The Ultimate Sentence

Caroline walked out of the office, her body was completely racked with exhaustion but her mind was buzzing with excitement for the upcoming four day holiday weekend. Tonight, would start things off with a night all to herself. Her daughter, Dottie, was having a sleepover with her grandparents and her boyfriend Jackson was having a night out with the guys. She was thrilled to have a night all alone to just rest and relax. As soon as she got in the car her favorite song came on and she couldn’t help herself, she started to sing along as she pulled out onto the road to head home. However, her moment of bliss would be short-lived as a hand came up from behind her, grabbed her throat and then she felt the cold, sharp blade of the knife that was being pushed against her windpipe. She almost ran off the road and struggled to get control of the car back but she did and she slowed the car down. That is when he started to bark orders at her and she instantly recognized his voice.

“Don’t slow down, speed up and head down the River Road, I will tell you where to go from there.” The man said.  

He was trying to disguise his voice but she knew exactly who he was, the sperm donor is what she called him. Her daughter’s father, she was married to him for less than two years because he started using her as a punching bag when she was five months pregnant with Dottie and by the time she was in her eighth month she was cancelling prenatal appointments because her wrists and her stomach were so badly bruised. He would insist she cancel the appointments because he was afraid he would get thrown in the brig if the military physicians saw the bruises. He was in the Navy and they were stationed in California, three thousand miles away from all of her family and friends. That wasn’t going to stop her though, she would figure out a way to get the hell away from him because there was a little baby girl growing inside of her and she was going to be damned if he was going to lay a finger on her. It was not that babies fault that her mother made the biggest mistake of her life and she would fix it so her child would never pay for that mistake. She would work out all the details and raise this little angel on her own. Now he was back and he had definitely escalated just like all the research she had read had said abusers would do without getting professional help. Caroline thought this day may come and she had worked out all the scenarios and she had a plan for every single one in case he ever showed his face again. The first thing she needed to do in this situation was to have patience, stay calm and do whatever he said to do. Then when the time is right you can execute your plan and take control of the matter.

“Turn right into that driveway by that mailbox.” He barked the directions to her as she turned in and followed the unpaved driveway up to an old, dilapidated cabin, she pulled up in front of it and parked.

“Don’t move until I tell you to, got it?” She nodded as he jumped out and she looked at him, noticing how little he had changed in the twelve years it had been since she got the hell away.

He let her out, told her to hand him her phone and he threw it into the snow that was piled so high in the front yard of this rundown place, then he pulled her into the cabin with the knife at her throat the whole time. Inside he pushed her into a chair at an old table and he started to try and tie her up with a rope while holding the knife. She knew this was the perfect opportunity to change this situation to her advantage.

“Franklin, do you want me to help you tie it, you can’t do both, tie it and hold the knife.”

“Damnit, yes and don’t try anything.” He snapped.

“I am not that stupid, if I did you would just stab me!” She snapped right back.

He backhanded her hard and she managed to stay on the chair but she remembered that backhand all to well, it was his favorite move. She found a spot on the floor and stared at it to get her bearings faster and then she lifted her head and wiped the blood from her nose and mouth then went back to tying the ropes.

“Wow, toughened up a little, huh? Don’t smart mouth me because next time I will knock your ass right off the chair.” He said, smirking, and she just kept her mouth shut as she tied the ropes. She of course tied it so she could remove it very easily when she had to but he would never know it because it was another thing she taught herself, many types of knots.

“Why are you doing this Franklin?” She needed to start distracting him.

“I want to see my daughter, you took her from me, I don’t even know her! God, I hate you for that!”

“The judge decided that, not me, I just wanted to get away from you. You were hurting me a lot and I was afraid you were going to hurt her. What did you want me to do, not protect our daughter? Seriously, think about it, would you rather I had let you hurt her?”

“I would have never touched her, never!” He screamed with such anger that she thought for sure he was going to hit her again.

