Chapter 84
Pure Evil
Part 1
I felt confident that Sunday and
re-energized having spent the weekend with my mother and my brother. Every day
I had worked hard practicing my talk and felt lucky to be given the chance to
say a few words that meant a lot to me. I knew it was a rare opportunity for me
to even be given the chance considering I was just a foster kid and not part of
the Rothwell family, but Shane insisted that I wasn’t a foster kid. I was his
brother as much as his two younger brothers Jared and Jason were.
Shawn was no longer considering his brother, but a criminal that has destroyed
our family that he wasn’t even allowed to be present and was home locked up
inside my room. Dad informing me that he had put me back with Shane, but in
separate beds in my new room that would have been mine when Shane went on his
mission, hoping to contain the situation. We all had our doubts if that would
even work by taking the ring leader out of the picture, but my foster parents
were at their wit's end. So none of the bad boys were here are considered
family any longer.
I had chosen my talk on what it meant to have Shane as my brother, giving some
funny stories we had done over the past 2 years and how closes we had come,
that God himself would say we are tied to the same knot. I felt lucky knowing I
have had several brothers and sisters and as well as parents that I would count
as my parents, but I also had some I wouldn’t claim if the decision was up to
me to include them in my life, my father being one of them.
I tried not to cry, but Shane really meant a lot to me and I really hated to
see him go. I knew when he came back after serving his 2 years, I wouldn’t be
living with the Rothwell’s I would be facing the world on my own. So in a way I
was saying goodbye as my heart ripped itself apart. Of course, I wasn’t the
only one that was sobbing by the time everyone gave their talk and piano solo
from me and Kerry.
I was so focused on my talk and solo piece I had chosen to play, I never
noticed Officer Kenly’s family and Bishop Earls until after the sacrament was
over. They needed no introductions considering we all consider them family, but
it was nice to have them here regardless. Right away Officer Kenly noticed
Bishop Crawford and asked me to introduce them to him, but to give no
indication that he was a cop. However, I made the point to introduce Bishop
Earl as my Bishop watching them eye each other as if it was a Mexican standoff.
Almost immediately they broke their handshake watching Bishop Earl wipe his hand
on his pants.
Bishop Crawford said. “So your Eric’s Bishop, I wish I could say I am glad to
meet you at last or that I am proud of his achievement which I have no doubt
were ill-gained and not deserved, but I understand from the Rothwell’s feel
differently what is going on or haven’t heard or spoken to the boy about his
behavior when it comes to doing things in his ward here.
“I find it quite disappointing that he refuses not to speak to me when I have
invited him to clear his name before God and confess his crimes. Nor will he or
Shane fellowship the other boys when it comes to projects or assignments that
could better theirs and their parent's lives. Instead, they spit in my face and
abuse the calling they have been given, every Sunday, spreading lies that
disrupt the spirit from entering here and at home. To the point that three boys
that I think highly of are no longer welcomed here or allowed to be with family
or friends that everyone one is asking why.
“Yes indeed he is a disappointment, and now because of him and Shane, they have
alienated the three boys that are not here on trump up charges. I tell you if I
had my way Shane would not be going on a mission, instead, he and this problem
this boy here as created would be brought up charges and excommunicated. But
the law and his caseworker and apparently you sir have a different opinion
based on lies and that have no proof that contradicts the truth these boys have
been spreading in my ward. You should know sir I have written several letters
to remove you from your office as Bishop and I look forward to the day when you
are released and excommunicated for crimes against the church. Good day, may
God strike you all down.”
Bishop Earl placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled as if we were on a Sunday
picnic said. “Well, that was one man that reeked with pure evil. If I didn’t
trust how Bishops are called I would think he bought or bribed his seat as
Bishop. Your right son I feel I need to take a shower after touching such a
vile man. Yet today is not about taking on the giant or matching insults. Today
is for Shane and how much you, your family and God cares for him and the good
he will be doing, doing missionary work. But I promise you when the time comes,
God will set things right and forsake this man for all the evil he is doing in
his name. Now introduce me to this man I have spoken on the phone with several
times I would really like to meet Brother Sakes and your old scoutmaster
Brother Nile's.”
The second Brother Sakes shook Bishop Earl’s hand, it was like the room
brightened, but when I blinked it was gone and they were both smiling.
Something said more was going on, but Jeff wasn’t here to tell me, but the
spirit was so strong it made people gasp as they turned and looked in our
direction. I saw fear and I saw the joy in their eyes in the ones that had
turned in our direction. It seemed as if time had stopped and sped up the
second their hands parted.
