by Kat Martin
“Joe!” Teddy surprised him by running straight toward him, clamping his small arms around Joe's waist. Joe knelt in front of him and the kid's arms went around his neck. Joe's chest squeezed. He had always wanted a son. Now it looked as if fate had put an end to that dream again.
Joe carried him over to the edge of the porch and they sat down on one of the steps.
“Mr. Mack said you were coming over. I'm really glad to see you.”
“Me, too, Teddy.”
Joe asked him how he was doing in school, how he was getting along with Billy and Sissy, the two Mack kids, all the things an adult asks a child, anything to avoid the subject he had come to discuss. But time was ticking past, and occasionally, he saw Mrs. Mack peer out the window. He knew he wouldn't have much more time before they made Teddy come back inside the house.
“There's something we need to talk about, Teddy.”
The boy looked up at him, his eyes dark and uncertain. “Coming to live with you?”
“I'm afraid that's not going to happen, son. You see, there's something I never told you, something that happened when I was younger. I got in a fight with a man and when I hit him, he fell and hit his head. He died, Teddy, and I went to jail. That's the reason they won't let you live with me. They don't think I'd make a good father."
“Because of the man who died in the fight?”
Joe nodded. “I never meant for it to happen but it was my punch that knocked him down. Refusing my request to become your guardian... that's just part of the price I have to pay for losing my temper.”
“You don't lose your temper anymore.”
“No, I don't. I learned a very hard lesson. But the law says a man with a criminal record can't be a foster parent.”
Teddy's eyes glazed with tears. “Maybe if I told them what a good dad you would make, they'd change their minds.”
“I wish they would, Teddy. God, I wish they would. But I don't think that's going to happen.” He pulled the boy onto his lap and just held him. Joe could feel the warmth of his small body, feel him tremble with the effort to hold back his tears.
“So do I have to stay here with the Macks?”
“I'm not sure. The court will probably find you a different home, someplace where you'll be happy.” Joe prayed he wasn't going to disappoint the boy again.
“I'd be happy with you, Joe.”
A lump formed in his throat. “I know you would. I'd be happy with you, too, Teddy. But sometimes, God has other plans for us. Maybe he has a family all picked out for you that is going to be just perfect.’
Teddy sniffled, buried his face in Joe's shoulder. “I don't want another family. I want you, Joe.”
Joe's eyes slid closed. “Don't cry, son. Everything's going to be all right.”
“I'm not crying,” Teddy said into the lapel of Joe's wool coat. “Crying's for wimps and I'm not a wimp."
Joe almost smiled. “No, you're not.” He eased the boy a little away from him. Inside his chest, his heart was squeezing, beating with heavy, painful thuds. “You worked for me, didn't you? Right there at Murdock's Auto Repair. You were paid a wage, just like a full-grown man. I need you to be a man now, Teddy.”
Teddy wiped the tears from his cheeks. His eyes looked deep and intense as he looked into Joe's face. “It's hard, Joe.”
“I know, son. It's hard for me, too.” He set the boy away from him, determined not to let the child see how upset he really was. He came to his feet and took hold of Teddy's hand. “I took your grandma's clock over to Mrs. Culver's. You can pick it up there when you go over to visit your grandma on Christmas Day.”
Teddy just nodded. He had worked so hard for the money to buy the clock. He should have been proud and pleased. Instead, he no longer seemed to care.
Joe took a shaky breath. “Mrs. Mack probably has dinner almost ready. You better go in and wash your hands.”
He glanced at the door as he said it, saw the robust woman standing in the open doorway, watching them with a look he couldn't read.
“You finished?” she asked.
Joe just nodded. Teddy reached out and caught his hand, gave it a last soft squeeze, and Joe's throat tightened until he couldn't speak.
“Bye, Joe.”
He swallowed. “Bye, son.”
“I love you, Joe.”
He blinked against the burn of tears. “I love you, too, Teddy.” Then he turned and strode down the front porch steps. As he climbed into his car and started the engine, Joe cast a last glance at the house. Teddy stood at the window, watching as he drove away.
