Chapter 5
One Weird Summer
Summer vacation was only a few hours old when there was a knock on the front door. Tara opened it to a lone police officer, one of the ones who searched her house months earlier. “What? Are you here to search the house for guns agains?” she asked in a very sarcastic tone.
“No mam,” Officer Gregory answered robotically but professionally. “Two parents have signed a complaint stating your son indecently assaulted their daughter.”
“Are you kidding, Sean committing indecent assault?” The disbelief in Tara’s voice was plain to hear.
“We’re not kidding, we need to speak to your son,” the officer returned in the same robotic tone.
Tara stood silent for a second, absorbing this information. “Sean!” she shouted at the top of her voice.
The sheer volume of mother’s voice brought Sean to the door within seconds. Seeing the two policemen standing at the door, he sensed he was in trouble. Mother turned to him and informed, “These officers say that you indecently assaulted a girl, what did you do?”
Feeling intimidated by it all, Sean sheepishly explained, “Stacy Klimkowski tried to beat me up but I took her down but when I did, I wet myself.”
“What:? Did you pee on her?” mother suggested.
Sean went silent, afraid to say what really happened.
Officer Gregory broke the silence, “No, he ejaculated on her.” .
“What?”
Befuddled, all Sean could do was nod.
“We need to take your son down to the station, Mrs. Vandeventer. You may come along if you like.”
“You can take him,” Tara conceded, “But no one is to question him until I get there with my lawyer. Hear that Sean? Don’t say anything until I get there.
The events of earlier in the day were nothinng in comparison to the fear and anxiety Sean was
experiencing with the ride in the police car and the wait in the empty interrogation room. Twice, a female officer stuck her head in to see if he was all right, the second time, she gave him a glass of water. However, the wait of well over an hour completely frayed his nerves by the time his mother arrived with her lawyer and a detective.
The detective introduced himself first. Detective D’Ornelli was a middle aged man who looked like he was fighting a losing battle with his weight.
The woman standing next to his mother introduced herself next. “Cynthia Mazowitz from the law firm of Malcom Provowitz and Associates. I’ll be acting as counsel for Sean today.” Miss Mazowitz was a tallish, slender woman, in her mid to late twenties. Her light brown hair was tied back in a bun, accentuating her glasses. It seemed pretty clear that she hadn’t been a lawyer for very long. She took the seat next to Sean while mother stood behind them.
Taking a seat across the table from Sean and Cynthia, Detective D’Ornelli looked directly at Sean. “I want you to tell me what happened on the way home from school.”
Sensing his nervousness, the lawyer reassured, “Just tell him what you know, you’re not on trial.”
Before Sean could begin, Tara called out from the back of the room, “Aren’t you supposed to read him his rights first?”
“We haven’t got that far yet,” the detective explained. However, to silence the nother, he took out his Miranda Card and completed the formality, not that he was worried about any case being thrown out on a technicality.
Still very nervous, Sean began, “I was running home from school when I accidentally brushed past Stacy Klimkowski. She shouted at me, “Watch where you’re going asshole!” I said ‘sorry’ but she still tried to hit me, so I took her down and laid on top of her, hoping she would calm down and that’s when it happened.”
“That’s when you ejaculated,” Detective D’Ornelli offered.
Sean nooded but then added, “I didn’t mean to do that, I was just trying to defend myself.”
“I don’t see a crime here, if anything, this Stacy Klimkowski could be charged with attempted assault. This is simply a case of teenage hormones,” Cynthia chimed in.
“Maybe,” the detective returned, “But we have a couple of witness statements saying that he rubbed himself up and down against her. Besides, I remember your father, he was a thug. I remember how he got drunk and started a fight at the Bay Beacon Bar. The owner banned him after that. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if the apple didn’t fall very far from the tree. ”
Tara suddenly stepped in, “Sean is not like that. Besides, we all know why that bar had to close down. Everyone sued the owner because his son was such a bully.”
Then Sean blurted out, “That’s a lie!” I bet your witness is Eddie Greenblatt. He’s always picking on me and he was encouraging Stacy to beat me up.”
“That’s the boy who’s been bullying you,” Tara added.
“I can’t divulge the witness’s name but we have to investigate.” Turning to Sean, Detective D’Ornelli asked, “Are you sure you just laid on top of her. You didn’t rub your genatalia up against her?”
“No!” Sean shot back, nearly shouting. “I just wanted her to calm down. I know if I let her up, she’d try to hit me again.”
The detective tried to press the issue further but the lawyer intervened, “He’s already answered your question.” Seeing that the interview would yield nothing more, he conluded it but not before warning, “The parents of the Klimkowski girl want to press charges. You’re free to go now but we will want to speak to you again.”
The few hours before his father came home seemed like weeks. Sean couldn’t concentrate on anything, computer, X-Box or TV because he was gripped by extreme fear and anxiety as to how father would react to him being arrested. He was unpredictable about everything. Sean’s only hope was that because his father was arrested for drunk and disorderly as a young man, that he wouldn’t be too hard on him. He also hoped that mother would be there to meet his dad when he got home.
When the expected yell of “Sean!” came, he went downstairs to face the music. Seeing his parents sitting on the couch, he tried to read their expression but was unable to determine if father was going to lambast him or not. Not knowing what to expect, he sat down on the chair opposite. The instant his bottom touched the chair, his father started laughing. “That’s one I never heard before,” he stated, his laughter becoming more uncontrollable. “I don’t know whether to punish you or let you drink a beer.”
Seeing mother’s unamused expression, he straightened his face. “This is serious but if that girl’s parents try to press charges, we will fight it. But the next time a girl attacks you, do what you have to do to defend yourself.”