Vanessa glanced over at her attorney, Melody Mason, the best divorce lawyer in the South, if not the whole country. Melody had argued—and won—many cases before Vanessa herself.
“Are you ready?” Melody quietly asked.
Vanessa nodded. She’d already had to pull some strings just to get the case heard so soon. Thomas’s attorney had tried to get the case heard in Galveston, which was an hour away from Houston, claiming Vanessa had too many ties to the Houston judicial system. Vanessa was glad when the judge overruled that request.
Vanessa had smiled inwardly when she’d learned that Mabel Caviel was going to preside over her case. While Mabel was fair, Vanessa knew Mabel respected her as a colleague—and knew that Mabel had endured an ugly divorce herself.
Vanessa glanced over at Thomas and his two-dollar attorney, some bifocal-wearing, Mr. Magoo–looking short black man.
Vanessa checked around surreptitiously for Alana. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or upset that she hadn’t showed. Part of her didn’t know how she’d react to seeing that woman again. But the other part wanted Mabel to see her, because it would definitely not be favorable.
“All rise,” the bailiff announced, snapping Vanessa out of her thoughts. She lost the mournful attitude she’d been feeling about being back in the courtroom and focused on her impending victory. She couldn’t help but smirk as she stood. Thomas didn’t know what he was in for. He could have his concubine. He wasn’t going to get anything else.
“The Honorable Judge Vernon Jarrett presiding,” the bailiff continued as a tall, distinguished-looking man with graying hair walked to the judge’s bench.
Vanessa’s mouth fell open. She quickly looked over at Melody, who shrugged. The expression on her face told Vanessa that she had no idea what had happened.
“You may be seated,” Judge Jarrett said. He skimmed over his papers for a few seconds before finally looking up. “I’m sure you all were expecting Judge Caviel to preside over this hearing, but fifteen minutes ago, the judge recused herself from the case, citing her personal relationship with the petitioner. Since I am one of the few judges here who does not have a personal relationship with Mrs. Kirk,” he continued, “in the interest of justice, I will be taking over this case.”
He peered over his copper-rimmed glasses at Vanessa. She tried desperately not to show the scowl she was feeling inside.
Out of all the people in the world to hear her case, she had to get Judge Jarrett. He’d just been elected two months ago and he and Vanessa had only met once. But she knew his history. The two of them were as opposite as oil and water. He was one of those religious zealots who really believed in that whole “till death do us part” crap.
Vanessa whispered to her attorney, “Object or something. This man can’t stand me.” She recalled their single meeting, where he’d called her on the carpet for her divorce court procedures. “This is clearly a conflict of interest.”
Melody looked confused momentarily, but then recovered. “Your Honor,” she said, standing up. “I respectfully request that the court allow counsel the opportunity to find another judge.”
“Request denied,” he said flatly. “Now, I have Mrs. Kirk’s original petition for divorce, and if both parties are ready, we’ll get started.”
“We’re ready, Your Honor,” Thomas’s attorney said with a small smile.
The judge turned to Melody. She shrugged at Vanessa, then gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “We’re ready, Your Honor.”
Vanessa shook her head in frustration as Melody sat down. “What are you doing?”
“Let me handle this,” Melody whispered. “I’ve encountered much worse obstacles than this.”
Vanessa pushed open the door to her chambers.
“Just let me handle this,” she said mockingly. “I got this. I’ve handled situations much worse than this.” She flung her purse down on her desk with a loud clatter. She knew she should’ve left the courthouse, but she was so angry, she needed to come into her chambers and cool off.
Melody entered cautiously, readying herself for Vanessa’s wrath. “Mediation isn’t that bad. It’s normal. You know the drill.”
Vanessa spun around. “Yeah, I do know the drill. And I know Vernon can end this sham of my marriage with a stroke of his pen, but noooo, he wants to get all self-righteous on me.”
“All he’s asking is for you to go to mediation. If it doesn’t work—”
Vanessa cut her off. “It won’t.”
“If it doesn’t work,” Melody continued, “you come back and he’ll grant your divorce.”
Vanessa shook her head like Melody just didn’t get it. “Melody, I’ve been doing this long enough to know that when a marriage is over, it’s just over. There’s no sense in delaying the inevitable.”
“And I’ve been handling divorces long enough to know that an extra thirty days won’t kill you,” Melody responded.
But that wasn’t the end of Vanessa’s complaints. “How dare he try to make me go to a spiritual retreat?” she cried. “That’s against the law. He must’ve forgotten who he’s dealing with.” She folded her arms and pouted as she stared out her fifth-floor window.
