Sylvia- An American Crime

The House

Now that I think back, all the 'good memories' have almost been wiped clean. As the courthouse asks Daddy questions about what he's been doing after he went me and Jenny off, I go back to the memories I have in August of 1965. I started a new School, and luckily I was with Paula to show me and my sister around.
"Nothing to be nervous about, everyone's nice here I promise." Me and Paula are walking outside, and make it around the corner when I see Ted smoking a cigarette sitting by his car with Coy.
"Hey Paula! You get your cherry popped this summer?" He asks, and we turn around.
"You sure didn't Teddy, not with a face like that!" She shouts.
"Hey come on Paula you know he was just playing." I heard Coy say in the distance.
"So why don't you play with yourselves?" She sarcastically says, making me laugh again as the things Paula said always shocked me in a certain way. Those days where she still had respect for me.
"Coy is okay, but Teddy is a goddamn delinquent!" She tells me, before someone from a far calls her name and she runs off. I thought I'd be alone, until a boy with glasses comes up to me immediately after.
"Those guys, they're always messing with somebody." He explains.
"Well, I'm sure she'll be okay." I grinned.
"You live with Paula and them?" He asks.
"Yeah, for a bit I guess." I nodded, and then there was a pause.
"Yeah, I saw you the other day." Then he goes on to say that he's seen me by the house before, introducing himself as Ricky Hobbs, and I introduced myself at just Sylvia.
"Hey there's a football game this weekend, if you'd be interested?" He asks, and I got nervous saying the only other thing on my mind.
"Oh, I don't really like football all that much." He couldn't even tell me anything else, before Paula called for me.
"Goodbye!" He yells. 
And that was the time I first met Ricky. I had no idea that he might've liked me until later, when I was with Paula and Stephanie with their friends. But I am getting too ahead of myself, because I remembered now that she came up to me at the end of the day to ask me how my first day was. Then, she started acting real weird. She asked me if I could pick up her siblings to take them home, because she had something to take care of? I just asked if everything was fine, but Paula just told me to tell Gertie that she was going to be taking an extra shift at work.

Back to the witness stand, and now Mrs. Doyle took the stand. The same neighbor that heard Paula yell at Johnny because of the dog.
"Where do you live Mrs. Doyle?" Reverend asked her.
"3840 East New York." She answered.
"You can almost reach out of your dining room window and touch the Baniszewski's kitchen, can't you?" I personally thought his question was far out, apparently so did she. At this point, I saw Jenny was shaking more and more as time went on so I sat beside her. This was the worst feeling, since she didn't know I was there. But at least I saw Mama from where Jenny was as the questions went on.
"Did you develop any bias, or prejudice feelings towards her?" Bill asks.
"No, I felt sorry for the lady! I thought she was a hard working woman with all those kids!" Mrs. Doyle looked as if she was genuinely offended by the questions Reverend asked.
"Ever entertain any guilt feelings or animosity towards her?" He says.
"Oh no, I can't judge her." She lowers her head.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked again.
"I can't judge her." Even though she held her head up high, I closed my eyes and let myself travel again. Gerdy was holding my hand tight at the dining room table, as we were about to eat dinner. On the menu we had sandwiches and milk, which made me question what she might've done with the twenty dollars Daddy gave her. Regardless, I was thankful we had something to eat that night.
"Would you like to say a prayer Sylvia?" She asked, and I agreed as we all held hands.
"Bless this food we eat, and release us from our sins, amen." And everyone said amen, but I heard the front door open and Gertrude stood up from the table while the dog also began to yell outside.
"Somebody get out there and feed that dog." She shoved Johnny's head, but he accepted and got up from the table to go to the backyard.
"Sorry, I'm late." Paula was at the door.
"Where have you been?" She asks.
"I took up the shift for Ellen." Paula looked tired, sad, and really exhausted. But I just sat there with my best manners, despite how uncomfortable I was.
"I didn't see him!" Was all I heard Paula say loudly.
"Don't lie to me Paula!" Gerdy shouts.
"What? Was he here!? Did Andy say something?" She asks nervously.
"That's none of your business." Gertrude sighed, before she must've said something that really angered her mom because she slapped her and Paula ran off. The dog was going crazy at his point, barking and crying. Gertrude yelled at Johnny for not feeding the dog, but all I wanted to do was really know what was bothering Paula. It was killing me inside to see her so upset, especially not saying anything about it. So I sneaked away from the table, and made it to her room to see Paula on her knees crying and leaning her body on the bed from the floor.
"What's wrong Paula?" I asked quietly as I tiptoed inside the room.
"I've got problems Sylvia, big problems." It was hard to hear her, as she was heavily crying and smothering her face into the bed so I kneeled down next to her and rubbed her back gently
"With Bradley?" I whispered.
"I went to the doctor today." Then she looked over at me with fear in her eyes.
"I'm pregnant." Before smacking her head back into the bed.
"You know the guy is married." I said.
"I know, and he wouldn't want a baby." Her crying got heavier, and she reached up to wipe her tears.
"I don't know a damn thing to do." She sniffled.
"Well, you gotta tell him." Was all I could say to help.
"I can't." She wiped more tears.
"Well, I think you gotta." I nodded, and continued to rub her back but she stopped me and grabbed my hands to look in my eyes.
"You gotta promise me, that you won't say anything to anybody." I started to nod again.
"Not a word, until I figure out what I'm gonna do okay?" I nodded once more, while gently grasping her hand.
"Yeah, I promise." I whispered, but just kept sitting there with her until she stopped crying.