It was the same when brother Nile's shook hands, I knew if I said anything that
people would think I was crazy, but I tell you I had witnessed something so
powerful that when I look at a new Bishops I am among the first to shake their
hand. Sometimes I find that light in their eyes and feel the spirit and in
other times I don’t, but it doesn’t mean they are not good men it just means to
me that I wait on the sidelines to see first what kind of deeds they do. Trust
is earned, but when God or Jeff lets me know I can trust these men, I will do
whatever they ask.
When I had met up with my mother and my brother I felt drained but in a good
way. We didn’t stay for the rest of the meetings after I had introduced my
mother to all my friends she hadn’t met at our group camp-out. Mom was shy
mostly because Brother Sakes and Brother Nile's didn’t think real highly of my
mother. Even after my mother apologized for her actions, they like me all
thought it was an act. Warning her if it was she would be the first one on
their hit list if any harm came to me. Mom took it in stride, but I knew she
was worried that my adult friends would make good on their threats and promised
them that was never going to happen, having Bishop Earl and Officer Kenly back
her up.
Personally, I was more concerned about my father doing me harm than my mother,
having proven herself that she had changed and loved us more than words could
say. I am not saying she was always perfect when it came to showing us
affection, but neither did she alienated us or abuse us like she and my father
used to do. I never had to defend myself from her after she made that binding
contract and well into my adult life. It was my father and my sisters I had to
constantly battle.
Sometimes Mom would stand by and watch rather than interfere. Sad to say when
my mother moved in with Susan, soon after her first child, we drifted apart and
more so when my parents dropped everything and moved to California.
Are closes relationship ended and I knew my father and my sisters had something
to do with it. Every time I tried to rekindle our relationship my father would
demand that I leave, even or phone calls stop to twice year to once year, but
I’ll get into that and the reasons why later on.
My foster parents had invited us to supper after everyone that wasn’t family or
closes friends with us had left with several of my double chocolate chip
cookies. When people asked regarding the cameras Dad simple said they are part
of security system stating that we had a break in and several thefts and we had
been vandalized several times being this far out that he installed them for our
protection. When they asked about the bad boys he would say they are currently
visiting relatives out of state. Having to restate Shawn is away at summer camp
and wouldn’t be back until after Shane entered the MTC. Shane stating that he
and Shawn were never closes to explain his reason for not being here or
participating into days meeting. The rest of us knew the real reason, but why
ruin a good day?
It was late by the time we got back having Mom explain why we were gone and why
we didn’t attend church. My father growled that she should have told him
beforehand so he wouldn’t have to explain why we weren’t in church. Mom growled
back. “If he been home in the first place instead cowering in some corner she
wouldn’t need to explain anything.” Earning her a slap across the face, having
me step across the room in case my father wanted to go a few rounds. Instead,
he backed way yelling for us to get to bed, having Aaron leave the room so fast
I thought his feet wouldn’t touch the ground. I, on the other hand, I didn’t
move until Mom told me she would be alright, but the look in her eyes said
differently so I stayed nearby, but out of sight.
That’s when the fighting broke out. I was there in two shakes of lamb’s tail
defending my mother against my father.
Mom yelling for me to push the button, but instead, I took on the
monster and ended the fight with him laid out on the floor gasping for breath
and choking on the blood from his mouth and noses. Mom had to pull me off him
before I killed him. The phone rang and four police cars pulled into the
driveway breaking the silence.
When I looked down at my watch it was blinking. Somehow during the fight, my
father had torn the strap enough to break the wires; the first words out of my
mouth were. “Mom I didn’t push it.” Showing my watch band had been torn and
crooked. Mom quickly opened the door while I grabbed the phone. Hearing Dad
voice demanding to know if he needed to come out there if I wasn’t on the phone
in two seconds, someone was going to die.
When Dad heard me, he sighed. I could almost see him slumping down into a
chair. I gave him the quick rundown, telling him my watch activated when my
father tried to tear it off my wrist. Officer Kenly didn’t waste time told Dad
I was fine and hung up the phone, reached inside the drawer for a knife and cut
it off at the same moment dialing in to cancel the alarm before more police
cars showed up. Quickly took what was left of my watch and laid it on the
counter and beat the crap out of it with his baton, before answering the phone
to cancel the alarm again.
It took us a minute to realize that he was dressed in a blue bathrobe and
wearing pink fuzzy slippers; which caused me and Mom to laugh having everyone
else in the room turn around; having him say “what?” making it even funnier. My
father was the only one that didn’t find it funny as he was handcuffed on the
floor cursing the day I was born spitting blood onto the carpet. In some ways,
I hated Santaquin because of how fast gossip flies in a small town, but I can say
the police broke a new record. If I didn’t know better they took bets on how
fast they made it to our house.