Joe stopped by Syl's apartment that night but she could tell he didn't want to stay.
“I just... I'm not in a very good mood, baby. I'd be rotten company.”
She didn't press him. She could see he was hurting. “Maybe you should talk to that attorney again. Maybe there's something else you can do.”
“The attorney says I'd just be throwing good money after bad.” He laughed darkly. “Imagine that… a lawyer who's not trying to get in your pocket.”
“Still, you might be able to…”
“I have to let Teddy go, Syl. I don't want to give him any more false hope. He has to adjust and the longer I stay in the picture the harder it’s going to be for him to make a new life for himself.”
Syl walked over and slid her arms around his neck. “Oh, Joe...”
He tightened his hold around her. “I feel so sorry for him, Syl. Teddy’s never really had a family. Now ... who knows where he’ll end up.”
Syl said nothing, just held on to him until he let her go.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Syl watched him walk out the door, his body betraying his fatigue. It wasn’t fair, she thought.
Not to Joe.
And especially not to Teddy.
11
Two days passed, restless days for Syl. Work filled much of the time but her mind remained on Joe. She was standing in the kitchen when Mary called. When she picked up the phone, it all came tumbling out.
“Oh, Mary, I feel so sorry for him. This whole thing with Teddy ... it's killing him.” Joe hadn't stayed with Syl since the night he had said good-bye to Teddy. He was too upset, too depressed.
Joe's heart was broken. Again.
This time, Syl wasn't going to let it happen. “There has to be something we can do.”
“You're right,” Mary said. “We can't just quit. Teddy needs Joe and Joe needs Teddy. I'll talk to Denny. His dad's some fancy lawyer in Wicker County. Maybe he can figure out something.”
“That'd be great, Mary. Call me back, will you?”
“You got it, honey.”
Syl hung up, and within the hour, Mary phoned her back.
“Simon called—that's Denny's dad. He says we can ask for an appeal and request a hearing. If we can find the right people to testify in Joe's behalf and get a judge who's sympathetic, he might have a chance.”
“Will you help me?”
“Don't be silly, of course I'll help. I've already got things rolling. Simon knows Joe. He's got an old Cadillac convertible he's in love with, a cherried-out nineteen fifty-nine—you know, the one with the big chrome fins? Apparently, Joe's the only guy he'll trust to work on it. Anyway, he said he'd file the paperwork for us—gratis. How's that for help?”
“Mary, you are the dearest friend a girl could ever have. Now all we have to do is find the right people to testify. We have to convince the judge that Joe Dixon is the only person suitable to become Teddy's dad.”
The hearing was held three days before Christmas, in a small downstairs chamber in the courthouse. The lobby of the beautiful old granite building with its high, round dome had been painted during the Great Depression, the walls and ceilings covered with murals of men working in the fields around Dreyerville.
Inside the hearing room, Joe sat next to Simon Webster at a table in front of a low wooden railing that separated the bench from the seating area. Joe fiddled nervously with the pencil on top of his notepad.
>
“Take it easy,” Webster said. He was a thin, sharp-featured, silver-haired man Joe could never have afforded to hire. “It isn't time to worry yet.”
But Joe glanced over his shoulder just the same, praying to see Bumper and Charlie and their wives, and Denny and Mary Webster, all people who had agreed to testify in his behalf. Instead, Syl sat behind him just to his right, next to Floyd and Doris Culver. If he turned his head a little, he could see her.
She gave him a reassuring smile but the muscles across his shoulders didn't loosen. Judge Halloran, a short, strictly no-nonsense older man with gray hair and horn-rimmed glasses, read the petition and opened the hearing to discussion.
The other side started first. “Your Honor, Social Services is convinced it can find the boy a permanent placement that would be far more suitable than the home Mr. Dixon could provide.” This from a man named Linder, who was there representing the county's position. “Mr. Dixon is a convicted felon. That alone is enough to disqualify him as a foster parent. The state has rules against this sort of thing for a very good reason. The safer road is to stay within the rules.”
