Tired raindrops gently dripped down the surface of the car window. My hand lightly followed them as they mingled with each other and ended up at the bottom of the window. The sun was hiding behind the gray and boring clouds and just like in movies, nothing seemed to be bright.
I glanced over at Anthony who sat beside me, looking straight forward at the road. He was a good driver and it seemed like he knew the car like his own pocket. His jaw was tensed slightly and his hands curled tightly around the steering wheel. They had even turned white.
He turned right down a smaller road and I could just see the massive building at the end. I placed my hands on my lap and curled them together, biting my lip hard.
"How are you feeling," Anthony asked.
"I don't know." I shifted my gaze down upon my lap.
"I understand," he whispered and pressed down the speeder so the building became clearer and clearer until we were parked right in front of it and it towered over us, with his marvelous marble. Anthony's house was amazing, but this building was in another league. The way the crystal windows reflected the sun and casted shadows, stunned me to the bone. A lady walked out the wooden doors with a robot smile on her face.
"You must be Mr. Anthony, the one who is leading the child abuse case against Mr. Watson," she said and extended her hand.
Anthony took it. "Yes, that's me." He quickly looked over her shoulder, where Antonio came walking towards us. "And this is my attorney, Mr. Antonio Martinez, who will represent me and my the victim, Miss Watson." Anthony pointed at Antonio behind her and she quickly turned around and extended her hand towards Antonio.
"Mr. Maritnez, nice to meet you, we have only heard good things about you and your company."
"Thank you," Antonio answered and glanced over at me. I was frozen to the spot, debating if I should say something or just follow the crowd.
"I expect that you know the protocol and that there will be no difficulties as we carry this trial out."
"I have done this before, so don't worry, miss."
"Well." She turned to look at me and Anthony again. "Follow me inside, the trial is scheduled to begin in half an hour."
We all followed her inside and to be honest, it all went away in a blur. We walked through room after room, one more marvelous than the other. When we finally stopped in front of a door the lady left us.
Everyone talked to me, however, not a single word registered in my mind. Time just went by, like I was floating in space. Nothing happened, but there still happened so much. Person after Person walked into the room and I only gave them a quick glance, not caring who they were and why they were here.
My eyes glanced up at Anthony, who repeatedly ran his hand through his hair and only walked few steps forward before he turned around and walked the opposite way.
"You're making me nervous," I said, making him stop and look towards me.
"Me?" He pointed at his own chest while learning a bit forward.
"Yes. Just sit down or something for a second. You looking nervous makes me nervous." I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms over my chest, biting my lips.
"Oh." He fell down in a chair. "Sorry." He ran a lazy hand through his hand again.
"It's okay, I think I'm just paranoid about all of this. You know, seeing my dad again and having my whole family together in one room." I rested my head on the wall behind me. "Why doesn't this feel right? Like I ain't suppose to be here."
"I know why."
"You do?"
"Yes."
"Then tell me."
"I can't." He looked away.
"Why?"
He didn't answer, just raised from the chair and walked into the courtroom right behind his brothers.
For a moment I just said there, not really knowing what to do, but a figure in front of me knocked me out of my deep thoughts. "Nina, we have to go in now. It's starting." I looked up into Mrs. Green eyes.
"Have my father arrived from jail?" I asked her, noticing Mr. Green walk up behind her.
"No, but your mother has." She reached her hand out to me and I gladly took it and let her help me up from the chair.
"Okay," I mumbled and followed them into the courtroom. The first pair of eyes there met mine was the deadly one there had betrayed me and my love. They showed just the same as they always had done. Disgust. She really thought my dad was innocent. How could she?
I walked up and took a seat right behind Anthony and beside Manuel. "How are you holding up?" he asked and looked down at me.
"It's hard to explain," I told him and scratched my nose.
"I think I understand." He laid a calm hand on my shoulder.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
A door opened and in came three policemen with my father walked between them. He was wearing an old suit there defiantly didn't fit him any longer, but looked better than so much other closely he owned. His eyes caught mine and slowly the corners of his mouth moved up into a curved smile. My body shook and I quickly looked away.
This was it. The trial was beginning and I was going to testify for us to win against my parents. My own flesh and blood. Why did I feel like I was betraying them? They didn't love me, so why should I? It was so confusing.
My dad sat beside my mother and they made a brief conversation before they kept their mouth shut.
"Anthony Martinez is accusing John Watson of child abuse against his own child Nina Watson. John Watson is being represented by Charlotte Watson, who states that her client is innocent. Let the trial begin." The judge gave both Antonio and my mom a nod.
