Friday and Gannon stared at me from the Defense table.I stood there in the witness stand, looking over at the Bailiff, telling him I'd tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me.

I thought it was so help me God.

As I sat down, I needed God's help. Where was he? I didn't see him anywhere. But I did see those two hell-spawned creatures at the defense table-- desperately wanting to get their hands on me.

I tried not to look at them but I couldn't help myself. I felt like a character in a horror film-- someone who knows they shouldn't enter the darkness because the monster is in there-- but they do anyway-- only to be scared, first by the cat, and then by the chainsaw wielding psychopath.

That's how I felt. I didn't want to look at them, but...

There they sat-- smug-- probably thinking how they were going to kill me, or better yet-- how they were going to get me in prison. Get some thugs to bend me over and...

I wanted to turn away-- to at least close my eyes, but I couldn't.

"Mr. Orlando?"

I snapped out of my daze and looked over at Ned, the Assistant District Attorney who was prosecuting those two shits bags. "Yes?" I replied.

"Could you please tell the court how you first met the two defendants?"

I told the court how they first showed up at Fran's. I didn't stop talking until the lunch recess.