Mary, Mary

Chapter 35

THEN IT WAS MY TURN.

The time Ben spent interviewing me on the witness stand was the hardest and trickiest ordeal I'd ever faced, with the most at stake. He had coached me not to address the judge directly, but it was hard not to. My little boy's future was in her hands, wasn't it?

Judge June Mayfield. She looked to be about sixty, with a stiff beauty-shop kind of hairdo that was more middle- America 1950s than new-millennium Seattle. Even her name sounded old fashioned to me. As I sat in the witness chair, 1 wondered if Judge Mayfield had children. Was she divorced? Had she been through anything like this herself?

“I'm not here to say negative things about anyone,” I said slowly Ben had just asked me if I had any concerns about Christine as a parent. “I just want to talk about what's best for Alex. Nothing else matters.” His nod and the pursing of his lips told me that was the right answer - or was the look merely for the judge's benefit?

“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “So could you just please explain to the court how Alex Junior came to live with you for the first year and a half of his life?”

Sitting there on the stand, I had a direct sight line with Christine. That was good, I thought. I didn't want to say anything here that I wasn't willing to say to her face.

I explained as straightforwardly as I could that Christine hadn't felt prepared to be with me or raise a child after what had happened in Jamaica. I didn't need to dress it up. She had chosen not to stick around, period. She'd told me that she was “unfit” to bring up Alex. Christine had used that word, and I would never forget it. How could I?

“And how long would you say it was between Ms. Johnson's abandonment -”

“Objection, Your Honor. He's putting words into his client's mouth.”

“Overruled,” said Judge Mayfield.

I tried not to invest too much in her response, but it felt good to hear the overrule anyway Ben went on with his questions. “How long would you say it was between that abandonment and the next time Ms. Johnson actually laid eyes on her son?”

I didn't have to think about it. “Seven months,” I said. “It was seven months.”

“Yes, seven months without seeing her son. How did you feel about that?” “I guess I was surprised to hear from Christine more than anything else. I had begun to think that she wasn't coming back. So had Little Alex.” That was the truth, but it was hard to say out loud in the courtroom. “Our whole family was surprised, by both her absence and then her sudden return.”

“And when was the next time you heard from her?”

“When she said she wanted Little Alex to come live in Seattle. By that time, she had already hired a lawyer in D.C.”

“How much time had passed this time?” Ben asked.

“Another six months had gone by.”

“That's it? She abandons her son, sees him seven months later, goes away again, and comes back wanting to be a mother? Is that how it happened?”

I sighed. “Something like that.”

“Dr. Cross, can you tell us now, from the heart, why you are asking for custody of your son?”

The words just poured out.

“I love him tremendously; I adore Little Alex. I want him to grow up with his brother and sister, and his grandmother, who raised me from the time I was nine. I think Jannie and Damon are my track record. I've shown that whatever faults I have, I'm more than capable of raising happy and, if I may say so, pretty amazing kids.”

I looked over at Jannie, Damon, and Nana. They smiled my way, but then Jannie started to cry I had to look back at Ben, or I thought I might lose it, too.

I noticed that even Judge Mayfield had looked over at the kids, and that she seemed concerned. “I love my children more than anything in the world,” I said. “But our family isn't complete without Little Alex, or Ali, as he likes to be called. He's part of us. We all love him dearly We couldn't leave him for six months, or six minutes.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nana nodding, and she looked infinitely wiser than Judge Mayfield in her high chair and black robes, especially when it came to raising kids.

“Please go on, Alex,” Ben said quietly “You're doing very well. Go on.”

“If I had my wish, Christine never would have left Washington. Ali deserves to have us both around. But if he can't have that, then he should be with as much of his family as possible. I don't think he's bad off here in Seattle, but this is supposed to be about what's best for him. And as I said, I don't know what this is worth, but I love him so much. He's my buddy He has my heart.” And then I did tear up, and definitely not for effect or the benefit of the judge.

Testimony continued through the afternoon and for much of the next morning, and it was brutal at times. After closing arguments from the lawyers, we waited out in the courthouse hallway while Judge Mayfield considered her next move.

“You were great, Daddy” Jannie held my forearm and nuzzled my shoulder with her head. “You are great. We're going to get Alex back. I can feel it.”

I put my free arm around her shoulder. “I'm sorry for this. But I'm glad you guys are here.”

Just then, a court clerk came out to call us back inside. His blank face showed nothing, of course. Ben spoke quietly to me on the way in. “This will just be a formality She's probably going to take it under consideration, and we'll hear back anywhere from two to six weeks. I'll motion for a revised temporary visitation agreement in the meantime. I'm sure that won't be a problem. You were great on the stand, Alex. No worries there. You can just relax for now”