When the black maria pulled up somewhere, I suspected we had arrived at the court house. The ride here has been a bumpy long ride and I could have sworn we spent two days on the road. The cell I was held in was in a remote part of town and I deserved it, but did I really deserve it? My lawyer would try his best to make the judge and jury see reasons with us.The police escort assigned to me were unapologetically hostile to me and it seemed as though the gravity of my crime just dawned on them. They pushed me off the back of the van and had to jump to ensure I didn't lose my balance, as the thick chains held my legs captive and my hands were cuffed to my back. But the charge against me weighed heavier than all of them and it sat uncomfortably on my fragile neck.
I walked slowly, yet steadily towards the staircase that led into the court room. This place was annoyingly familiar and had to be, judging by the fact that i had become a regular here; but today's hearing was to be my last of four.
The entire court proceedings went by like a slow movie and the remote control was snatched from me by the accusing council and I must sit still staring till the credits begin to grace the screen.
At other times, I had to flippantly stand up and walk to the dock whenever the accused was summoned for interrogation.The battle of words and knowledge of the law books, the constitution, the medical reports and psychological reports became the order of the day as the accusing council and defence attorney made their cases before the judge presiding.I was weary of the voices and couldn't want for the process to be over, in my favour or not.
I had just come out from the only bathroom in the house asides the master bathroom in my sister's and her husband's room and walked into the guest room, adorned in my nighties, a silky gown resting slightly above my knees.Tired and ready to sleep, angry at the power holding company for lack of power, I slumped on the bed and dozed off.I felt a hand running up my thighs; my eyes came apart almost immediately, same time I kicked who or whatever it was forward, and screamed. A loud sound accompanied by a harsh scream from a masculine voice rent the air and fear washed all over me.Within split seconds my sister was standing my my door, her two months old baby in hand, a rechargeable light in the other hand, her husband lay sprawled albeit lifeless and in the pool of his own blood.
My thoughts were interrupted by the judge's gavel, and the quiet that overtook the court room."...Under the....", his voice trailed off, and my thought crawled in,
"... I hereby sentence the accused to 25 years in prison for the murder of the deceased".
My eyes became swollen with tears, but I wasn't going to shed a tear, not for once.