CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
(part five)
Thursday afternoon — 2:35 P.M.
The Castle
“What about this one?” Honey asked MJ. “Do you like this better than the other pantsuits Valerie helped me buy?”
She wheeled out to look at the olive light wool pantsuit in the full length mirror. MJ was sitting in a high backed chair at their dining room table.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
She buttoned then unbuttoned the jacket. She tugged on the silk blouse underneath. She’d struggled to find clothing that looked nice and professional while she sat in her wheelchair. Most clothing was made for standing people.
“You always say that,” Honey said. “I need to look right.”
“You need to…” MJ shook his head as the words disappeared.
Honey wheeled over to where he was sitting. His blue eyes held her pale blue eyes. He reached out to stroke her hair.
“I have to do this, MJ. I’m the only one who can testify to what my sister was like as a child,” Honey said. Imitating the assistant-DA’s voice, she added, “You’re the only one who can put her away for life.”
MJ’s lips pursed. He opened his mouth then shook his head.
“No words?”
MJ nodded.
“You must be upset,” Honey said. “Please, please, please MJ. I can’t do this without you. Please help me. Please try. Don’t leave me to do this by myself.”
MJ ground his teeth together. He rubbed his forehead, tapped certain calming points on his face, then blew out a breath.
“Th… th… the trial starts tomorrow,” MJ said.
“Jury selection starts tomorrow. We won’t be in trail until next week sometime. The DA said that we should expect them to dilly dally around about jurors. They have to select twelve jurors with three alternates.”
“Wh…wh… Why do yu… yu… you have to go?”
“They think that having me there, like this, will show the potential jurors what she’s capable of.”
“I wish we could just move on. I hate that your sister has this power over us.”
“I wish none of this happened. A year ago, I could walk, dance, run, climb…” Honey shrugged. “I could move my hands. I could do so many amazing things that… I never appreciated. Simple things… walking to lunch, wiggling into a pair of jeans, knitting, painting my toenails.”
“You painted your toenails?” MJ’s eyebrows pinched together.
“Well, no.” Honey sighed. “You just don’t get it.”
Flipping her wheelchair around, she zoomed back into their bedroom. Near the door, MJ jumped in front of her wheelchair. She ran into him with a solid ‘thump.’ He held firm. Giving an exaggerated sigh, she crossed her arms over her heart.
“I get it,” MJ said.
“You get what?”
“I understand what you’re saying. You’ve suffered a lot… a lot. There’s no question. I’m upset because I don’t want you to suffer anymore.”
“You mean the trial?”
MJ nodded.
“Me too.”
“What if all this never happened?” MJ asked the question they often asked each other when they were down.
“MJ, I can’t do that today… I just can’t.”
“Come on, it’s not that hard,” MJ said. “If all of this never happened, we’d never be married.”
“You wouldn’t even be in my life.”
“We’d never live in this beautiful home,” he said.
“I’d never have my great job with Bambi.”
“We’d never be planning to have a baby,” he said.
“We’d never be building a real, whole life together.”
“I’ve never been this happy,” he said. “Ever.”
“I’ve never be this happy.”
“Is it worth it? Giving up your legs for all of this?” he asked.
Honey nodded.
“You?” she asked.
“Fuck yeah!” MJ said.
“What do we have to do?” he asked. “What’s it going to take to get this done and over with?”
“I have to go tomorrow and Monday and every day after that until they put my sister away forever.”
“That’s my girl.” MJ smiled.
“So which outfit?”
“Doesn’t matter,” MJ said. “You’re beautiful in all of them.”
Honey smiled.
“Didn’t you and Val buy something… sexier?”
“A couple things. Some lingerie and a pretty dress for celebrating when the trial’s over,” Honey nodded. “Val said she’d try to come home to celebrate with me.”
“When do I get to see the sexy stuff?”
“After I pick out something to wear tomorrow,” Honey said.
“What you have on is perfect,” MJ said. “I’d never lie about something this serious.”
Honey laughed.
Denver Cereal continues tomorrow….