“So, you only hurt me, your wife, the woman you were supposed to love. Why did you hurt me so much Franklin, can you at least answer that for me? I always wondered, I really thought you loved me but you would hurt me over and over again.” I said it to keep him from hitting me again, I really didn’t want him to backhand me, it really hurt so I managed to drum up a few tears to add to the effect.

“I did love you and I don’t remember what you did to make me so angry that I had to do those things but you must have done something.” He said while walking away.

She knew this was her opportunity, he had walked into the kitchen and was making himself a drink. She had already done her recognizance work, that was what the book she read years ago called it, she had seen a piece of sculpture on the fireplace that looked pretty heavy. She untied herself quickly, tiptoed over and took the sculpture, went over to the kitchen doorway and when she saw him turn his back to put the ice back in the freezer she stepped around the corner and hit him over the head as hard as she could, she wasn’t even nervous. He fell to the ground, she wasn’t sure if he was dead or alive but she wasn’t taking any chances, she had already eyed a pole in the center of the room that was perfect for her to tie him up to. She dragged him over and this time when she tied the ropes she tied them so they wouldn’t come off. She looked at his head and it was quite a big gash, it was bleeding but he was alive and breathing. She ran outside to get her phone but he had thrown it into the snow and between the snow falling, how dark it was getting and how deep the snow was already she knew she wasn’t going to find it. She went back in and started to look for his phone, she checked his coat pockets, then his pants but there wasn’t one. She couldn’t believe he didn’t have a phone, now she would have to wait until the sun came up and she would have to walk and get help. After about an hour she had found some stale coffee grounds in a cabinet and made a pot of coffee then she started a fire because it was really cold. He finally started to wake up and when he realized what the situation was he didn’t start yelling or screaming like she expected him to, he just leaned his head against the pole and stared at the fire.

“That’s it, you aren’t going to start screaming at me, try to get loose, nothing?” She asked, really surprised at him just sitting there.

“No, I’m not Caroline, I don’t care, I really don’t.”

“Oh, is this some kind of a pity party now? I am not falling for that, give me a break.” She turned and started looking for something to eat in the cabinets. She kept expecting him to say something, argue, beg, make up a story, something, but he just sat there and continued to stare at the fire. She found a can of soup and then found a can opener and started to heat it up over the fire in the fireplace. She got it warm enough and took a couple of big drinks to keep her energy up and then offered him some, he just turned his head. She looked outside and the snow hadn’t let up at all so she checked the ropes and made sure they were good and tight and then she sat by the fire. It was complete silence, she had nothing to say to him, she just watched the fire and thought about which direction would be the best to walk in when she left here. She needed to stay on top of things, she was drinking her water, sipping the soup and drinking the coffee. When it was time she would be ready.

“I have cancer, it has metastasized and it’s in my bones. I don’t have much time left.” He said as he kept looking at the floor.

She was shocked at what she had just heard and she had no idea how to react, she just stared into the fire. He couldn’t expect her to feel bad for him, could he? Well, abusers are narcissistic so maybe he did expect that. He wanted to see his daughter before he died, well that is just great for her, this is your abusive father and by the way, besides being a monster he is dying so this is the one and only time you will be seeing him. Calling all therapists, come treat my daughter please, she is having a breakdown!” Yeah that is not going to happen.

“Nothing to say Caroline, just think, soon you won’t have to worry about me ever again.” He smirked as he said it and it just rubbed her the wrong way.

“What the fuck was that Franklin, huh? A smart remark, really? How dare you, you son of a bitch! You started hitting me when I was five months pregnant with our daughter that you are talking about seeing. By the time I was in my eighth month I had to cancel two prenatal appointments because of the bruises on my wrists and on my stomach from you holding me down and from you kicking me when I was down. I would cover my stomach so you would kick or hit my arms and hands and not my belly because I was protecting that sweet, defenseless baby that was growing in my belly that you were trying to hurt. Do you hear what I am saying to you? You, a 6 foot 2 inch, 210 pound man with size eleven boots was trying to kick our tiny little baby girl while it lay in utero and all I had to protect it was my arms and hands. Why, Franklin, why? Tell me why you wanted to hurt our sweet baby girl, I don’t care why you wanted to hurt me but why did you want to hurt her? Tell me!” Caroline screamed so loud her throat burned and cracked, Franklin jumped.

