Page 12 of Too Good to Be True

Rowan

“ I don’t think it’s going well,” Paul says. He’s sitting right behind me in the courtroom.

Paul is right; I have to admit, but we’re only at the preliminary hearing. The judge will approve Mrs McCormack’s petition, leading to a trial. However, this gives me sufficient time to show Seth in a positive light as the father these children require.

“Maybe I should have sat with you,” Paul says, nodding at the other party’s three lawyers.

“It’s not the number that matters.”

“No, but the appearance, you know…”

“Is that why you gave him your tie?”

Paul shrugs.

Seth looks credible and respectable. Nails aside. I hope the judge hasn’t noticed them. I know he’s no fan of the LGBTQ community. And he’s certainly not a fan of my client.

Of course, the fact that he is a former drug addict does not help. And that he is an ex-offender. And that he works in a nightclub. And that he’s single.

What was going through my mind when I took up this case?

“Your Honour,” one of the opposing lawyers speaks up while the judge reviews the submissions.

He lifts his eyes.

“If you please…” He stands up, buttoning his jacket.

I stand immediately as well.

“There are some new statements that I would like to bring to your attention.”

“What are we talking about?” the judge asks.

The lawyer gives me an arsehole look.

“May I know what this is about?” I ask peremptorily.

“Both of you, please come closer,” the judge calls us over.

“This is just a preliminary hearing. We are only here to decide whether or not to proceed with the other party’s motion,” I tell the judge, who does not seem to like my reminder.

“Of course, Your Honour,” the other lawyer says, “however, my client maintains a firm conviction that the children’s safety is at risk.”

“Excuse me?” I ask, raising my voice.

The lawyer presents the judge with photos of Seth in compromising situations, which are very similar to the ones I saw a few days ago.

“They’re just photos.”

“Taken in a nightclub. A club where your client works,” the lawyer points out. “Not to mention his history and his addiction.”

“My client has shown his commitment during these thirteen years, and he’ll…”

“The other party received the children without establishing their parental capacity,” the lawyer continues.

“It was at the behest of their parents,” I point out. “We can’t ignore their wishes.”

“But we cannot ignore the custodial father’s failure to provide this court with any credentials or reassurance.”

“I understand your concern, Mr Campbell,” the judge says.

“What… Your Honour!” I groan aloud.

“That is clear to everyone in this courtroom, Mr Kennedy.”

“Clear… What? That the children are healthy and happy. They have good grades. They are doing well and behaving well. My client is proving to be a worthy foster father and…”

“We’ll see about that, Mr Kennedy.”

“What are you… Judge McDonald.” My voice trails off.

“You have plenty of time to prove your case, but for now,” He looks at the children. “He can’t.”

“No,” I mutter to myself.

It can’t happen again.

“It’s my job to protect the interests of the three minors sitting in my courtroom right now.”

“Your Honour…”

“This court orders that social services take custody of the children until the terms of their detention are determined.”

“No!” Mason shouts from the courtroom.

“Judge McDonald, please…”

“I’ve already made my decision, Mr Kennedy.”

“You can’t separate us!” Mason shouts.

“Officer, please,” the judge asks the officer in the courtroom to help take the children away.

“Uncle Seth! Uncle Seth!” Emily’s desperate cries pierce the air, her fear palpable as an officer tries to separate her from her brothers.

Logan cries out his brother’s name, Mason tries to break free of the officers to run to Emily, while Seth… Seth watches the scene in horror.

“Judge McDonald,” I try again, ready to plead.

“The court has ruled. You can still file a proper custody petition, Mr Kennedy.”

Which this court will never accept.

These are the words that the judge doesn’t say but that both the opposing lawyers and I know.

The judge stands up, determined to leave the courtroom and let these children be taken away from the only family they have left. From the man who loves them more than anything and would do anything for them.

And I just can’t see it happening again.

I don’t know where it comes from, but I know it’s fast and strong, something that comes from deep inside, from the most hidden part of me, the part that no one has the right to see. Yet it exists, has returned to speak to me, and is insistent and loud, so loud that it covers everything else.

I only hear my voice crying, “Your Honour, please!”

And then everything stops.

I look back at the children who have been entrusted to social services, and then the words in my stomach rise to my throat to turn into a na?ve and senseless mistake.

“Can I come closer? This is important. Really important.”

The judge motions for me to join him. I approach him in the heavy silence of the room. I adjust my tie, which seems to have become a tight, scratchy noose, and then clear my throat. I address the judge, ignoring the gaze of the opposing lawyer who has now approached.

