Niles tossed and turned in his bed. From a distance, he heard a
sweet, soft, serene song singing. He only caught little pieces of the
song...........notice me.........why carry on with out me.........without my wings.........I
fall.........I make believe.........My weakness caused you pain.........my sorry.........that soon
your face will fade away......... He shook his head. It was probably a dream.
After showering the next morning, C.C. went downstairs from the hotel into the breakfast place. Niles was as white as chalk, which suggested that he knew. That afternoon, Gracie announced that she was going down to the pool. Niles was upset. "You cannot go!" he said incredulously, "I forbid it." "But Niles" Gracie retorted, "They were the friends that saved me. I need to cool off OK and Daddy said I could." Niles shook his head furiously.
"Give the kid a break!" said C.C. loudly, "those friends protected her OK and she just needs happiness right now...I know how she feels. Go on, Gracie."
Gracie gave her a quick hug and left. Niles glared at her. "Now I understand why most people don't find you very appealing" he said coldly.
"I'll have you know that I do appeal to many people" she shot back.
"Oh yes," he said snidely, "you certainly appealed to your father." Cold tears fell down her face and she turned away from him.
"C.C." he said apologetically, "That's not what I meant....."
"I know what you meant." She said coldly as she stared at the ground.
"Your so stupid" he said angrily, "you think people are just emotional little toys you can dangle around. No wonder Dr. Bort locked you up......" He regretted that immediately. She turned around and slapped him in the face then stormed away. She went to her room, and got the fabric scissors out of her purse. The next day the trial started. C.C. walked into the stuffy courtroom, wearing one of her tight business suits. Her lawyer reassured her with a pat on the back. She saw Noel and DD (her mother and sister) sitting at the very back peer. She waved to them and got a thumbs up from Maxwell, Fran, and Grace. Niles sat there, motionless. The trial was rather boring, C.C. was questioned and she almost broke down, and the jury just sat there, a faraway look in their eyes. Anyway, the case would resume in two days, so the next day C.C. slept in. Fran knocked at her door. C.C. called her in and Fran handed her a letter. C.C. opened it. There were two papers in there. She took out the first one and read:
Dear C.C. Babcock,
Do you remember me? You probably don't, but I knew you when I was six years old. My name is Sarah Cottonwood and I was your next door neighbor. I knew what your father did to you. I saw it from my bedroom window that day.........anyway, I wrote a poem for you when I was that age. It's sort of sophisticated for a six-year-old, I know. Anyway, I saw you on tv and I hope you win the court case. The poem is original, what I mean by that it is the same paper I wrote on when I was six. Anyway, I hope you win. Thankyou so much,
Sarah Cottonwood
C.C. took a deep breath. She drew out the poem and read it. She cried as she read, and clutched it to her chest. She knew what she had to do with it. Court resumed. C.C. was being questioned, and she requested that she read the poem. The judge nodded, and C.C. stifled a sob and drew out the old piece of paper slowly. Her words were slurred and slow and she began to read:
She walks to school with the lunch she packed
Nobody knows what she's holding back
Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday
She hides the bruises with linen and lace
The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask
It's hard to see the pain behind the mask
Bearing the burden of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was never born
Somebody cries in the middle of the night
The neighbors hear but they turn out the light
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate
When morning comes it will be too late
Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete Angel
A statue stands in a shaded place
An angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished rock
A broken heart that the world forgot
Almost everyone in the courtroom was in tears. Her father looked at her with disgust. She looked at the jury, all with hard, emotional, eyes. It was their decision whether to lock him up or not. They would decide when the case resumed a week later. C.C. sighed. She was hopeful that he would be gone, locked up, the world and her protected from him.
After showering the next morning, C.C. went downstairs from the hotel into the breakfast place. Niles was as white as chalk, which suggested that he knew. That afternoon, Gracie announced that she was going down to the pool. Niles was upset. "You cannot go!" he said incredulously, "I forbid it." "But Niles" Gracie retorted, "They were the friends that saved me. I need to cool off OK and Daddy said I could." Niles shook his head furiously.
"Give the kid a break!" said C.C. loudly, "those friends protected her OK and she just needs happiness right now...I know how she feels. Go on, Gracie."
Gracie gave her a quick hug and left. Niles glared at her. "Now I understand why most people don't find you very appealing" he said coldly.
"I'll have you know that I do appeal to many people" she shot back.
"Oh yes," he said snidely, "you certainly appealed to your father." Cold tears fell down her face and she turned away from him.
"C.C." he said apologetically, "That's not what I meant....."
"I know what you meant." She said coldly as she stared at the ground.
"Your so stupid" he said angrily, "you think people are just emotional little toys you can dangle around. No wonder Dr. Bort locked you up......" He regretted that immediately. She turned around and slapped him in the face then stormed away. She went to her room, and got the fabric scissors out of her purse. The next day the trial started. C.C. walked into the stuffy courtroom, wearing one of her tight business suits. Her lawyer reassured her with a pat on the back. She saw Noel and DD (her mother and sister) sitting at the very back peer. She waved to them and got a thumbs up from Maxwell, Fran, and Grace. Niles sat there, motionless. The trial was rather boring, C.C. was questioned and she almost broke down, and the jury just sat there, a faraway look in their eyes. Anyway, the case would resume in two days, so the next day C.C. slept in. Fran knocked at her door. C.C. called her in and Fran handed her a letter. C.C. opened it. There were two papers in there. She took out the first one and read:
Dear C.C. Babcock,
Do you remember me? You probably don't, but I knew you when I was six years old. My name is Sarah Cottonwood and I was your next door neighbor. I knew what your father did to you. I saw it from my bedroom window that day.........anyway, I wrote a poem for you when I was that age. It's sort of sophisticated for a six-year-old, I know. Anyway, I saw you on tv and I hope you win the court case. The poem is original, what I mean by that it is the same paper I wrote on when I was six. Anyway, I hope you win. Thankyou so much,
Sarah Cottonwood
C.C. took a deep breath. She drew out the poem and read it. She cried as she read, and clutched it to her chest. She knew what she had to do with it. Court resumed. C.C. was being questioned, and she requested that she read the poem. The judge nodded, and C.C. stifled a sob and drew out the old piece of paper slowly. Her words were slurred and slow and she began to read:
She walks to school with the lunch she packed
Nobody knows what she's holding back
Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday
She hides the bruises with linen and lace
The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask
It's hard to see the pain behind the mask
Bearing the burden of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was never born
Somebody cries in the middle of the night
The neighbors hear but they turn out the light
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate
When morning comes it will be too late
Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete Angel
A statue stands in a shaded place
An angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished rock
A broken heart that the world forgot
Almost everyone in the courtroom was in tears. Her father looked at her with disgust. She looked at the jury, all with hard, emotional, eyes. It was their decision whether to lock him up or not. They would decide when the case resumed a week later. C.C. sighed. She was hopeful that he would be gone, locked up, the world and her protected from him.