‘I didn’t ask Richard what mum meant; I never ask Richard anything because Richard never asks me anything. Richard is mums new boyfriend, I think that’s what he is, mums never actually told me what Richard is but that’s what Andrew at my school says his mum has, so it must be boyfriend. He tells mum that I should move in with my dad when I ask any questions, I think it’s because he thinks there won’t be any more room when my mum has her water baby, but I don’t mind sharing my video games I’ll let him play as soon as he gets here and I want this baby to be exactly like me I don’t like the ones that wear pink, girls that’s it.’ The book was thrown down in a way of play and he soon forgot he had even been writing, the words were large on the page and the pencil he had been writing with was blunt from his heavy hand which made his writing wide and untidy. The routine of a day was important for Adam he insisted on the routine staying the same and never fully understood why his mum wanted to take him places, usually to get away from her nightmare even if it was just for a couples of hours, which, was the only amount of time she was periodically allowed to be away from the home anyway.
‘The car with the flashing lights were at my house again last night, and the men with those black hats with silver writing on, they all had bright coats on, yellow, that’s the colour. Mum said they were here because I didn’t go to bed on time and they came to check on me but the other night when they came I had gone to bed on time, I don’t like those men.’ The confusion and unsurety ran through Adams mind but soon enough he had forgotten last night’s events and shook off his confusion almost immediately. His mind was young and he didn’t understand how his mother was suffering, nor did anyone else, or did they?
***
‘The world can be a dangerous place, and I, I know that most of all, reading Adams diary leaves me wondering if I could have helped but didn’t. The cracks between family and relationships everybody has, but my cracks seem to be extraordinary and always have been, at this time in my life they have surfaced and widened and they are no longer cracks, they are now reality and the prospect of one decision I made has left me wondering, could I have done more?’ The reality of what she could have prevented was tearing Justine up inside as she tried intensely to convince herself that she had made the right decision but reading from the eyes of a small autistic child left her feeling her heart as one of cold.
People say that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors; this is false. What people see and what people do are two completely different things. In this world I believe that there are two types of evil, the kind that commit evil and the kind that witness evil being committed and look the other way. If you knew your best friend was suffering at the cost of her boyfriend would you intervene? If you knew he would turn and come after you instead? There will be many that would hope they would help her, but only very few would intervene in reality.
‘Just leave them too it Justine! I’ve told you before she’s got her own life and well, we’ve got ours, there’s no need to go interfering into someone else’s life that doesn’t want you interfering, do you ‘ear me?! I’m sick of that family, always getting us into trouble, always ‘av done! Just leave her too it, we’ve done all we can do for ‘er and what does she do? She keeps goin’ back to ‘im.’ The words spat out like knives as he uncontrollably ranted. He was focusing on his life, his family, his little boy; he didn’t want anything to do with the friend that had constantly brought problems onto his shoulders. The problem was too big, he didn’t want to be involved, he knew she would eventually end up this way if she stayed with him but the problem was like a black hole to him, once you were sucked in you couldn’t get out, he wasn’t prepared to go the full way and pull her out. This is the evil that witness’ evil being committed and looks the other way. Many women end up six feet under due to cases of domestic abuse; children are left behind like Adam.
People see this evil being committed each day and decide to look the other way and not get involved because it may just get them into trouble. These people are as evil as the one that commits the crime, selfish is the word that sums them up. Life is full of these people. If your daughter was being harmed would you want someone to help her? If your daughter was witnessing someone being harmed would you expect her to intervene and pull the woman out of it? Life is a one way game; humans look after themselves, their family, would you say Justine is evil? Would you have helped her?
