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“Yeah, sure.”
“I have some here.”
“Objection.” His lawyer rises.
“To what?” my lawyer says.
“Where is she going with this?”
“Please bear with me, Your Honor, I’m getting to the point right now.” To the absolute chagrin of his lawyer, the judge allows her to continue. “Like I was saying, you claim no penetration occurred while you were with my client, Ms. McQueen.” She looks at the papers in her hands. “Statics don’t lie, Mr. Stanton. Do you know the statistic for a virtual stranger attacking a victim is 12%? That’s surprisingly low, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Stanton?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had a reason to look it up.”
“It is, compared to the likelihood of being attacked by a person you know: an acquaintance or friend, which is 82%. Pretty high, wouldn’t you say?” He shrugs his shoulder nonchalantly. “Let’s compare that to the odds of being impregnated without penetration or ejaculation. Impossible, says every expert I’ve spoken to. We must have a miracle, which you do not believe in, because ny client is, in fact, pregnant with your child.”
He explodes, standing up, unleashing the temper he’s been skillfully hiding beneath a wealth of money and his family name. “She’s lying! That’s not my kid! She’s not pregnant. This is a trick.”
His lawyers make a fuss while the judge orders him to sit back down, demanding that his lawyers to get their client under control. After a brief word with our lawyers, the judge lets my lawyer continue with a stern warning.
“I have more facts which don’t lie, Mr. Stanton. Match. 99.9% match. You are undoubtedly a DNA match for the fetus being carried by a woman you claim penetration or ejaculation did not occur with. Do you know what the statics are on that? I’ll tell you, but they don’t lie.”
His face turns beet-red, looking at me, boiling with anger. My lawyer turns to me and says, “Would you please stand, Lacey?” Shaking, head down, I rise. “Could you please open your coat for us?”
Shaking fingers, faced with a room of strangers and my attacker staring down at me, I do. Taking deep breaths, counting over and over again…123…123…until my jacket is off, and my bulging stomach can be seen by everyone, a secret no more .
“Thank you, Lacey. You may sit. This is how I see it: she rebuffed you and your advances one too many times. You were seething mad. Outraged. How dare she reject you once again, insulting you? You couldn’t let it go. You were going to show her who was in charge. You followed her that night, attacked her, ripped away her dignity.
“You demeaned her in one of the most horrific ways possible for a man, woman, or child. Physically, she will heal. Mentally, she will never be the same again. She will have the scars no one else but she can see and feel. Her life and her peace of mind and security in a world she has to walk through every day and night are gone. All because you couldn’t stand rejection. How dare she tell you no?
“This was a violent, vicious crime, which deserves the maximum penalty of time served. This young woman will never get back what was lost that night. But you can give her something no one else can, that is invaluable: justice, and peace of mind, knowing her attacker is behind bars. Unable to hurt her or anyone, ever again.”
She came back to her seat and said in my ear, “We got him.” I silently sat there and cried.
“He decided to take adeal. Less time, if he would give up all his parental rights to my son, and an agreement that when he got out he wouldn’t move back to this town.”
“Oh, my God, Lacey. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I would prefer it if you didn’t, if you didn’t treat me or Jacob any different. We are the same people before I told you.”
“Of course.”
“He went to jail for me, him and Trigg did. My lawyer worked her ass off for them and pulled some strings. He was so angry. So much hate. He doesn’t have any of that anymore. That’s because of you and Jackson. You saved him. Thank you.”
“Now I’m a crying mess.” She wipes her eyes. “Thank you for telling me. Now I understand. You make him whole, and he’s a better man than I knew.”
I agree, but we make each other whole.
I sit in the back of a room filled with people, watching my girlfriend on stage give an eloquent speech on survival. Almost brought tears to my eyes as she tells her story. She was asked to give a speech by the woman who leads the survivors of rape group she used to attend. I’m so proud of her. She didn’t think she could stand up there and give a speech to a banquet room full of people. She did. When we got home, as soon as we got through the door, I put my arms around her, and her arms go around my neck. I let her know how amazing and strong I know she is.
“I see you. I see who you are. You are not a victim anymore. You are a strong, capable, compassionate woman, with a strength I couldn’t even imagine having.”
“Wow. All those things.” She presses her lips to mine.
“I’m not finished.”
“Then continue.” She smiles.
“You are a quiet strength. Your resilience astounds me. I hope to prove myself to you, to be half the man you deserve me to be.”
She brings my head down, our foreheads together. “I have that. I’m thankful for every day we have together.”
I kiss her, grateful for every day I get to spend with this beautiful woman. Grateful even more for second chances.
