Embrace You: Book (Loneliness)

by Alison Cole

  "The court calls Melanie Stabb to the stand!"

  Melanie looks the same as she did in the concert auditorium - tall, emaciated and with her hair styled in a poorly cut Mohawk haircut.

  "Miss Stabb, will you please describe your childhood for the magistrate and jury?"

  "I am one of seven children. My mum and dad separated when I was three, so mum expected that I would take care of my youngest brother, who was, at that time, about a year old. She began dating almost immediately after my dad left. She had no time for any of us, so we basically raised ourselves. We lived on the streets when mum had no money for gas, lights or food. By the time I was twelve, I was responsible for my brother, my siblings and me. I'm one of two girls, so we were expected to make a home and go to school. I dropped out shortly after I started secondary school so I could find a job.

  "I found work as a child minder in a neighborhood nursery and worked part-time up until I was about twenty-four years old. Got a boyfriend and we lived together until he left me for someone else a few years later. I got depressed and lost my child minder job. I knocked around for a while and sort of got involved in minor crime...I called people and told them they had won the lottery, that I needed their bank account numbers so my boss could put their winnings into their accounts."

  "So, you were one of several neglected children. Did your mum abuse you?"

  "Oh, no! Oh, well, when she left the house and made us take care of each other, well..."

  "No, Miss Stabb. I'm talking about being hit. Being abused sexually. Did that ever happen to you?"

  I see where Melanie's attorney is going and so do the rest of us. I pull my writing pad and pen out and start doodling musical notes again as I listen.

  "Uh, abuse? Hitting? Sexual stuff? Uh..." She's unable to answer that question. Whether that is due to her intellectual capability or what, I am not able to figure out. Seems pretty straightforward to me. If she was a victim of abuse, answer in the affirmative; if not, then deny it.

  "Don't you remember telling me that..."

  "Excuse me, sir, but he's leading his client!" This is the barrister for the prosecution.

  "If she was, she was. If she wasn't, don't lead her into stating something that's patently false," orders the magistrate. "Move to a different topic."

  The attorney lets out a gusty sigh.

  "Miss Stabb, when we talked after your arrest, we discussed your childhood. We discussed your mental health diagnosis. Do you remember?"

  "Yes. Yes, I do."

  "What did we talk about in your childhood?"

  "About me mum leaving all us kids at home alone. About how we had to raise ourselves."

  "And, what did you say about your mum's boyfriends?"

  "Oh! Oh, yeah! One of her boyfriends, he was a dock worker, would abuse me and my older sister. He'd come into our room and touch us and say things to us..."

  "Okay. Thank you! And what did your mum do when you told her what her boyfriend was doing to you?"

  "She slapped us both across our faces and accused us of lying. Then they went out to the bars and got drunk. When they got home, we got it from him really bad that night."

  "Okay. And, when your mum saw your injuries the next day, what did she say?"

  "That we'd done it to each other. That's when we ran away the first time. Shortly after, I found out I was pregnant and dropped out of school. I miscarried my kid and found my job as a child minder."

  "When did you meet Cara Wells?"

  "Right before I dropped out. We were both ignored in school. We became friends since no one else wanted to be our friend. We got together at her house after school. Bad as her home life was, it was safer than my house. We kept our friendship after I left school and became a child minder."

  "And, what did you know about her...feelings for Marcus Hadley?"

  "I know she liked him tremendously. She just wanted him to acknowledge her, smile at her once in a while - that's all!"

  I look at Marcus, thinking, Yeah, and she would have made that out to him being attracted to her. No, don't think so.

  "And, if she'd gotten that acknowledgment, what would have happened? More to the point, what wouldn't have happened?" asks the attorney.

  "To my mind, she would have known that he knew she exists. She would not have felt any need to track him down."

  "Let's come to that date when you went to the The Lovely Loners' concert. The day that your friend was spotted in the audience and approached by the police."

  "Yes?"

  "Did you have any sense that she was up to anything she shouldn't have been?"