When they stood my father up a small pin knife slipped out from underneath him
covered with blood. It was another officer that noticed that I was bleeding
pointing to my shirt where blood was seeping through. I gasped quickly lifted
up my shirt finding a small puncture wound just below my left kidney. If it had
gone in deeper my father could have killed me, when he noticed it he smiled.
Mom kicked him so hard in the nuts that he fell to his knees. While Officer
Kenly cursed grabbing a dish towel and told me to sit and hold it there. It was
almost twenty minutes before I felt the pain, but for my mother sake and my
brother Aaron I let on that it was just a scratch. It was almost an hour before
everyone realized that my sisters were missing.
My father refused to answer where they were yelled; “away from you b***h and
your immoral offspring.” Even though I hated my sisters it didn’t mean I would
let anyone harm them. I had some hope they would come around, hope so small it
was smaller than a grain of sand. I, on the other hand, knew if I died they
would mark it as a celebration. I stood and grabbed him by the front of his
shirt demanding to know where they were or I was going to rip his heart out. He
told me to go straight to hell and spit in my face.
Even though I was injured, I slugged him so hard his breath left his body and
came back with a second blow palm side out towards his chest and smiled when I
heard a rib crack. I was about to break another when Officer Kenly stopped me,
but I was fast and quick jumped in the air while my arms were pulled back
behind me and kicked my legs and feet right into his chest, watching him fly
thirty feet off the stairs onto the grass on his backside rearing up in pain
and collapsing. Demanding once more to know where my sisters were, he coughed
more blood said. “Church house,” and passed out cold having the officer check
to see if he had a pulse.
Mom knew my father would never harm them so she attended to me first after
finding out I hadn’t killed my father having mixed emotions wishing I had and
hoping I didn’t. Even though I could waited for paramedics I wasn’t to serious
just serious to need stitches. Mom helping me to the car and broke the speed
limit passing the bus that was on route to see to my father's injuries. I kept
telling her to slow down, but when I did she put the pedal to the metal, plus
it helped to have a police escort.
When the shock factor wore off she was in tears, asking me why I didn’t go to
my room, telling me it should have been her. I squeezed Moms hand as I waited
for the nurse and the doctor. Telling her I promised that I wouldn’t let my
father hurt her. Having her hug me so tight I groaned and when I did she cried
even more. I was good as new after a quick nap while they x-ray the wound and
stitched it up. Telling Mom if it went three inches deeper he would have
punctured my kidney and could have died by the time they got to me.
Even though Officer Kenly was not happy that I came close to actually killing
my father; he completely understood why and would have done the same thing if
something happened to any of his children or his wife, but what I did didn’t
sit well when it came to defending my self when my father was already in
handcuffs and unable to defend his self. Even my caseworker didn’t feel that I
was justified enough, but under different circumstances, I would have spent a
week to a mouth in juive, instead, I was given community service of 80 hours
and having to pay five percent of my father’s hospital bill; telling me I was
getting off easy.
My foster parents and my mother, on the other hand, felt differently stating I
should have killed him and for nearly killing me. So my sentence was reduced to
40 hours and a hundred dollar fine, which Dad paid. Telling them if it happens
again I better kill the bustard, but to make damn sure it was a fair fight or
he would personally tan my hide.
When they found my sisters they were snug as a bug in sleeping bags in one of
the classrooms on the upper floor. With their suitcase packed and two bus
tickets to Nebraska. It was
obvious that my father intended to kill us and slip out of the state before
anyone noticed we were dead. Yet once more he underestimated me and how fast
the police would arrive at the door before he could have gotten away with it.
Just because I no longer competed didn’t mean I still worked out. My wound was
quickly stitched up and having only to spend one night in the hospital, but I
would be sore for days.
On the other hand, my father wasn’t so lucky being handcuffed to the bed with
four cracked ribs and very sore jaw and several bruises that made him look like
a rainbow. Even his nuts would need ice for several days and would be peeing
into a bag. Mom told him before we left him there to wallow in self-pity that
he got off easy; asking him “who’s smiling now?” If it wasn’t for me stopping
her she would slap his face.
Telling her “he’s not worth it Mom. Besides if you do it, you know they would
terminate my visit.” Then I leaned over
said loud enough for just for us to hear. “Touch us again I will end you.”
Reached down and squeezed his hand in a vise so hard he eyes bulged. When he
looked down at his hand after I had removed it, there was blood where I had
jabbed him with a needle the size of small safety pin that went halfway in. I
smiled “small holes can hurt like a b***h.” I turned around and grabbed Mom and
left. Leaving the safety pin in the palm of his hand, I had no doubt when the
nurse came in that they would think we did it, but I also know most likely I
would get away with it considering the safety pin came off him and they would
need proof that I didn’t it.