The Second Trial

The Second Trial

YA fiction
"The police officer kept his eyes locked on the thirteen-year-
old boy. 'You're going to have to move,' he said.
Danny crossed his arms. 'No.'
Sergeant Sandho faced the boy squarely. 'Your father--your
dad's a violent and dangerous man, Danny. Your mom can't trust him,
and neither can you.' He paused. 'If he gets the chance again, we all
believe he'll hurt your mom--very badly. Even kill her.'"
Danny had gone through most of his life thinking his father was
a swell guy, the dad he bonded with through shared interests like
fishing. Sure, sometimes he'd heard raised voices. But doesn't every
family have disagreements?
One day, lying in bed, Danny heard his father threaten to shoot
his mother. Ominous sounds were followed by his dog's frenzied
barking. His mother lay on the floor, unconscious, blood oozing from
her scalp.
Six months later at the trial Danny learns of the many terrible
things his father did to his mother. As he tries to wrap his mind
around this mind-shattering information, his loyalties split, he is
told he must leave everyone and everything he knows--even his beloved
grandparents. He and his mom and sister will go into a victim
protection program with new names and family history.
The Second Trial is the poignant coming of age narrative of a
barely teen aged boy having to cope with a situation most of us
couldn't handle. It's an insightful must read for all concerned about
the impact of domestic violence on families.
On a personal note, I'm really enjoying doing my volunteering
journal. It's just so cute and motivating. It makes me really want
to put in more time and write about it. I am going to start letting
people start reading it, starting with my BFF, Jodi, in the hope that
it will inspire people to start their own. I've been making
progress. In about a week I went from 37 to 48 hours. I'm almost
half way to my goal of 100 hours for 2019.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world,
Joey.
jules hathaway



Sent from my iPod