Read Online None So Blind by Barbara Fradkin - Free Book Online Page B

teaching took over, almost in spite of himself. He treated even the slowest inmate as a challenge.
    Green listened first with disbelief but gradually with reluctant surprise. He had never seen any emotion from Rosten but resentment and contempt. If anything, Rosten had conveyed an arrogant belief that he did not belong in prison and had nothing in common with the losers who surrounded him.
    How many sides were there to James Rosten, and would he ever reveal his true self? Green found his heart pounding as the school director wrapped up and the board members turned their sights on Rosten himself.
    W ith the flair of a trial attorney, Pierre Anjou slapped his file shut and fixed Rosten with a disbelieving stare. Rosten stiffened, and Green saw Teske touch his arm. To caution him, or reassure him?
    “Unlike most of the inmates in this prison, Mr. Rosten, at the time you committed your offence, you had been living a very successful life. You had advanced education and skill, a stable job, financial security, and a loving family. Yet despite all those advantages, you chose to murder a young woman. I’ve read the psychological reports and listened to Mr. Maisonneuve here describe the pressures of university teaching, the exhausting demands of twin babies, your repression of the memory of the crime, but I see little evidence in these reports of the steps you’ve taken to rectify that. No counselling, stress- or anger-management programs. No admission even of the need for them. Then, three months ago, with this review coming up, suddenly you change your tune. According to your file, you’ve spent years fighting your conviction and denying your guilt, and only three months facing the truth. That raises concerns for me. Raises doubts about your sincerity.”
    Rosten said nothing. Initially he had tried to meet Anjou’s stare, but as the criticisms mounted, he bowed his head. Wise, Green thought. Staring down a member of the Parole Board of Canada would not advance his cause.
    “Was all that denial of your guilt a lie?”
    Collectively the crowd held its breath. In the silence Green leaned forward to catch every nuance. The moment had come.
    Rosten cleared his throat. “I … I … It was too awful a crime for me to face or admit to. Not just for my sake, but for my family and my children. I have two daughters, and I couldn’t bear the thought of them growing up with such shame in and revulsion of their father.”
    “So this repression idea is a fiction? You knew all along that you were guilty?”
    “No. But a life sentence provides a long period for reflection, especially when you’re in a wheelchair. Over the years, the reality sank in. I had so much invested in that denial, however, that I kept it up on the outside. I reasoned that as long as my children, my colleagues, and my old friends retained the slightest doubt in my guilt, there was hope for us.”
    “So what changed? What happened three months ago?”
    Rosten raised his head, appearing more confident about this question. “I turned fifty. And I realized I was never going to get my life back. My daughters and my former friends were gone forever. One of the police officers who put me away helped me to see that. In fact, he’s here in the room today. He pointed out that I still had years, potentially decades, to live. And I realized that, even in spite of myself, I had started to build a new life. Here and now. With the men I taught, the guys I made a difference to, guys who went on to earn a credit or diploma and who came back to thank me.”
    “Three months is a very short time to change old habits and make effective preparations. Do you think you’re ready to be released?”
    For an instant Rosten wavered. He glanced back at the observers and his eyes locked on Marilyn. A faint frown pinched his brow before he averted his gaze. “I do. I will have close supervision and support, and adequate financial means. I’ve been incarcerated a long time, but further