Redeeming Heart

Course of action

The guards handed my belongings over to me and then let me go to my father who didn't look happy to see me and I wasn’t surprised. Our relationship only consisted of arguments and yelling at each other.

I didn’t go over to him immediately as I made a small detour to talk to the sheriff that arrested me. He has been working with my father on various cases over the period of time.

“Sasha,” He acknowledged me and it was nothing to be proud of that we were on a first-name basis.

"What's going to happen to that girl who stabbed her boyfriend?” I asked him, ignoring my father's baffled look.

He looked up from the file he was scrolling through and I almost thought he was going to call one of the other deputies to escort me out but to my surprise, he didn’t. “I don’t think that has anything to do with you.” He stated.

“I can always just ask my father to look into her case and find out anyway or you can just tell me.”

He rolled his eyes at me and closed the file he was working on. “She is going to be charged with manslaughter.” He informed looking at me.

I wouldn’t say I am surprised but I was still baffled. “Can’t you do anything for her? He did attack her first so that can be ruled out as self-defence, right?” I questioned, aware that I was stepping on the sheriff’s toes.

He shrugged. “There is no proof." His curt answer wanted me to strangle him but that would only get my ass locked up again.

"She has bruises all over her and a shirt ripped to shreds as if she was manhandled. What more proof do you want?" I questioned. It was obvious that her boyfriend abused her and she only reacted out of self-defence.

"Anything that can proof of self-defence but our only witness is dead which she is responsible for, and she had a large amount of alcohol in her system." This was ridiculous. No wonder nobody wanted to rely on the law anymore.

"So, that's just it? You are going to drop the case because she was drunk?" I expressed my disappointment.

The sheriff looked displeased with my outburst. “If you can do a better job then you are welcome to take over from me." He offered and I almost accepted his offer but I caught my father’s narrowed look across the room that made me swallow my words.

"I'm sorry." I apologized only because of my father’s glare.

The sheriff nodded. "I know things don't always work out as we want and it's hard to accept it."

“By locking up a person for standing up for their rights?” The sheriff seemed uncomfortable with my remark that he had no comeback.

Life has gotten to the point where it became cruel and the humans are responsible for it—not God. If we only lived in a world where superhero’s truly existed to save the innocent because the law doesn’t protect anyone anymore.

“What was that all about?” My father asked.

I wonder if my father was still a good man and will use his wits to help an innocent woman. “A girl who got arrested for stabbing her boyfriend and killing him in the process.” I would normally keep my mouth shut especially since my father was already mad at me for getting arrested but I couldn’t let it go.

“She is going to jail for only defending herself,” I explained and caught my dad frowning at me.

“Where did you hear about this?” He questioned unlocking the car doors.

“We shared a jail cell,” I answered.

Frowning when my father gave a sarcastic laugh and a shake of his head in disbelief.

“Now you are already making friends with murders.” His remark didn’t hurt as it should have but it was unexpected.

“Do all prosecutors see people in jail as monsters?” I questioned, feeling hurt that my father wouldn’t even look at her file.

"I have bigger things to worry about than a drunk shooting her boyfriend." He grumbled, showing me that he was disappointed in me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "So, I punched a guy, what’s the big deal?”

" You broke someone's nose and fractured their rib because you can't control your anger." He growled at me, shutting the car door quite loudly and walked back over to me.

“Which he deserved.” I clarified without batting an eyelash. Yeah, so I got in trouble more than I can count these past few months but what happened today wasn’t my fault.

“What would you have done if he wanted to put in a claim against you?”

I shrugged. “I would have gone to court and defended myself as I did back at the gym,” I answered.

“You are a nineteen-year-old girl, Sasha.”

“Exactly. So, should I let a man take advantage of me while everyone turns their heads away pretending nothing is happening?” I took my father’s silence as a no.

"What would you have done if I was sexually harassed like Camille? The guy had his hands all over me while pinning to a wall and what was I supposed to do?” I asked aware that it was a sensitive topic but he had to hear me out.

"You should have called someone." He persisted.

"I did but no one bothered." They minded their own god-damn business and didn't care if I got rapped or not. All they cared about is when I started to throw punches and make sure I didn't kill him which I probably would have.

"Have you come here with the mindset that I am guilty without even hearing my side of the story?” This was the part that was killing me. I know I’ve messed up in the last three years but this was something completely different to my other arrests.

"I am done with your outbursts and bailing you out. You are an adult for goodness's sake.”

"Would you have helped Camille if that was her inside there right now?" I saw something flicker in his eyes at the mention of her name.

"That's a different story." He mumbled.

"No, there is a woman in there who needs help because she was physically abused by her boyfriend." I argued.

"Then she should have left him when he first started." His lame excuses angered me.

"Mom would be so disappointed." I watched his shoulders stiffen. She would fight him and find ways to make him feel guilty to a point where he finally gives in and offers to help. She always believed my father can make a difference and change the way people see the law.

"No, she would be disappointed in you for throwing your life away." He walked away and got in his car driving away.

I stood there on the side of the road unbothered with him leaving me behind. Our relationship has hit the ground and there was nothing that can help fix us.

I couldn't wrap my mind around how fast he moved on after mom passed away. I could barely get out of bed. Lost the battle on the hockey field and got banned for striking another player.

Life didn't have any meaning without her and my father wasn't even there to catch me when I fell.