by Dynah Zale
Jonah carried her into the living room.
Mrs. Chambers closed the door behind them and followed. “Let me get a good look at you. It seems like a lifetime since I’ve last seen you.” Mrs. Chambers set down a suitcase full of her things.
“Mrs. Chambers, would you like a seat?” Val offered as Mrs. Chambers admired her decorative living room. She and Jonah had spent most of the morning preparing for Hope’s homecoming. The dining room table was full of gifts and a huge chocolate cake, all for Hope.
“No, thank you. It’s obvious Hope was missed.” She smiled broadly.
“Yes, we are excited to have her back home,” Val replied.
“Mr. Reynolds, there are a few forms I need for you to sign, and then I’ll be on my way.” She pulled a manila folder out of her briefcase and set it down on the coffee table.
Hope hung on to her father so tight that he had a hard time signing the forms, but after some maneuvering he got it done.
“This is a beautiful home,” Mrs. Chambers commented.
Val beamed with pride. It wasn’t easy furnishing her entire house in less than three weeks, but she got it done. With the help of professional decorators, she selected color patterns and furniture and updated the entire house with the latest in kitchen appliances. The kitchen cabinets were now full of real plates and cups instead of Styrofoam. Pictures of Bryce, Olivia, Danyelle, Tressie and her parents hung throughout the house. It now felt like a real home.
“This is a great neighborhood to raise a child in. The schools are excellent, the streets are clean and there are lots of community events held for children Hope’s age,” Mrs. Chambers pointed out.
“I recognize I’ve been blessed.” Jonah’s gaze fell on Val.
When Val realized he was referring to her, she simply gave an uneasy smile and turned on the television for Hope.
“Well, it appears as though I have everything.” Mrs. Chambers gathered the forms. “The background checks that were run on you and Val came back clean, I have three consecutive paychecks, plus references from your supervisor documenting how superior your work ethics are. The only thing I would like to see is where Hope will be sleeping. When I came the first time, the room was still under construction. In my report I documented that she had her own room, but I would like to see the finished project.”
“Sure, follow me.” Val led her up the back steps.
When she opened Hope’s bedroom door, Mrs. Chambers looked impressed. Splashes of lavender paint covered every wall and small pictures of ballerina shoes filled the room. Hanging from walls were ballerina shoes, and sitting on the shelves were baby dolls all waiting to be claimed by Hope.
Jonah and Hope followed close behind them. When he stepped in the room, Hope screamed out and struggled to get down from her father’s arms.
Hope’s positive reaction put Val’s mind at rest. She prayed that Hope would approve of the decorating choices she made.
They watched her run over to her bed and pick up a baby doll and cradle it in her arms.
“This room is fantastic,” Mrs. Chambers said.
Jonah walked up beside Val. “I was wondering why every time I walked by this room the door was closed. I thought you were hiding something.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise. I knew you had bought Hope a lot of different clothes and toys, but I wanted to do something special for her. Something that came from me.”
“Val, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble, but I thank you, and so does my daughter. Hope, why don’t you come and give Val a hug and kiss for buying you all this stuff?”
Hope turned and looked at her father beckoning her over. She slowly walked toward Jonah.
Val bent down to give her a hug, and Hope reluctantly stood as still as a stone. Afterwards, she turned back toward her father and refused to look in Val’s direction.
“She’s shy,” Jonah replied.
“Well, I’m convinced that I’m leaving Hope in a stable, loving home, but I must remind you that my home visits will continue. If at any time I feel anything suspicious, then your daughter will be immediately placed back in the custody of the state. Do you understand?”
Jonah happily nodded his head. “That was easier than I thought it would be,” he whispered in Val’s ear.
The following Saturday, Val watched Jonah and Hope watch cartoons together in her living room. She sighed heavily. It hurt that she couldn’t establish the same kind of bond Jonah shared with Hope. She realized that he was her father, but Val had tried everything to get Hope to trust her. The little girl acted like she hated her. Jonah asked Val to be patient, but no matter how hard Val tried, Hope left her hopeless.
Hope soared through the air and landed on Jonah’s back. He fell over and accidentally knocked over Val’s brand-new crystal vase. It fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
Hope and Jonah looked at the vase, then at Val. Their faces were full of fear. They knew they were in trouble.
“Val, I’m so sorry. We shouldn’t have been playing in the house,” Jonah said. “I’ll replace it when I get paid on Friday.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Val got up to pick up the broken pieces before anyone cut themselves. “I’m not used to having a child living with me. I should have bought cheap vases from the dollar store.”
“I know you’re probably tired of having us take up your space.” Jonah helped her clean up. “It won’t be long before I have enough money to move us out of here.”
She touched his hand. “Jonah, I enjoy having the two of you here. If it weren’t for you, I’d be living in this big house all alone.”
They shared a smile.
Then an unexpected knock at the door pulled Val away. When she answered the door she was surprised to see Mrs. Chambers standing on the other side, accompanied by a police officer.
“Hello, Val, is Jonah here?”
