Poor Henry

Poor Henry


Chapter One

 

      In all my seventy-six years I had never seen anything like it before. Poor Marjorie was lying in her coffin and more than half the town folks were there to pay their respects when all hell broke loose. The door to the funeral home flew open bringing in a chilly burst of wind and everyone turned to see young Katie Adams standing in the doorway. Chins practically dropped to the floor and whispers and gasps were heard throughout the room. Not a soul could believe what that child had on. Wearing a bright fuchsia mini skirt and a thin yellow top that showed her nipples and bare belly, she looked like the cheap tramp we all knew her to be. In stiletto heals she waltzed up to Marjorie’s coffin in a nonchalant way, through her hands in the air and shouted, “HALLELUJAH, THIS WOMAN IS DEAD.” Poor Henry, he just dropped his head. He was shaking, trembling all over, and he turned white, just white as a ghost. We all were feeling real sorry for him; especially now that Marjorie was gone. We all knew that Katie had put Henry and Marjorie through the wringer but that particular escapade put the icing on the cake. We the town folk watched Henry’s face turn from white to crimson. He stood up and took four big strides toward Katie. When she turned around she caught the back of Henry’s hand across her cheek. The sound of that blow sent shivers up my spine. Ethel Myers who was seated beside me at the time clasped her hand to her mouth to stifle a surprised cry. Everyone in the room made some kind of a noise or comment. I heard John Reynolds yell, “That’s it Henry, do it again, she deserves it.” I’m telling you these people were mad. Katie had done it that time. But you know, as hard as Henry hit her she wasn’t fazed by it one bit. Grinning, she looked up at Henry and asked, “Feel better daddy? Go ahead daddy hurt me, Hurt me good right here in front of every one. I dare you. Go on daddy; show us all how it is done. You are starring at me, do you like my outfit? Tell me daddy, how do you like looking at the little whore you created?” Henry raised his hand to strike her again but for some reason unknown to us he couldn’t do it. He slowly turned and looked at all of us then he looked back at Marjorie his beloved wife of twenty-two years. Then he slowly turned and fixed a glaring gaze upon his seventeen year old daughter who stood challenging him.    
      I sat still and tense, I could not help but wonder what would happen next. Henry just stood there and we could see the muscles in his jaw flex. I thought back to the beginning of the trial of how Katie had accused Henry of molesting her. Henry was so angry. Through out the trial he sat and glared at her. Quite often he would move suddenly and each time I thought he was going to jump right out his seat and yank Katie out of that witness chair and throttle her. Instead he pulled his handkerchief from inside his breast pocket and would mop the sweat from his face and neck as he continued to listen to the lies that Katie was telling. As I listened to Katie’s wild tale I was appalled. I couldn’t believe that she was capable of such an atrocity.  She accused Henry of the most awful things and worse yet she blamed Marjorie as well.
       Katie stated that it all started when she was around nine years old. Henry would come into her room at night and fondle her. Then she went on to say that as she grew older the fondling turned into rape. She even went as far to say that  one night  Marjorie had walked in to her room one night and caught Henry on top of her, holding his hand over her mouth to keep her from yelling out and that Marjorie didn’t do anything to try and help her. Instead Marjorie turned and walked back out of the room. Henry’s lawyer Rob Nelson asked Katie how tight was Henry’s grip on her mouth? Katie’s reply was real tight, so tight that she couldn’t lift her head from the bed. Rob then asked Katie about her body position when the alleged act took place. Katie answered she was lying sideways on the bed on her back with the top of her head toward the bedroom door. Rob grew impatient at this point. He pounded his fist on the table and stated firmly that if Henry did indeed commit this atrocious calamity, how was it possible for her to see if anyone had come into the room?  Katie started to tremble; I guess she didn’t think far enough ahead because she was unable to come up with an answer to the question. Rob looked at Judge Van Horne and stated he had no further questions at this time. Judge Van Horne asked Prosecutor Alex Ward if he wished to cross examine the witness and Alex’s reply was, “not at this time Your Honor.” Judge Van Horne looked at Katie and told her to step down. He then stated that court would recess until the next morning at nine a.m.
      There was a lot of whispers and nodding of heads as everyone rose from their seats. Katie had regained her composure and wore a grin on her face that would scare the devil as she approached and stood next to Henry and Marjorie. “I guess we will see each other in the morning,” she taunted as if she were deliberately trying to start something with her parents. Thankfully Rob Nelson intervened and ushered Henry and Marjorie out of the court house, and social services escorted Katie back to the foster home where she had been staying for the last several weeks.
       The trial had taken its toll on Marjorie; Doctor Henderson said it was all the stress and worry Katie was putting her and Henry through that killed her. Now poor Marjorie, God rest her soul is to be buried tomorrow and that little tramp of a daughter still isn’t satisfied. She isn’t going to rest until she has succeeded in her vengeance toward us all; after all there isn’t a one of us on her side. I often wondered who she will drive into the grave next.  
      I woke from my daydream with the help of Ethel who sat poking me with her elbow. “Look at her,” she said. “Can you believe that,” she added in a (Katie ought to be ashamed tone). I turned my attention toward the girl, and noticed Henry was no longer standing up there with her. I looked around for him but he was nowhere in the room. I evidently missed something because I could not figure out what Ethel was referring to. Ethel must have noticed that I was lost and so she filled me in on the events that had taken place. She said that before Henry had left the room he made a statement to Katie about how she sickened him and that she was going to pay and pay dearly. Then he strolled out of the room.  Katie just disregarded what Henry had said and without a second thought or a conscience, walked up to Marjorie’s coffin and took Marjorie’s wedding ring right off her finger. When I heard Ethel say this I was appalled at Katie’s ghastly performance. After everything she had put Marjorie through there would be no way Marjorie would want her to have anything, especially her wedding ring.