“Because I knew if I hurt her it would hurt you even more!” He yelled back.

She just stared at him, how did she not know what a monster he was before she married him, how do men like this hide who they really are from women? I don’t understand how we don’t see it.

“Well, you are right Franklin, it would have hurt me more than anything else but I got the hell out before you could and I made sure you couldn’t ever hurt her. Now, you are going to die and my daughter, that’s right she is MY daughter will never have to worry about you coming into her life and hurting her ever again. This is probably the best day of my life, it’s like Christmas has come early.” She looked at him with the same kind of evil smirk he would use on her when he was hitting her, she hoped he was hurting but she wondered if that was even possible, could someone as evil as him, hurt?

“You aren’t going to let me see her before I die, give me a chance to make amends?” He asked looking at her and she saw nothing in his eyes, they were completely empty.

“The only way I would let you see her before you die is if it was going to be helpful or therapeutic to my daughter, which it won’t be. The difference between you and I is, I will always do what is best for her even though it might be hard for me to handle. Her well being is the number one priority to me over everything else. I have brought her into this world and it is my responsibility to make sure she has the best life she can possibly have. Now you on the other hand, you think about what is best for you and what you want, not her, that is not what a parent does.”

“Okay Caroline.” Franklin just looked down, he looked like he just didn’t care, not like he was disappointed, like he was tired.

She looked back at the fire and knew she had made the right decision when he reacted the way he did, he didn’t have a clue about putting someone else’s needs before your own. She had to get out of here but it was so black outside and snowing, she would just have to stay up all night and head out as soon as it got light. Just then the front door was kicked in and she screamed, she threw herself on the floor. When she looked up she saw three police officers and Jackson, her boyfriend running in behind them. She jumped up and he ran over and he grabbed her and took her to the door while the officers went over to Franklin. They untied him, they checked his head and then put handcuffs on him.

“How did you find me, how did you even know? I thought I was going to have to walk and get help when the sun came up.” She said holding on to him.

“I tracked the location of your phone when you didn’t answer, you never came home and you would never not let the dogs out. We all knew something wasn’t right. I went to the police and they said it was too early to file the missing person’s report but I told them about him and they agreed to at least look at the traffic cameras in around your works parking lot. They saw him break into your car and then they saw him in the back seat and come up behind you, they weren’t sure what he was doing but they figured it was some kind of weapon. I was able to track you with the location tracker but then we lost you, your phone probably went dead in the snow, then we saw the smoke from the fire and then we saw your car.”

“Thank God.” She couldn’t stop holding on to him.

“Well, you were doing pretty good on your own, how did you do this?” He was motioning to the ropes around the pole.

“I will explain it all but for now just remember that he was never the sharpest knife in the drawer so it wasn’t that difficult.”

Christmas was beautiful and Jackson proposed to Caroline while kneeling next to the tree with Dottie’s blessing, it was perfect. Franklin pled guilty to all the charges and was sentenced to twenty years, which really didn’t matter. The doctors were giving him just a few weeks and he was put on Hospice Care in the infirmary at the prison. Caroline explained it all to Dottie and told her whatever she wanted to do was okay with her. Her daughter’s response was priceless.

“You always taught me when making a decision to keep in mind what the repercussions of that decision were going to be because you and only you have to take responsibility for your actions and decisions. He hurt you Mom, he physically hurt your body and you were hurt even worse by protecting me from him. He has never had to take responsibility for those actions, or crimes. He is in jail now for the kidnapping and assault but not for the beatings, not for the hell he put you through. So, I hereby sentence Franklin Hutchinson for the repeated beatings of Caroline Hutchinson to never having the pleasure, the absolute pleasure of meeting his amazing, spectacular daughter, Dorothy Hutchinson for as long as he shall live.”

“I wasn’t expecting that.” Caroline said as she hugged Dottie. “It was perfect.”

                                               The End