Madness

Chapter 54

~Se l'aria mi raccontasse di te,vorrei
perdermi per sempre nel vento.~

The next morning I dragged myself out of bed, half asleep, not even able to keep my eyes open because of how tired I was. I had tossed and turned in bed all night, as I had done for months, and when I finally fell asleep, it was morning. I had been asleep for maybe two hours, and I was not ready for a meeting with anyone. To my misfortune, everyone was looking at me at breakfast, starting with the widow Hamilton. Everyone was anxious to see how the trial went and we were nervous, although we were not all on the same side. Douglas and I faced each other and the tension between us was electric. We couldn't go more than two minutes without looking at each other. When our eyes met, we just stood there staring at each other as if it were just the two of us at that table. I could barely concentrate on the conversation the others were having about the process, even though I was very interested. With Douglas' eyes digging deep into your skin, it wasn't easy to concentrate on anything. I took a few deep breaths to try and keep my composure, but it was really difficult, if not impossible. I thought I was an idiot to be upset by the words he had said to me the night before, but I couldn't help it, it was stronger than me, than any of us. Luckily, the other three were too focused on trying to figure out what was going on between us to notice.

"I sincerely hope to win the trial."

"Don't worry Mrs. Hamilton, the evidence is all against your sister-in-law, she doesn't stand a chance."

Steve's tone frightened me. He didn't seem to care much about what might happen to Savannah later. He and the lady, not caring at all about the poor woman's situation, quietly ate what we had been served for breakfast. I, on the other hand, did not touch my food. My stomach was clenched with nervousness; I was torn between doing what was right and what Savannah had asked me to do.

Unlike the previous days, the courtroom had fallen silent by the time we all settled into our seats. Everyone was waiting with bated breath for the verdict to be announced. When the judge finally entered, we all stood up. The only sound we could hear was the clanking of Savannah's handcuff chains. The judge sat down and invited us to imitate the gesture. After putting on his glasses, he narrowed his eyes to better scan the paper on which the verdict was written. He cleared his throat and began the reading. His voice was clear and loud, booming out in the silence of the courtroom. He was reading a very long page that seemed to never come to an end, citing various laws as I nervously moved my hands around in my lap. Suddenly, I felt Douglas's hand slip slowly between mine, clasping my right hand in a reassuring embrace as I stared at him, stunned by the gesture. I noticed that the Widow Hamilton was also trembling, and when the judge began to read the verdict, she began to look jubilant.

"On August 20, 2022, the State of Alabama sentences Savannah Elizabeth Hamilton Green guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and larceny on September 2, 2022, to the death penalty as a result of the evidence reported."

Immediately, her husband jumped to his feet. In fact, he got up from his seat so quickly that I did not even notice him, and angrily approached the judge and began to shout at him. Immediately, the guards of the court arrested him and took the screaming man as far away from the jury as they could get him.

"My wife is innocent! You cannot sentence her to death! She is innocent!"

"Yeah, sure"

The widow contemptuously watched the scene unfold before her, casting a hateful glance at her brother-in-law as he was escorted out of the courtroom, still groping the floor. I tried to stand up, shocked by the verdict and ready to say something. But I was held back by Douglas' strong grip as he pulled me violently back to my seat.

"What would you like to do, uh?"

"The sentence is unfair, and you know it, too! We can't... we can't just stand by and watch!"

"And what would you like to do? Let's hear it! Tell everyone that her husband is her brother's killer?"

"Also!"

"But then you would be in violation of your promise!"

"But then I would save a life!"

"But you would destroy another!"

I could no longer bear to look at it and felt my head burst as the court was turned into a marketplace. The crowd was divided between those who pitied the poor woman, sympathized with her plight, and thought the sentence unjust or too harsh; and those who rejoiced at the verdict, thinking it was just what would soon befall her for killing her brother, and demanded her head. After all, blood calls for blood. From the left eye of the woman, I could see a single tear trickle down her cheek before her expression became cold and distant once more. She stood, immediately drawing all eyes back to herself, silencing all the voices and whispers that had filled the air.

"I would just like to say one thing, if I may." The judge allowed her to speak as she wet her lips and took a deep breath before she began. "I know that what... I did was wrong, it cannot be excused, but I was not bad between my brother and me. He just... laughed at my misery! I'll be honest, my soul is more... light since his death! I went to him for help and he shut the door in my face. He didn't think that I shared the same blood as him! At that moment he was no longer my brother, he was just a stranger between me and my family, and my choice was my daughter. After all this time, I didn't care about money, society, or admiration. I only cared about my daughter's welfare, which is what every mother cares about, even if I didn't think about the consequences. You may think I am a monster, but no one is born that way. Human nature is inclined to good and it is the consequences that change it. I only did what anyone would have done in front of that beast of a brother.

"How dare you insult my husband's memory!"

"Calm down, Mrs. Hamilton!"

"No, I am not going to calm down! This is an insult to my husband's memory!"

"Mrs. Hamilton, please calm down!"

"No, no, I will not calm down! This... woman has no right to insult my husband! She has no right!"

Mrs. Hamilton's voice was loud enough to be the envy of a soprano, but her shouting had no effect on the woman's demeanor.

"Please, Mrs. Hamilton, I will call you to order again or I will be forced to make you leave."

The peremptory tone of the judge's speech caused her to jerk in indignation before she angrily grabbed her bag and stormed out of the building. I watched as Savannah was taken to jail. She didn't show any fear or awe as she walked in front of the accusing eyes and gave me a smile before disappearing into the next room. I sighed as I left, and it was liberating to walk alone through the narrow streets of Montgomery without having to explain myself to anyone. At that moment I felt wrong. I felt the mistake of not intervening, of not doing anything, of standing there and watching without moving a finger. Why was it so hard to tell the truth? Someone would have had to die anyway, as Douglas had said, but at least it would not have been an innocent woman's death. I felt frustrated in front of this difficult situation, she should not have put me in this complicated position. Would I have done the right thing if I had remained silent?