Having Her Say by bonita lee

Page 2

          Today, as I watch her come into the courtroom, she is a  pretty young lady (younger looking than her age, considering the stress she is under, I find that a miracle).

          She is the type of person who could probably be a lot further in life if she was rid of her abuser and attended a few self esteem seminars. But I don't force a decision on them, I give them the cold, hard facts, and solutions that are available to them. They  make the final decision, and I am always there to help them through, if I agree or disagree with their decision. Just at that moment I feel that warm breeze again.

          As court is called into session, a restless quiet overcomes the crowd who are anxiously waiting for their name to be called. The first one is a unusual regular, he is the plaintiff, my client. She is the defendant, much bigger than him, and likes to knock him around (he feels he deserves the same legal representative as any abused person, and he gets it). The guard brings her in and he immediately smiles, she also smiles.  He wants to drop the charges, but the judge won't have that, she pleads to a lesser charge, is fined, days served and will be release later. The next woman is a small fragile woman, who leaves her small child with a friend. The guard brings him out, he is a petty thief, want-a-be drug dealer, in and out of jail on a variety of charges over the years. He enjoys knocking her around check time, as he follows her to the bank, takes the money, and when she objects he beats her, leaving her with no money, for the children or the rent. The Judge isn't so nice to him, gives him 90 days in the County Jail. This will give her time to get herself together, but he will be out, and maybe she won't take him back this time.

          Next name is my client, as she walks up, again that warm breeze moves across my face. Is she going to make a difference today? The Judge looks at her, as the guard brings in her abuser, she doesn't look at him at all. I hear the Judge say this is the fourth time you both have been in front of my bench, what is it you think I should do? I saw her look up at me, look over at the Judge, look at her husband, and I heard her begin to speak: "All I ever wanted was to be left alone, I didn't want to have to put him in jail to have my human rights respected, to have the mental/emotional and sometimes physically abuse stop.   I know it is my fault that we are here again. But this time I am going to make the only, the right decision for myself and my children. But I want to say something to you all first. Yes, I am his wife, but he has not been a husband or father in our home." Her voice started to get a little louder as she turned around to the remaining people in the courtroom, and continued to speak. "My problem is not unique from anyone's in this room, we the women bringing the suit against our husbands, boyfriends, not arrested alone for drug or alcohol abuse, or physical abuse, it's more than that. Because they believe they do not have to take responsibility for their actions, because he is a man. That is the same excuse they use each time they want to fuck up. They act the way they do, because they want to, no one is holding a gun to their heads and saying here drink this alcohol, here take these drugs, they do them because of one fact they like to be drunk, they like to be high, and they are not man enough to live in the real world.

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