“In a particular situation,” Simon Webster argued, “sometimes the rules are not in the best interest of the child. That is the reason a hearing such as this one is available as an avenue of recourse. In the next few minutes, we plan to present reasons that will support Mr. Dixon's petition for the custody of Teddy Sparks.”
Joe glanced toward the door. His heartbeat felt sluggish, his hopes dimming by the moment. He was sure he could count on his closest friends. Maybe something had happened to them. The roads were icy; maybe they'd had an accident.
Then the door shoved open and his friends walked in, Bumper and Charlie and their wives, and Denny and Mary Webster.
One by one, Simon called each of them to the front of the room, where they talked about Joe and the sort of man he had always been, explaining that all through school, he'd been reliable and trustworthy. They talked about the man he had become since he had gotten out of prison and returned to Dreyerville.
“He's buying my shop,” Bumper said. “Got the debt almost completely paid off. He's got plans to open a chain of repair shops and he'll do it. Joe's got a big future ahead of him.”
“Joe's always loved kids,” Charlie said. “For years, he's helped me coach the junior football league after school.”
Mary talked about her longtime friendship with Joe and Syl and how sorry Joe was about what had happened that night in the bar.
“It never would have happened if he hadn't been so grief-stricken over losing Syl. Joe was never the kind of guy who would hurt someone on purpose. It was an accident. And Joe paid his debt to society for what he did that night.”
Bumper's wife, Charlotte, and Charlie's wife, Betty Ann, told stories of Joe's helpfulness, how he always went the extra step with customers down at the shop. Doris and Floyd talked about Joe and said how much he cared for Teddy. They described how much Teddy's grandmother, Lottie Sparks, thought of Joe. Even Simon Webster spoke up for him, talking about how good Joe was with cars and how he never failed to do a good job. With this work ethic, the attorney said, Joe would be financially able to provide a solid home for Teddy.
Syl was the last to speak. A painful swell of emotion rose in Joe's chest as he watched her cross to the stand in her simple, dark green slacks and sweater and begin to talk about how good a father he would be.
“Joe's the sort of man who always sets a good example. He gave Teddy a part-time job so the boy could buy his grandmother a Christmas present. He knew he'd have to watch out for Teddy, make sure he was safe around all the equipment. He always made sure Teddy was out of harm's way whenever he was there in the shop. Joe loves that boy and Teddy loves him. Please, Your Honor, give Joe a chance to be a father and Teddy the home he deserves.”
Watching her up there, Joe thought how much he loved her, how he had never really stopped. He thought how, no matter what happened, he wasn't letting her run from him again.
Judge Halloran looked at Joe and stood up, a solemn expression on his bulldog face. Joe's heart sank as the judge began to speak.
“I appreciate all of you coming here this afternoon. It's clear Joe Dixon has some very good friends, but we are talking about a young man's future here, not a matter to be taken lightly. There are a number of considerations beyond…”
A commotion stirred in the hallway, the sound of footfalls and murmurs out in the corridor. The door shoved open, and Joe caught a glimpse of tall, distinguished Reverend Gains before the entire entry filled to overflowing and a crowd of people pushed into the courtroom.
“We thought the hearing started at two,” the reverend explained. “I hope were not too late for the proceedings.”
Joe could scarcely believe it. The hearing room was suddenly packed with people, some of them he barely knew. The reverend's wife was there, along with their eldest son, Ben. He and Ben had played football together when Joe was the Panthers' quarterback. Tom McCabe was there, Joe's former parole officer. Jim Higgins, the nurse, and another nurse friend of Syl's from Dr. Davis's office.
Several of his customers were there, including Mrs. Murphy and Emma Kingsley and some of the ladies who ran the women's shelter. Joe saw Henry Tremont; Frank, Jr., and Mrs. Brenner from the bakery; Max Green, Joe's former attorney; and even Diane Ellison, the woman he had dated and almost married. Diane flashed him a smile and made the thumbs-up sign and joined the rest of the group in the room.
“Well, this is quite impressive," said the judge. “I presume all of you are here to support Mr. Dixon's petition for custody of Teddy Sparks."
“Yes, Your Honor," said Reverend Gains.