  "No...well...no. She wanted to hear the music and she...well, she..."

  "She...what?"

  "She knew he would be there. She...all she wanted to do was set her eyes on him and see if he was...if he was the same as in school. That's all."

  "Did you try to tell her she should listen to the warnings from the police?"

  "Tuh! No! Why? I don't trust the coppers!"

  "So, you didn't try to tell her she should stop trying to track down and follow Mr. Hadley?"

  "No. I just told her to be careful and try not to be too obvious."

  "Ah. Okay, then, thank you."

  "Prosecution."

  "Thank you. Miss Stabb, isn't it true that, instead of telling Miss Wells to be less obvious, that you instead helped her to track down Mr. Hadley and his family? Helped her find where he lived and what kind of vehicle he drove?"

  Melanie gives the prosecuting barrister a wide-eyed look. Clearly, she doesn't expect his approach.

  "Ahhh, ...Well, when she told me she just needed to see him, I just wanted to help her. That's all!"

  "Okay. If I'm to accept that explanation, let's talk about the day of the Hadley child's kidnapping. How..."

  "Oh. Don't wanna talk about that. No sir!"

  "Miss Stabb, how do you know what I'm going to say? You're on the stand and you've sworn to tell the truth. You must answer any question I ask you. And I'm asking you, how were you involved in that near-kidnapping? What did you do?"

  Melanie sits, obstinately still. She refuses to answer that series of questions.

  The magistrate looks at Melanie, waiting for a response.

  "Miss Stabb! You are under oath and I am ordering you to answer his questions! Now!" The magistrate's voice comes out in a dull roar.

  "Oh! Must I? I already know I'm in trouble. Why should I make it worse for myself?"

  "It's already bad. You were implicated by Miss Wells. You've undergone a psychological evaluation, for which there is a diagnosis. You will be sentenced to some type of penalty, although I don't know yet what that will be. Answer the question. Now!"

  Melanie lets out a sigh, indicating she feels very put-upon.

  "Well, all right! We were talking about how much she loves Marcus Hadley. When we were at the concert and she spotted him, we sat a row behind him ...he's not really that bad-looking. I can see why she took such a liking to him."

  "So, her fixation upon him didn't concern you?"

  "No. Why should it?"

  "He's married...a father."

  "And? She liked him first. To our minds, she had the right to get involved, not his wife. When I saw how much she likes him - Cara, that is - well, I just knew that I had to help her get closer to him. To try and get him away from his wife, if at all possible. And we were going to use their kid to do that."

  As I hear that, Marcus' arm goes around me, partly to protect me and partly to keep me from leaping out of the bench and attacking Melanie. My heart begins pounding and I grow light-headed as I hear Melanie's testimony.

  Tim is sitting on my other side and he grabs my hand. Feeling the support from the band and Marcus helps me to calm down.

  I look up to find the prosecuting barrister looking at me with concern in his eyes. He turns and asks the magistrate a question.

  "Sir, that revelation had to be a shock to Mrs. Hadley..."

  "Mrs. Hadley, do you need a break?
I don't know what other testimony we'll be hearing," says the magistrate.

  I take a deep breath. "Thank you, sir. I'm fine."

  "Continue," the magistrate orders Melanie's attorney.

  However, he is just as stunned by Melanie's admission as we are. It takes him several seconds as he fumbles to catch up and recover from the damage Melanie has done to her case.

  "Uh, so your plan was to grab an innocent, harmless baby and use her as a ploy to get her father to start spending time...with her...kidnapper."

  "Yeah. Pretty much. If she hadn't stopped for the blanket and if the band hadn't run after her, it would have worked. Why shouldn't she get what she wants, once in a while?"

  There is little Melanie's attorney can do to recover from this damaging testimony, and he knows it. However, he still tries.

  "If you had realized that what you were planning would land you behind bars...would you have tried to do it?"

  "Don't know. All I know is that, when a friend needs my help, I'm going to try and help her out."