     While Katie was admiring the ring Lila Reid abruptly rose from her seat and walked toward her in a charging manor. Without hesitation Lila, a strong and hefty woman in her late thirties, grabbed an unsuspected Katie by her upper arm. Katie snapped back to reality and was yelling and grabbing on to anything for a strong hold as Lila drug her across the floor. “Somebody should have done this the moment you arrived. You have no good reason to be here, but   according to you young lady you don’t need a reason for anything. I want you out; we all want you out of this funeral home. Now get and don’t you dare come back,” Lila ordered as she practically picked Katie up and through her out the door. But that wasn’t the end of that scene; Katie was small and quick, Lila was standing in the threshold when Katie charged at her and started kicking, first one foot then the other, and yelling at Lila, “Take that and that and that, I’ll teach you to try and throw me out of a public place, you fat cow don’t you ever lay a hand on me again.” Poor Lila cried out with pain and she lost her balance and fell. Katie then ran back into the funeral home, stomped up the aisle and planted herself in front of Marjorie’s coffin and in between breaths stated, “Nobody and I mean nobody is going to make me leave here today. I have as much right to be here as any of you. You all think you’re something special. Every one of you thinks you are so high and mighty, that you have more power than God does. I know that I am not the best little girl on the block, and I will admit to a lot of things that I have done wrong; but I have told the truth about Henry and Marjorie. You all believed Henry in that court room only because you know him to be an upstanding physician, but I know him better than any of you. I use to be a good girl; I was outgoing and had a lot of friends. I didn’t use to be afraid of the dark, now when I go to bed I can only fall asleep with the light on, and when I sleep I have nightmares. But all you can ever think about is Katie did this, Katie did that, and Poor Henry.”
      “Do you remember Dorothy when I use to come by your house after school? Do you remember telling me I could call you Aunt Dottie,” Katie asked as she pointed a finger at me? “You always went on and on about how you always wanted a little girl. I remember; I was eight and a half years old. You always had some kind of home made goodie for me along with some milk. You were always interested in what I had done at school. Then there was the day when I was unusually quiet. Why didn’t you pick up on the signs? Instead you brushed them aside. All of a sudden I wasn’t important anymore. I loved you Aunt Dottie, why didn’t you see what was going on and help Me.? You said you wanted a little girl, why didn’t you take me? Why didn’t you see what was happening and take me away?”
      Katie sank to the floor sobbing. As I watched her body heave between gasps and cries, I thought back to the first time I saw her. She was coming home from school and as she passed by my house she stopped to pet Fred my Cocker Spaniel. I was sitting on the porch swing and she and I started talking. Fred climbed the steps to the porch and settled down by my feet and Katie followed in pursuit. Every day after that Katie would stop after school to visit me and play with Fred. He and Katie adored each other. Katie was full of sweetness and good old fashioned kid spunk. She was always laughing and outgoing with her friends. Then the day came when that all changed.
      It was a chilly day about like today when Katie knocked on the door. I held my arms out to give her a hug like I always did but Katie pulled away from me. She went into the kitchen and sat quietly at the table. I walked in and sat down across from her and asked how her day went. She stated it was ok. I asked if there was a problem, and she said she didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t want any milk and cookies and I figured she didn’t feel well. Then suddenly she got up and said she had to be going. After that day she didn’t stop by very often, and when she did she was like a different kid. She was often rude and obnoxious and finally I had to tell her if she couldn’t show respect for me in my home then maybe she should stay away. So she stopped coming around all together.
      I had heard that Katie had started hanging around with a different crowd, (one that didn’t promote good influences.) One girl in particular was a real bad influence on Katie. Jenny Cooper, yes that was her name; she sure did get into a lot of trouble. She often ran away and a time or two she was caught stealing from Ernie’s; a small pharmacy-grocery store. She didn’t take anything big only a bottle of nail polish and a few other cosmetic items. The police were always picking her up and taking her down to the station. Her parents Bill and Irene were called and there would be questions and answers, more lies than truths and they would take her home promising that she would never do it again. But Jenny did do it again, and each time she would drag Katie down a little further with her. One day the girls were caught cheating on a test and were sent to the principal’s office. Henry and Marjorie were called and they were beside themselves with embarrassment. They couldn’t wait to get out of that school and away from all the stares. Katie missed the rest of that week and part of the next due to suspension.   
    Dorothy! Dorothy! Ethel was shaking me violently awaking me once again from my daydreams. I looked at her wondering what in the world was going on now and all I could see at first was Ethel’s ashen gray face as she pointed toward the front of the room. I could not believe what I was seeing. Henry had come back into the room and this time he was pointing a gun first at Katie then himself. Katie was yelling at Henry. “Do it daddy, pull the trigger, what’s wrong with you just do it already. Do you need a little incentive?  Well this should help make up your mind. I am pregnant! That’s right, I’m pregnant so pull the trigger daddy, pull the trigger, SHOOT DAMN IT.” At that moment, a shot rang out and screams filled the funeral home.
      

      
                                                    Chapter Two

Henry! Henry give me the gun  I heard as I recovered from my fainted state. Jeff Morlan was standing in front of Henry with his hand outstretch ready to take the gun. Come on Henry; nobody else needs to get hurt here today; give me the gun he said again. Hurt again? Nobody else? Ethel….Ethel what is he talking bout? But I didn’t hear a sound from Ethel, all I heard were sobs from all those around me. Dorothy are you alright? Sara Coombs asked as she gently tugged at my sholders. Dorothy… Ethel has been shot she continued to say as I