Take Me Home

Reminders

"Ok, so can you explain it one more time to us?" My mom had asked the lawyer, my lawyer they had hired as we sat in his office one day on a Thursday afternoon. I had been excused from school this day, as my mom had called in this morning. The lawyer, who's name was Michael Bolton, as he wore a rather admiring suit and his gelled back hair was flat on the sides and top, sat behind his desk leaning back in his spin chair, as I sat in front of that very wooden desk, my parents both by my side.

  "Well, Martins still hasn't confessed to anything yet. He still remains with his innocent plea, he claims Eric is just some random kid that had broken into his cabin that night and beat him up," Bolton explained to us once more, which angered me in a way only hearing what Martins was saying. How dare he say he doesn't know me. Would I have really just made all of this up? Seriously? Who does he think he is?! Does he really think people are going to believe him over me? Does he really think he's going to get away with all of this? Is he? My leg was shaking like crazy, as my nerves were getting to me and I couldn't calm them. Not even with a smoke, the one I had in my hand at that very moment. Bolton didn't mind, and neither did my parents. I placed it up between my lips as I let in a drag, and then blew it out.

  "So that means, we're going to have to go to trial," my dad had spoken next, more of a statement but a hint of a question was in his voice as well. Bolton nodded.

  "Most likely, yes," he spoke in more of a disappointed voice, as that silence filled the room once more.

  "So does that mean Eric's going to have to testify in front of all those people? Talk about all that.......stuff?" My mom asked as she dragged out her last sentence, and I looked over towards her a bit. And that's when my heart sort of raced faster. I really did not want to tell a whole room of people what I had been through, and what Martins did. I didn't want to talk to my parents about it most days, let alone a whole room filled with jurors, lawyers, reporters and just random people off the street. No way. It was uncomfortable and hard to talk about with only one person, let alone thirty? Or forty? Hell no. I didn't want to feel that pain again, and speaking in front of lots of people about it. Talking about the stuff he had done to me, all in it's dirty detail? No.

  "Yes, I'm afraid so," Bolton answered my mom as she then placed her head down, as my dad did the exact same thing, almost in shame or something, or just plain old sadness.

  "Well why do I have to tell all of them? I mean, they already know what happened. Everyone does," I shot my mouth off as that annoyed tone was present, and my parents and Bolton both looked towards me, that sad look present in my parents eyes, like usual once we spoke of certain topics.

  "We need to hear it in your own words Eric. The court needs to hear your side, your story," he explained it to me, which did make sort of sense, however I still did not want to do it. I was torn. I wanted Martins to pay. I wanted him to be sent to prison for the rest of his life. I wanted to put him away for good. But I didn't want to go up on the stand and tell everyone about the sexual abuse. It was bad enough they all knew about it, and then they wanted me to say it out loud too? And now, it seemed the only way I could get Martins locked up, and put away was if I did testify about all that stuff. And I just didn't know what to do. I didn't, but I wanted to. I wanted to have this all figured out, and my life figured out, but I didn't, and that's what made me upset. My parents wanted this guy locked up, and believe me so did I, but I just didn't want to testify. I didn't want to talk about it.

  "Well why can't he just be charged with kidnapping Joey and I, and then he will be put away," I asked, almost pleading and trying to find any other excuse why not to talk about the abuse, and any other way he could be sent to jail.

  "If we do that, his sentence will be far less severe. With all of the charges he is facing, going go trial could send him away for life. The kidnapping charge alone could only send Martins away for a few years," he tried to explain it to me, as that only angered me more. Hell no. He was not just going to be locked away for a few years. No. I wanted him locked up for a very long time. A few years wouldn't cut it. And realizing this, that made me more upset, because that meant I had to testify about all the other stuff, if I really wanted him locked up for good.