Anthony was the first to stand up and as he opened his mouth I held my breath. He walked over to stand in front of the jury. "My client is a close friend of Nina Watson and she herself confessed to him, which is the reason we have all this evidence. I would already like to call our witness, whom also is the victim to the stand." He turned against the judge, who nodded.
"Nina Watson to the stand, please."
My heart stopped beating as soon as my name was brought up an suddenly I felt every eye was laid on me and the burden now laid on me. Mrs. and Mr. Green made space so I could go out and in some weird way, I managed to walk out from the bench. I walked up the floor, my eyes only focused on the placed I was going to be. Sweat drenched my palms and in an attempt to hide it, I dried them in my dark pants.
Everything was blurry until I sat there and looked at them all. Seeing Liam on the opposite side of my mom and dad felt weird like something was wrong. We should have been a family, but that just didn't happen. Sadly.
Anthony walked closer to me and sent me a warming smile I wished I could send back. I folded my hands and bit my lip. A man came walking up to me and reached a Bible towards me. "Please place your hand on the Bible, miss." I nodded and did as he said.
"Please repeat after me. I swear that the evidence that I shall give."
"I swear that the evidence that I shall give."
"Shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
"Shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
"So help me God."
"So help me God." The last words washed out from my mouth like silk, like I had been practicing.
"Good, you can begin Mr. Martinez," the judge smiled at him and he nodded back.
"Thank you." He folded his hands behind his back. "Miss Watson, how long did your father abuse you for?"
I leaned forward. "Five years."
"So how old were you when it all started?"
"13, almost 14."
"So you were a child."
"Yes."
"Your X-rays from your doctor showed multiple injuries all over your body, why didn't you tell your doctor or anyone at the time? Why did you wait five years to come forward?"
I took a deep breath. I had to do it. To make sure he couldn't harm anyone ever again. "I was scared. Scared how people would think about my family and scared of what my father would do if he ever found out." I gulped, making sure my eyes stayed on Antonio and never glanced over at either my mom or dad.
"So you're saying that you're afraid of your father. Because of what he has done to you, do you see him as dangerous?"
"Yes, I do see him as dangerous, however, that's not the only reason I'm scared of him. He does also deal with an alcohol and drug problem."
Words from others than Antonio got spoken throughout the court and I took the time where I wasn't the attention to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths to collect my thoughts. It was going okay until now, but when Antonio was done, my mom would get her chance to ask me questions and that would probably not go in m favor.
"Silence!" the judge yelled over the room and in an instant, the whole room went silent and the attention was again on me. "Proceed, Mr. Martinez."
Antonio quickly looked through his papers. "So your actually saying your father is a drug addict?"
"Yes, he would make me buy it for him."
"Make you buy it for him? How?"
"He would threaten me or throw things after me, which made me scared and feel like I had to do it and so I did it."
"Objection!" My mother stood from her seat, gaining peoples attention.
"Denied! Wait for your turn, Mrs. Watson." My mom sat down again and folded her hands over her chest.
"Last time I checked, drugs where illegal too-"
"That's irrelevant to the case!" My mother stood in her seat again, pointing a judging finger at Antonio
"Mrs. Watson! Sit down and wait for your turn. In my opinion, this is relevant to the case and my opinion is the one that counts." The judge swiped her hair away from her face. "Proceed Mr. Martinez and try not to get too long away from the subject."
"Of course," Antonio said and gave Anthony a quick glance before beginning again.
"As I was about to say, drugs are illegal and putting your own daughter into that kind of environment by itself is something I would put into the child abuse category. Nina, did the drugs affect your mental and physical health and joy?"
"Yes, it wasn't nice at all and... and my father only punished me more and worse."
"Excuse me, but did you say punish?"
"Yes, he would punish me."
"For what?"
"Uhm... if something broke, he would blame me and if I was too loud and stuff like that."
Flashbacks rushed through my mind, pushing out the tears in my eyes. I lifted my hand to wipe them away with the back of my hand.
"Would some of the punishments be controlled by the alcohol or drugs?"
"Yes, some of them would."
"Can you point out who did this to you?"
Huh? Why would he make me do that?
I slowly lifted my finger. It shook the whole way, but I managed to point at my father and our eyes locked. He looked just as wasted as the last time. His cheeks a flaming red and his eyes tired and worn out. He deserved this.
"And which relationship do you have to this man?" Antonio pressed his papers into his chest.
"None, I don't have any relationship with that man. He's only my father on paper."
"Thank you, that was all," Antonio said to the judge and apologised with a smile to me.
"Thanks, Mr. Martinez, you can sit down now." Antonio did as she said and sat down beside Anthony. "You can stand now, Mrs. Watson."
My mom nodded and stood and deep inside I knew this wasn't going to go well.