“I’m worried it might seem unprofessional,” I push aside a lingering fear from the past and keep talking. “But there are circumstances of which the court has not been made aware.”

“What circumstances are we talking about?” The judge asks, his brow furrowed.

“Yes, Kennedy. What the hell are you talking about?” The opposing lawyer asks.

“There are guarantees that my client can make to this court. I believe guarantees are more than sufficient to keep the children from leaving their home.”

“What guarantees are we exactly talking about?”

“My client is…” It’s now or never. I take a deep breath. “My partner.”

“I don’t think I understand.”

“I’m the guarantee.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“My client and I are… together,” I say so quietly that I’m not sure they heard me.

“Could you repeat that?”

God, what am I doing?

“We are a couple.”

“You’re a couple?” The lawyer raises his voice, causing a few whispers in the room.

I look again at Seth, who has no idea what’s going on, and then at the kids, who are waiting for me to give them hope or, worse, the miracle they have been waiting for.

I can ’ t be their miracle, but I can buy them time.

Something I didn’t have.

“Mr Graham and I are engaged,” I raise my voice a little this time, which elicits more than a whisper in the room.

“And this is official?”

“It is, Your Honour. We will be married shortly.”

“And when were you going to say that?”

“I’m a discreet person, Your Honour. Besides, we didn’t want to put too much pressure on the children.”

“You’re making this up now, aren’t you?” the other lawyer complains. “It’s just a stunt to buy time.”

The judge looks at me sternly. He, too, thinks it’s all bullshit, and he is right.

I’m risking my career for people I don’t even know.

I must have gone completely insane.

“It’s not. We are… a couple, and we are…” I can say it without choking: “In love, judge,” I clear my throat. “We really are, and we have decided to get married.”

“Are you telling me that you intend to adopt these children legally?”

My God. I hadn’t gone that far!

“It’s my intention, judge. I want to… We want to give these children a family and do it as soon as possible.”

“You don’t believe that crap, do you?” The lawyer becomes agitated.

The judge remains silent for a few seconds, during which I don’t even dare to raise my eyes and look around the room. I’m afraid to meet his eyes, and I’m afraid to find in them what I fear.

“I want a wedding date,” the judge says in surprise. “And I want it by the end of the week.”

“Yes, judge. You’ll have it.”

“Let the children go,” the judge tells the social workers.

The kids tearfully run into Seth’s arms. Seth holds them as if their salvation depends on his embrace. I can’t help but be touched by their love and their bond. It reminds me of something I lost long ago and never found again.

“The children can stay with Mr Graham for the time being, subject to a review of the situation.”

“Thank you, Your Honour.”

“Your career is on the line, Kennedy,” he warns me, his gaze hard on me.

“I know, sir.”

“I’d think about it if I were you.”

I nod, my head bowed and my earlier fear returns. Then, the judge confirms his decision despite objections from the other side before declaring the session over.

I turn to Seth, the kids clinging to him, his eyes wet and confused.

“What… I don’t understand.”

“Can you give us two minutes, Mason?” I ask the oldest, handing him some coins. “I think there’s a vendor machine in the hall.”

Mason takes the coins, then takes his siblings by the hand. “Let’s see if they have some chocolate.”

“Don’t go too far, please!” Seth says behind his back but gets no reassurance from his nephew.

He sighs heavily, then turns to me. “May I ask what the hell is going on? The judge had just delivered his verdict, and then… I’m confused, very confused.”

“There’s no right way to say this, so I’ll just come straight to it.”

“Now you’re scaring me.”

“We’re engaged.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I understood you correctly.”

“And we need to set a date as soon as possible to notify the judge…”

“A date?”

“Our…er… wedding date.”

“What… is this a joke?”

I wish it were, but I keep it to myself.

“The judge wanted guarantees, and I… I gave them to him.”

“What did you do?!”

“Time. I gave you time.”

“But you… But I… I mean, we’re not…”

“Whether you like it or not, we are a couple now.”

“A couple? You and me?”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t… But… Why!?”

This time, I’m the one who sighs. I want to tell Seth how Emily’s crying affected me. I want to explain what Mason’s screams drove me to do. And I’d like to say what Logan’s terrified eyes did to me, but I can’t. Those memories won’t let me go, and they have nothing to do with this case.

“Because it was the only way to keep the children from being taken away from you.”