comply with her demands, she got ahold of his ponytail and began to pull on it hard enough it ranked his head back. Mrs. Ellen, the house manager, ran up and tried to get Amber off of Dad. Lily and I ran over too.

"Amber, let go of his hair!" I yelled at her. She didn't listen. The next thing I see is Lily's fist meet Amber's nose and then she did let go of his hair. And she grabbed her nose and noticed it was bleeding and she began to freak out so Mrs. Ellen took her inside and helped her out. Lily and I guided dad to the guest house. We got him cleaned up, gave him some water, and let him get some sleep.

When he was asleep, Lily boarded the jet back to LA. I stayed behind because I didn't want to leave him behind.