Mrs. Chambers’ official demeanor scared her. She could feel her heart pump faster. Uneasiness filled her stomach. “Jonah!” She hollered for him.
When Jonah reached the door and saw the cops, he instinctively ran back for his daughter.
Mrs. Chambers and the police officer barged past Val and into the living room.
“Jonah, don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” Mrs. Chambers tried to reason.
“Is there a problem?” Val could see something was wrong.
“Why don’t you ask Jonah that question?” Mrs. Chambers kept her eyes on Jonah. “Someone has made a claim that Hope isn’t really your daughter. Is that true?”
Jonah held back the tears and momentarily closed his eyes, as if his worst nightmare had come true.
“Hope will have to remain in our custody until the matter is resolved.”
Val couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This had to be a mistake.
Mrs. Chambers looked disappointed. “I’m sorry, but we have to take Hope back with us. We have a court order signed by the judge.” She pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to Val. Then she reached out for Hope.
Hope must have sensed that something was wrong because she screamed out.
Jonah stepped back from Mrs. Chambers and held onto his daughter even tighter.
Then the police intervened. “Sir, don’t make this any harder than it already is. We could have you arrested and then take the child.”
Val could see that the papers had been drawn up earlier that morning and signed by the judge. She walked over to Jonah and whispered, “Jonah!” She placed a loving hand on his arm and slowly shook her head.
Her eyes said there was nothing they could do. He had to give Hope up. He reluctantly loosened his grip.
Mrs. Chambers pulled Hope from him, and she kicked and screamed for her father. They quickly took her out of the house and put her in the police car that was waiting at the curb.
After they left, Jonah paced the living room floor until his anger couldn’t be contained any longer and he slammed his fist into a nearby wall.
He hit it so hard that he made a hole.
Val had never seen Jonah this angry before. She watched him for moment. The release of all that anger made him stagger over to the fireplace.
“I should have left when I had the chance,” he cried. “I stayed too long, and now they’ve taken my daughter.”
Val watched from a distance.
He knew she wanted answers to questions he prayed he would never have to acknowledge.
“Biologically, Hope is not my daughter.”
Val listened closely.
“My best friend was a soldier in the army. He was deployed to Iraq, but never came home. He was a casualty of war, leaving behind a wife and baby. They adopted Hope a few months before he left. Once my friend was gone, his wife had nowhere to go. So I invited her to stay with me in New Orleans until she got on her feet.”
“Is that who was lost in the storm?” Val asked.
“Yes. After we were rescued, I went to my momma’s house in Baton Rouge. We stayed there a few weeks, until one afternoon the police came looking for us. They told my momma that they wanted to talk to me about Hope’s parents. I thought the state had found out she didn’t belong to me and was going to try and take her from me. I couldn’t allow them to place her in foster care. I’m the only family Hope has. So I skipped town. We hid out like thieves, living from town to town, until I caught the bus here.”
“I wish you would have told me all of this sooner,” Val said.
“I was scared,” he replied.
“Is that everything? You didn’t leave anything out, did you?”
“No.”
“These kind of legal technicalities are beyond my legal expertise, but I’ll call a few of my professors and see if they can recommend a lawyer who specializes in family law.” Val went to her home office.
West watched a kid who looked like he was fresh out of law school tussle with a mound of files and papers. “I don’t understand,” Judge West spoke up. “Didn’t they tell you that I already have a lawyer?”
“Yes, a court appointed attorney, and I was hired by the pastor of your church. He insists he only wants what’s best for you.”
“Who are you again?”
“My name is Joseph Morris, and I work for Myers and Kittering law offices.”
“Are you sure you’re a lawyer and not a law clerk?”
This kid didn’t look polished enough to handle his case. The judge already knew that his was a high profile case and that the lawyer who represented him would have to have experience on how the system worked.
“That’s funny, sir.” Joseph finally found what he was looking for. He pulled out a pen from the inside of his jacket pocket and sat across from the judge. “I may have just graduated from college, but I did graduate at the top of my class.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. Where did you go to school?”
“Ankara Law School.”
“Where? I’ve never heard of it? Where’s it at?”
“It’s in Turkey.”
“Are you referring to the country of Turkey?” Judge West laughed to himself. “This has got to be a joke. Are you licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania?”
“Yes, sir. I took the bar exam for Pennsylvania and passed. I’m not from Turkey. I am actually a United States citizen. I was born and raised in Nebraska.”
“Why did you choose to go to school in Turkey?”
“I felt like I would do better studying abroad.”
Judge West was now convinced that this guy was not ready to represent a client in court.
“And my pastor hired you on my behalf?”
The kid nodded.
Judge West was aware of the fact that Reverend Simms knew a lot of prominent experienced trial lawyers. It made him wonder why he chose this kid.
“Yes, when he came to my office he said he was referred by another pastor.” He thought for a second. “A Reverend Baxter.”
“Will this be your first case at the firm?” Judge West asked.
“Yes, sir, this will be my first case to ever present before a jury.” Joseph pulled out a notepad. “Now, sir, can you please tell me exactly what happened, in your own words?”