The next day after School, really got my attention on how things ran in the Baniszewski house. We walked in on Gertrude napping on the couch in an odd position, and Paula woke her up.
"I want you all upstairs!" She said as soon as she woke up. So we all made our way to the stairs, before she got me and Jenny's attention specifically.
"Except for you two." She says.
"I want you down down in the basement." Gerdy looked right tired, worn out completely, so I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. When we got down there, she flickered on the light bulb and sighed while rubbing her eyes.
"Your daddy's check didn't arrive today." She said in a stern voice.
"Oh it's probably just late, my Mama wouldn't let him forget." I tried to plaster on a smile, because for the first time I felt personally threatened in that house. That was the first of many, unbenounced to me and Jenny yet.
"You know what I think?" Gerdy got seriously mad.
"I just took care of you two for two weeks, for nothing." Then she said something that actually made me mad.
"I think your Mama and Daddy, left you here for good." She smirked.
"They wouldn't do that." I said under my breath, while shaking my head lightly.
"Keep your mouth shut!" She snapped, before grabbing a leather belt. I knew we were gonna get punished now.
"Lean over those." She pointed at these cardboard boxes.
"Go on, lean over." I looked at Jenny, in a way where I was telling her not to but she did anyway, naturally I did too. I really didn't know what we were getting punished for, but I felt obligated to do whatever she asked. Jenny was the first to get hit, she screamed, and was down for the count.
"Come on! Get up!" Gerdy got on the floor to try and pick her up, but Jenny just cried and begged for her to leave her alone.
"Gerdy!" I shouted, and it got her attention immediately.
"I can take hers." I whispered, and leaned back over as she went back over to the cardboard where I was at. I grind my teeth and prepared to feel the leather against my buttocks as well, but I had more physical strength then Jenny because I was a year older. I was only hit twice, but every hit was very hard and filled with rage. 
"Okay, Come on." Gerdy sighed as if she had worn her own self out with all that whipping. She helped me stand up straight, and wiping my face I had some tears and sweat from all that anxiety.
"I need that money." She whispered, and I instantly thought this woman was insane, but I just nodded delicately as she walked back upstairs.
"Come on, Jenny." I kneeled down to where she was, and got to her level.
"It's not like we never had a spanking before." I tried to giggle and smile to cheer her up.
"You know that checks gonna come tomorrow I swear!" Then I hugged her and rubbed her head.

My subconscious goes away, but I'm back in the courthouse sitting beside Jenny. I remembered that day all too well, as it was anxiety filled. I just wish I could pass on with the happy memories.