  The attorney pounces on this tiny lifeline.

  "Loyalty! Much to be praised. Yes. Maybe you didn't understand that your contemplated actions could be harmful or that they were illegal, hmmm?"

  "Well...maybe." Melanie finally catches on to what her attorney is saying. Still, I think it's too late.

  The magistrate releases Melanie from the stand and the defense barrister pleads his client's case.

  "Sir, I think you can see that my client has trouble with the concepts of right and wrong and cause and effect. All she saw was her friend's lovelorn condition. All she wanted to do was to help her. Therefore, she should be given leniency. As well, she has been given a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, which renders her incapable of understanding the effects of her actions upon others." His arguments went on in this vein for some time.

  Finally, it was the prosecuting barrister's turn to speak.

  "Sir, Miss Stabb's mental health diagnosis renders her 'incapable' of understanding how her actions affect others. It's more like she doesn't care to regard the effects of her actions on others. She doesn't care now - and she didn't care then - about how her actions impacted baby Hadley and her parents. If she is released from jail, she will be very likely to resume her past behaviors - entering into illegal acts and 'mischief' with others, regardless of how they harm others. Sir, she must be held liable for her participation in the attempted kidnapping of baby Hadley. She must serve time behind bars, beyond what she has already served. She must be given the opportunity to take advantage of therapy so she begins to understand the effects of her actions on others."

  Finally, both trials are over. It is all over but for the jury's verdicts and the magistrate's decision. He plans to take a few weeks considering any possible sentences, depending on the verdicts coming from the jury.

  Chapter 7

  Now that both Cara's and Melanie's trials have ended, we return to practicing for the concert tour, which is now imminent. Even though both women are still behind bars, Marcus and the boys feel we should keep our security high - especially since the press are still bothering us. They are still upset at us for the stunt we pulled several weeks ago on the big reveal we hinted at. We're still in complete compliance with the gag orders. The press are, as well, but they do keep a very close watch on us. It's highly irritating. Now that it's so cold outside, we don't take the baby outside, but for a few minutes here and there.

  "Johanna, Marcus, you might want to take a look at this," Tim warns us. He's holding out one of those ever-present rags.

  I sigh and take it from him. Opening it, I read, "Hadley Family Spiraling Into Depression. Rarely Seen Outdoors." Looking at the title, I laugh, then I read:

  Now that the trials for Cara Wells and Melanie Stabb have ended, the Hadley family appear to have virtually disappeared. Where are they? What are they doing? Mrs. Hadley has gone into hiding, close friends say, because she is "concerned" that the women who attempted to kidnap her baby girl are soon to be released from jail.

  Friends of the Hadleys say that Mrs. Hadley sits at home, worrying for the safety of her child; that she spends her days crying. These friends report that Mr. Hadley is rapidly becoming exasperated by his wife's moods and tears, and that he is actively searching out a new lover.

  I lower the rag, then, on impulse, wrinkle it.

  "Whoa, let me see that," says Marcus.

  "You won't like it," I tell him.

  I watch his face as he reads the rag. I see his face darken as he reaches the part that details how he's supposed to be looking for a new lover.

  Oh, my fuckin' God! I'm sorry, but this is rubbish, tripe! All we can do is ignore it, Jo. It's almost over, except for the verdict and sentencing."

  "Let's get practicing, guys. My 'depressed' self feels the need," I snark at them.

  That day, my practicing is better than it has been for a while - seems that, when someone makes me mad, I really throw myself into my work! I sit around writing new songs, and really work on making my voice stronger.

  As we drive home, I look around, trying to see if I can spot any rag reporters. Of course, it would be anyone, so I can't really say that the woman pushing her child in the pram, or the man walking down the windy street holding his lunchbox are reporters spying on us. Still, I'm very grateful when we pull in through the electronic gate at the back of our home.