Joseph looked harmless. Actually he reminded Judge West of an out-of-place country boy living all alone in the big city of Philadelphia.
“Before we begin, why don’t you tell me about back home?” Judge West requested.
“Back home?”
“Yeah, tell me about Nebraska. Since we’ll be working together, I want to know as much about you as I can, since you already know a lot about me.” The judge was searching for any sign that Joseph may be connected to the brotherhood.
West sat back in his chair and listened to Joseph ramble on about his strict Mormon upbringing. He was raised on a farm and was the first of eight siblings to leave home.
Once he was finished, West was convinced that this kid wasn’t associated with the brotherhood.
“Okay, kid, that’s enough talking about you.” Judge West looked around. “Where is your tape recorder? Joseph, remember, whenever you meet with a client, you always want to record any conversations you have about details of the charges. It makes it easier for your secretary when it’s time for her to transcribe everything.”
“Oh, okay.” He dug through his briefcase. “I have one of those right here.” He set it down in front of them.
West got up to leave. He banged on the door for the guard to take him back to his cell.
“Where are you going?” Joseph questioned the judge as if he were on the stand.
“Listen, kid, go back to your office and call my pastor and tell him I’m all right. I don’t need counsel. I’m going to get out of this because I didn’t do anything wrong. Please tell Reverend Simms I fired you, and you are free to go.”
Joseph looked shocked and disappointed. He couldn’t believe he had just lost his first case before it even got started.
Chapter 21
Three days after the wedding, Dean was released from the hospital. Instead of moving into Olivia’s small apartment, he suggested that she and Bryce move into his grandpa’s Victorian-style home with him. Olivia was hesitant. She didn’t want to intrude while Judge West was incarcerated, but Dean assured her it would be all right. Besides, Dean never expected his grandpa to walk freely again.
Their first week in the house, Olivia kept busy. Never one to complain, she cooked dinner, washed dishes, kept the house clean and made certain her husband abided by the doctor’s stern instructions to get plenty of rest, take his meds every three hours and drink plenty of water.
Bryce adjusted to the change well. He loved going to a new school, living in a new house and especially having a backyard to play in. Olivia wished Kennedy and Clinton, her dogs, were more open to their new environment. This unfamiliar environment resulted in them going to the bathroom throughout the house. It was frustrating every time she found more dog doo-doo in inconspicuous places.
Thankful that Colin offered to take Bryce for a few days, Olivia planned to spend plenty of time alone with her husband. Dean was getting stronger every day, but he was still not physically able to consummate their marriage. So to compensate for the lack of intimacy in their marriage, Olivia did other things.
She lit scented candles in the bedroom and gave him a sponge bath every night. They would watch a movie or read a book together. Most nights they would simply sit up late at night and talk.
“Livie, when I go, I want to make sure you and Bryce are taken care of,” Dean said.
Olivia lay against his chest. She turned to face him. “Let’s not talk about the future. Instead, let’s focus on the present.”
“I’ve set up a trust fund for Bryce when he goes to college,” Dean told her.
“Dean, it’s good to know you’re saving for our son’s future, but you’re going to be here to see him graduate from college, get married and even make us grandparents. You’re not leaving me yet. You just got here.”
He gave
her a quick peck on the lips. “I hope you’re right.” Then he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
A week later, Olivia sat in the living room folding laundry. Colin had just called her to let her know he was bringing Bryce home. She couldn’t wait to see him. She hated being separated from her little boy.
When her cell phone rang she assumed it was Colin, until she looked at the caller ID and saw it was her sister. Olivia pushed the button to send the call straight to voice mail. Danyelle had been calling and leaving Olivia messages all week, each message sounding angrier.
Olivia understood why she was so upset. She had gotten married and hadn’t bothered to call anyone to let them know. None of her family knew she was married, except for her son. It bothered her that the people closest to her couldn’t be there when she got married, but she had to respect Dean’s privacy. He still didn’t want anyone to know about the cancer.
That’s why it was taking her so long to return any calls. She was avoiding their questions. She didn’t want to lie to them, but she couldn’t tell them the truth.
Olivia folded the last of Bryce’s clothes and put them away in his room. She looked in on Dean, who was sound asleep, and walked back into the living room. Then she walked toward the laundry room, took clothes out of the washer and headed out the back door to hang clothes on the line.
She whistled for Kennedy and Clinton to follow her. She thought it would be good for them to get some fresh air.
Taking a few white T-shirts out of the basket, she hung them by clothespins on the line. She failed to notice her sister standing right behind her.
“Why have you been ducking my calls?” Danyelle shouted in Olivia’s ear.
Startled, Olivia looked around. When she realized who it was, she realized it was time to face the music. It was only a matter of time before Danyelle came looking for her.
“I was going to call you, but I’ve been busy.”
“You left me a message telling me to leave Bryce over Aunt Stephie’s. That was the day of the wedding. Since then I haven’t heard from you. You couldn’t even call and update me on Dean’s condition? I would have thought he was dead if it hadn’t been for the fact that Reverend Simms told everyone you two had gotten married at the hospital.”