Only the Truth by Pat Brown

before. I hoped this one would do her some good.
     
    ********************

     
    I saw Charlene a few more times before the trial started in January. Just
before the big day, I finally met the family at a little birthday celebration
for Charlene in her hospital room. She got a real sweet "daughter"
card from her Mama and two "sister" cards from Pammy and Donny, her siblings. I gave her a "sweetheart" card. She had a
whole tray full of relationships sitting in front of her.
    Charlene laughed and smiled that day like she had just learned what it was
like to be happy. I sat in my chair and enjoyed her new found family and my new
family. Yes, my new family! I got me a mother-in-law and a little brother and
little sister and our new baby would have a Grandma and an aunt and an uncle!
And they didn't seem to care much that I was black. They never even batted an
eye about that. They gave me hugs and didn't call me ugly or stupid or any
other bad names.
    Charlene was twenty-two years old that day. The first day of the year was
starting off just fine. We was all together in this,
one big happy family and Charlene had a lawyer who believed in her. Well, at
least he believed a little something about her. He at least believed now she
could be crazy and that was good enough for me.
     
     
     
    IV
     
     
     
     
    January 5th - First day of the trial
     
     
    I started checking off the date book I had bought at Ben Franklins when the
trial started. I wanted to know exactly when we started into this part of our
lives and when we would end it. The trial was going to take more than half a
day now that Mr. Green was ready to fight for Charlene's life. I planned to be
in that courtroom every day so Charlene would know I loved her. The prosecutor
gave what they call an opening statement and I just wanted to close my ears
through the whole thing. He said every hurtful thing he could about Charlene
including her being a whore, a liar, and a psychopath which he explained was someone who didn't care about nobody but herself.
    "That woman," he shouted pointing over at Charlene, "only
looks out for herself. She is a true psychopath in that she either finds
someone useful or she finds them in the way. Mr. Doe, as we must call our
unidentified victim of Ms. Wiggington's anger, found
himself among the useful when the defendant came upon him in Bald Eagle. He
gave her money and what he didn't give her, she stole from him. Then she killed
him when he got in her way.”
    Mr. Dawson, the prosecutor, was balding and fat. But, he moved quickly and
spun around to point his finger straight at me.
    "When Ms. Wiggington went on the lam from the
police, she found "this" man to be useful to her. He gave her
shelter; a hiding place far off in the mountains where no one would find her.
Well, at least that is what she thought until John Doe showed up across the
way."
    He turned back toward the jury and grandly gestured, his hands stretching
out in large arcs. "And, then? What did she do to this man?" He
pointed back at me. "This man, who loved her, fed her, sheltered her, and
was willing to take the blame for the killing of his neighbor just to save her
from prison?"
    He dropped his hands and turned slowly back toward the jury. His arms now
hung limply at his sides.
    "This man," he said quietly, "she denied even knowing. When
he came to give her his support, she pretended not to recognize him. Why? Because she was working on her insanity plea."
    Mr. Dawson patted his sides and shook his head.
    The prosecutor then pointed again at Charlene. His voice was no longer tired
and weak.
    "This woman, this psychopath, this liar, this whore, this user of
people," his voiced boomed out and echoed off the walls. "This woman
was still to play one more card to try to get away with her premeditated murder
of Mr. Doe. She bribed the police guard with sex in order to impregnate herself
by Mr. Hutchins and gain sympathy from a jury; she is trying to play on your
feelings about putting a