The judge surveyed the room, clearly recognizing a number of faces. “I'm sure all of you have something good to say about Mr. Dixon, so we'll just assume that and proceed.” Heads turned, a few people grumbled. The judge ignored them.
“Before we were interrupted, I was about to say that it is clear Mr. Dixon has a number of friends here in Dreyerville but there is a young man’s future to consider. There are two more people I would like to hear from before we proceed any further.” He rapped his gavel. “Bailiff, bring in the boy.”
The crowd murmured; whispers were exchanged. Joe’s chest squeezed as Teddy walked into the courtroom, holding on to a deputy’s hand. He was scared; Joe could tell. His face looked pale as his dark eyes scanned the courtroom looking for Joe. Joe managed to smile when Teddy spotted him and for an instant, the boy’s face lit up.
Please God... Joe silently prayed.
“All right, son,” said the judge. “You know that Mr. Dixon has asked the court to set aside the rules and let you live with him.”
Teddy nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“I only have one question for you.”
“Okay.”
“What would make you happy?”
Teddy’s gaze swung back to Joe. Hope shined in his eyes and Joe prayed he wouldn’t fail the child again.
“I want to live with Joe.”
His eyes burned. The crowd rumbled its approval. Someone shouted, “Yes!”
“Thank you, Teddy. You may step down now,” The bailiff led the boy back out of the courtroom, and the door closed behind them with an ominous clank.
Joe knew who would be last. His lawyer had told him just that morning that Elmira Mack had been asked to make a statement at the hearing. His stomach knotted. She didn't like him. She had made her feelings more than clear. Mrs. Mack's testimony would weigh heavily against him. Since she was part of the foster care system, the judge would pay extra attention to whatever she had to say.
“Is Mrs. Mack here?” the judge asked, his gaze searching the courtroom.
“Yes, Your Honor.” The county attorney wore a smug look on his face.
Just then, the doors pushed open and the heavyset woman walked into the courtroom, broad hips swaying as she marched purposely down the aisle. She looked neither right nor left, just kept her attention
straight ahead, a dour look on her face.
“Good afternoon, Elmira,” the judge said as she settled her bulky frame in the chair next to the bench and with the familiar address, any hope Joe had held disappeared.
“Good afternoon, Judge Halloran."
“Since the court is eager to settle this matter, we appreciate your time in coming down here this afternoon. If you would, Mrs. Mack, let us hear your opinion of what you think should be done with young Teddy Sparks.”
A piercing look flashed toward Joe, one he was sure meant doom.
“Well, Judge, if I had been sitting in this box a few weeks ago, I would have told you the last person who should be allowed to foster Teddy was Joe Dixon. The man is a criminal, after all. He has no place being a father.”
The knot in Joe's stomach tightened.
“I even thought that perhaps my husband and I should keep Teddy with us on a permanent basis.”
Joe inwardly groaned.
“But there was a day a few weeks back that changed all that. I had never really noticed before but that day, it all became clear. My father died when I was nine years old. He was the best father in the world and he loved me very much. I've never stopped missing him.” She fluttered a hand, bringing herself back on track. “At any rate, that last afternoon ... as I watched Joe say good-bye to Teddy, I saw it and I knew. Joe looked at Teddy with the love of a father for his child. It was the way my father looked at me when I was a little girl.” She summoned a watery smile and it transformed her face. “In my opinion, Joe Dixon is the man who should raise Teddy Sparks.”
The courtroom went wild, everyone talking at once, and the judge rapped the gavel.
“Quiet down—all of you! I won't have my courtroom disrupted.”
Joe just sat there stunned. Mrs. Mack hefted her bulky frame out of the box and walked back down the aisle. When she paused briefly to squeeze his hand, he thought that maybe it was the holiday season, maybe the spirit of Christmas had touched Elmira Mack.
The crowd fell silent as she took a seat in the last row in the gallery. Joe held his breath.
The judge shuffled the papers in front of him, then looked up. “After such eloquent testimony from so many upstanding citizens of the community, I would be inclined to grant Mr. Dixon's request for custody. But unfortunately, there remains a problem I cannot simply overlook. As Mr. Dixon is a single individual…”