Diana finally filed for divorce following two more years of escalated abuse at Ricky's hand. She was suing him for sole custody of their only son. Diana had never reported the abuse she sustained, so proving her case would be a challenge. Because of the shame she felt, she told no one. Only her son had witnessed the abuse, and did not talk much. He was shy and quiet and there was suspicion that he was 'behind' in his language development. Only Diana knew that her son's silence was due to the outbursts of domestic violence he witnessed.

   Diana retained Peter Knowls, a divorce lawyer, to litigate her case in court, and scheduled an appointment. During the consultation, she sat in the brown leather chair facing the attorney-seated below the numerous framed credentials he possessed hanging on the wall. He reviewed the paperwork she offered him. Diana pleaded with her attorney to help her build a case of domestic violence against Ricky, but had little success in providing proof.

   "Do you have any evidence supporting your claim against Ricky?"

    "No. Just our son. Will he be asked any questions about what happened?"

    "In order to build our case, we will have to. I will request the court to mandate a complete psychological evaluation on the three of you. If your son saw anything of a violent nature, it will be mentioned."

   "Is this my only option, sir? He has seen so much violence and I would rather keep him out of the conflict between his father and I. Must my son be put through this type of questioning?"

   "Yes, I am sorry to say."

   Diana signed a statement prepared by her attorney and a court hearing was scheduled for the following month. The presiding judge ordered the evaluations requested by Diana's attorney, and their appointments were scheduled. Diana and her son scheduled their appointments on the same day, and her son only offered silence before and after his evaluation. Diana did not ask her son any questions about what was mentioned during his appointment. His facial expression conveyed a stronger message than his silence. Diana's son at the conclusion of his evaluation was solemn, quiet and his eyes never left the ground for the rest of the day. Diana took him home and after dinner, let him sleep in her bed with his favorite security blanket and sung him to sleep with the same Brahms lullaby she sang before.

   Upon conclusion of all three four-hour evaluations, a report was generated and sent to the judge and both Diana and Ricky's attorneys. Diana's lawyer contacted her upon receipt of the report submitted by the evaluator. She scheduled another appointment to review the findings with her attorney. Diana was nervous about the outcome of the report and the possible effect the questioning may have had on her son. She sat in the same brown chair facing the credentials as she had done before. Her attorney started the conversation without hesitation.

   "Well, Ricky is violent and a liar, according to this report."

    "And what of my son? Is he all right?"

   "He needs counseling, and I suggest you take him right away. The evaluator made a few recommendations. Choose one, and schedule an appointment to start counseling for your son. He has seen and heard much, and is aware of the hatred that exists between you and your husband. He also loves you both and will not be asked to choose between you."
"Will Ricky get counseling too?"

   "He has been mandated to violence counseling. "

    Diana's attorney then offered her a copy of the 17-page document for her review. She took great care and time reviewing this document once her son had gone to sleep that evening. Her heart began to race and her palms became sweaty as she read the following statement made by Ricky to the evaluator.

   Diana is crazy! I never hurt her and she is telling our son to make statements against me. She made this whole thing up, as I am sure you will find out in your final report. I am here to set the record straight and let you know what really happened. As for what should become of our son? The only way to assure his physical and emotional well being is to be placed into my sole legal and physical custody, and if it means destroying Diana, I will do it!

   At the next court hearing, Diana was awarded primary custody with both her and Ricky sharing legal custody. As Diana left the courtroom, she questioned whether justice was served or if it was blind. She convinced herself that the decision of the court would serve as a primary stepping-stone on a journey for Ricky and her to successfully co-parent their son. She remained quietly skeptical regarding any successful execution of the custody order.

**********************

   To meet the demand of being a self-supporting single mother, Diana took a job as a receptionist for the local insurance office. While working there, she met Jim, an adjuster who too was financially challenged raising two sons of his own following a divorce. Jim was everything Ricky was not and Diana found herself romantically involved with Jim in a matter of weeks. Added to their immediate attraction and involvement was the potentially mutual benefit of joining together and creating a more financially stable environment for their children. Jim moved in with Diana a few months later and began helping with the financial and emotional support that Diana convinced herself she needed. Ricky was outraged with this change in his sons and Diana's life. He began to call and harass Diana and Jim at both their home and work.

   "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO OUR SON!"

   "Our son is fine so please leave me alone and stop calling here. It upsets Jim and his sons."

    "THEY'RE MORE IMPORTANT…" (Click)

   Diana would hang up on Ricky when he called, and acquired caller ID service on her telephone so she could avoid taking his calls all together. The only time Diana and Ricky saw each other were at their son's Little League game where the weekly visitation exchanges took place. One Spring Saturday in Ozark, Alabama, Ricky showed up at their son's game with a gun he had purchased the week before. As the children and their parents began to take leave of the playing field, everyone was silenced by the sounds of three gunshots fired. Diana, Jim and Ricky lay bleeding on the ground. Their sons stood there in silence, as family friends shunned them away from this tragic scene. All three were pronounced dean on arrival at the local hospital. Days later at the funeral of Diana, her son stood beside his mother's casket adorned with blue irises that once highlighted her cobalt blue eyes and pink roses that once matched the blushing bride color in her face. As the minister concluded his benediction, Diana's son began to sing the Brahms lullaby his mother once used to comfort him. When he arrived at his mother's home following the funeral, he retreated to the master bedroom and laid down on the bed with his favorite security blanket and kept his blue eyes fixed on a picture of his mother.