If You're Not Busy

Chapter 4 Time for Change

Tessa did as she was told. She made the bad mistake of looking over to her right and stared straight at her father who did not look happy. I can't change anything now she thought . All I can do is keep my head down and don't look at him, and do what I have to do to get him hopefully put away for what he did to me. She looked straight at Nikki again and kept her eye's trained on her. First job she had to do was tell everyone what had happened to her. She looked down at her hand's and started to speak and out poured the story about her parent's being small time drug dealer's most of her life.  She corrected herself and said it felt like stranger's had been coming into the house as far back as she can remember from being little. She also told the court about her teacher at school who took the time to teach her how to play guitar. And then as she got older her father asked her to play for people that came into the house. One day one of them gave her a big amount of money for playing for them. My father thought this man wanted me. Apparently he told the man that I wasn't going anywhere. That's when he came up to my room took some of the money off of me once he'd grabbed me by the neck and asked me where I'd hidden it! He threw the money onto the bed and threw me on top of it and then proceeded to what I now know as fingered me ! Tessa then burst out crying. 

Thankyou said the judge ordering someone to give her some tissues. Right now I'm going to ask your attorney if they want you to answer any specific question's ok ? Tessa nodded. Right Tessa . Did your father have you by your neck the whole time ? Yes ! He never let go until he fell on top of me on the bed. Did he count the money he found ? Yes he did . He said there was two thousand dollar's. He left me with seven hundred and fifty. He took the rest but had no clue I'd hidden some more in an envelope and taped it to the outside my window. Tessa smiled at the thought she'd out smarted her father. At this admission her father stood up screaming in court. "You little bitch hiding money from your father" You wait until I get my hand's on you ! He hammered his fist's onto the table in front of him. Making Tessa jump. The judge told him to sit down otherwise he will be taken to the cells to cool off for a bit. Ok! Ok! Her father sat back down surrounded by officer's of the law. How do you know what your father did to you ? My teacher and Nikki helped me figure out what he had done to me. Ok thank you Tessa. No further questions. The attorney sat down and her father's stood up. He was a mean looking guy. Tessa thought . Just like my father ! When he spoke he had a very deep voice. Miss Porter can I call you Tessa ? Yes you can said Tessa. Ok Tessa had your father always been a monster in your eye's ? Err No! Not until that day. Why that day ? He thought the man had eye's for me and had touched my hand ! And if my father didn't want me he would take me off his hand's. 

My father told me while he was fingering me that no one will have me except him ! Tessa pointed a finger at him. Her father looked away from her. Why did your father take money off of you ? He didn't think what I did was worth that sort of money. What you did ? The attorney pounced on what Tessa had said. I played the guitar she said innocently. You did nothing else ? No I bloody didn't said Tessa getting annoyed. She looked at Nikki who told her to calm down. Tessa inhaled and exhaled slowly. Why did you hide the money you were given ? Because I saw the look my father gave me when the man gave me the money, his eye's lit up with the amount he'd given me. I knew if I didn't hide it my father would probably take it all. That's what it was like living in our house. Nothing was really your own. Everyone nicked stuff out of my parent's house. "No they didn't " shouted her father ! The judge hit his hammer down. Sir ! Last warning . He sat back down. Tessa looked at him and thought any minute now he will explode. She smiled inwardly to herself thinking wouldn't it be great if her father got sent down to the cell's for a while. Tessa continued to be cross examined. Her father's team kept on going over and over everything she'd said a thousand times. Tessa knew they were trying to trip her up in her statement. But she stuck it out and kept saying No to everything they were trying to say didn't happen to her.