  After feeding the three of us, I bathe Lizzie and take her to bed. Marcus and I pull our Christmas decorations out of the storage closet. While it's still mid-November, we decide to put our tree and decorations up. I want the home to feel like Christmas. After several hours, the family room, stairway banister and other rooms are decorated, giving our home a definite Christmasy air. I love the holidays and I am ready for us to get back in the holiday spirit.

  That night, after we go to bed, Marcus begins running his hands over my body and I play with his body in response. As he plays with my nipples, my wet pussy, and my clit, he gives me light slaps on my pussy, which stimulate me to an even higher degree of passion.

  I slap him back lightly on his penis. As he feels the slaps, Marcus' hips jerk in response.

  "Oh, my God, Marcus, I want you! Now!"

  In response, he plays my body even more. His thumb massages my clit and his fingers enter my pussy and he rubs and slides in and out of me simultaneously. The twin sensations bring me to my peak very quickly. Throbbing, I thrust my hips and feel my pussy contracting around Marcus' fingers. I close my eyes, seeing fireworks. I can't wait any longer. I need to feel him inside of me.

  "Now! Now, dammit!" I tell him.

  Marcus mounts me, sliding in between my legs. He prods at me with his large cock, barely entering me, then pulling back out. This makes me come again.

  I grab his ass and pull him into me. The sensation of his hard, throbbing dick sliding into me causes me to come yet again.

  In response, Marcus thrusts his hips once, then slides over the edge of sensation, jetting into me.

  "Johanna! My God, I've been wanting you all day long, girl!"

  "Ever since we read that pitiful article? Oh, my God, keep doing that! Yes, that! I've been wanting you all day long, too!"

  Marcus positions himself so that, as he thrusts, he brushes against my G-spot, causing me to come repeatedly.

  Not wanting to wake Lizzie, I bury my face in Marcus' shoulder and scream my release and satisfaction.

  I get up to go to the bathroom and slip into my nightgown. Once I'm back in bed, I cuddle against my husband's warm, trim body and start dozing off.

  I dream that I'm in the magistrate's court room and I'm waiting to learn the jury's verdict.

  "Because of the continued harassment from the tabloids, once the jury gives their sentences for both young women, I will pronounce sentence, if they are found guilty. Before I ask for the verdicts, I just have got to reprimand the tabloids, for their continued behaviors in following the Hadley family. I read the 'news' account cover
ing Mrs. Hadley's supposed crying and depression, and I must say, this is a new low. While the tabloids' reporters have respected the letter of my orders, they have continued to make light of the experiences of the Hadleys in an attempt to gain more sales.

  I will be continuing to read these rags and, if I see anything that mentions Mr. Hadley, Mrs. Hadley or their child, and if that mention is patently untrue, I will level a heavy fine against the tabloids and every. Single. Reporter. Who. Participates. In. Those. Lies. Representatives are here, I know that - each and every one of you should be ashamed of yourselves and you should act accordingly.

  "With that said, what is the verdict for Miss Wells?"

  "Guilty, sir. We find Miss Wells guilty of the charges against her."

  "Thank you for your service. Miss Wells, please stand. You have been found guilty of all the charges against you. Notwithstanding your mental health diagnoses, I am sentencing you to life behind bars, with no opportunity for parole."

  "No! I intended no harm to Marcus Hadley! I only wanted..."

  "SILENCE! Take her back to her cell. She will be sent to prison in north England, where she will serve her sentence for the rest of her life."

  Once Cara and her attorney leave, guards bring Melanie Stabb in. The jury in her case files in and takes their seats.

  I look at her. She's still emaciated, but dark roots are growing out of her brightly colored hair. She's visibly nervous and twitches as she sits at the defense table.

  "What is your verdict for Miss Stabb, please?"

  "Sir, we find Miss Stabb guilty of every charge against her."

  "Thank you for your service.Miss Stabb, please stand. I sentence you to serve a life sentence with no poss..."

  "NO! Not for helping my friend!" Melanie stands and begins screaming as she tries to stride out from behind the defense table.