“Technically, it’s not against the law,” Melody said. “Each judge can recommend mediators. It just so happens that all of Judge Jarrett’s are spiritual advisors.”
“Well, that’s some bullsh—”
“Vanessa Colton-Kirk! I know you’re not about to let such foul language come out of your mouth.”
Vanessa looked up at her Aunt Ida standing in the doorway of her office. Ida was clad in a peach pillbox hat and matching lace dress. She had an appalled look on her face, one hand on her hip and the other clutching her Bible.
Vanessa sighed. “Not today, okay, Auntie? I’m not in the mood.” She hadn’t even realized that Ida was in court for the divorce hearing, but knowing her aunt, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
“And you think I care about you not being in the mood?” She walked in. “Hey, baby, I’m Ida, Vanessa’s aunt,” she said to Melody.
“Hello, I’m Melody Mason, Vanessa’s attorney.”
“I know. I saw you at work out there. You sure are a pretty little thing. You married? Because my grandson sure could use a pretty young thing like you, with a good job and all.”
“Aunt Ida!” Vanessa snapped. As if anyone would want Bud, her worthless ex-con cousin, who didn’t know the meaning of “steady job.” Thankfully, he lived in Miami, where he’d moved trying to con some woman into supporting him. But no one could tell Ida anything bad about her only grandson.
“Sorry,” Ida said.
Melody laughed. “No, it’s okay. But to answer your question, I’m happily single.”
Ida shook her head. “Umph, umph, umph. You women today, I tell you the truth. Those two words don’t even belong together—happily single. God intended for men and women to be fruitful and multiply.”
“You don’t have to be married to do that,” Melody said slyly.
Ida’s eyes grew wide as she stared at Melody in shock. “Lord Jesus,” she mumbled.
Vanessa finally smiled. “Melody, please don’t get my aunt started.”
Melody quickly made for the door. “Well, I gotta run. But Vanessa, please call one of those mediators today. Remember, the sooner you do it, the sooner we can get back in here.”
Vanessa nodded. After her attorney left, she arched her neck back, stretching the muscles, took a deep breath, and readied herself for her aunt’s lecture. Yet Ida didn’t say a thing.
“What?” Vanessa said, as Ida stood staring at her.
“I didn’t say a word,” Ida replied, shaking her head.
“No, but you’re about to.”
“You’re right,” Ida said, sitting down. “This should serve as a lesson to you.”
Vanessa kept her temper at bay. “What kind of lesson would that be?”
“I told you God don’t like ugly. For all you know, you lost your job—
”
Vanessa cut her off. “I didn’t lose my job.”
“Excuse me,” Ida said, giving the attitude right back. “For all you know, you might have been forced to leave because you’ve been acting so ugly.” Ida thrust an envelope toward Vanessa. “Here. This is a card from that little girl, Shelly, over at that center. She gave it to Rosolyn, and Rosolyn gave it to me to give to you. Like I work for the post office.”
Vanessa’s foul mood immediately evaporated as she took the envelope. She tore it open to reveal a piece of paper with a huge happy face. Underneath the brightly colored face were the words “Good luck at court today!”
“Awwwww,” Vanessa said. “That is so sweet.”
“You told that little girl about you going to court?” Ida asked, astonished.
“Yeah, but don’t worry, I didn’t get into details. She asked me to come by the center today and I told her I couldn’t because I had to go to court. That’s it.” Vanessa held the paper to her chest. “This is so sweet.”
“It is,” Ida nodded. “Too bad you just using the poor child.”
Vanessa was about to respond when Nicole stuck her head in the door. “Judge Colton-Kirk! Are you back?”
Vanessa suddenly remembered that she was standing in her office. She needed to leave before people started asking questions.
Vanessa fashioned a polite smile. “No, I just stopped by to handle some business.”
Nicole smiled at Ida. “Hello.” She turned her attention back to Vanessa. “Okay, then. You take your time. We have things covered here.”
Ida stood up. “Take your time, all right. Take this time and get right with God. That’s the only thing that’s gon’ get you right…if you get right with God.”
Vanessa chuckled at her aunt’s warning. That was what the judge thought, too, with his religious retreat. They had no idea how badly she wanted the marriage to end and no amount of praying would change that.
Chapter 27
Dionne watched her brother-in-law kick back in his recliner. Even in a relaxed setting, he looked like somebody’s preacher. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, but it was still starched; his gray slacks were just as crisp. Even though he was just over forty, his black hair was peppered with gray.
“Dionne, I’m still having a hard time believing you’re getting married. But I’m truly happy for you,” Henry said.
“Thank you,” she said, eyeing the large clock over the mantel. They’d been back from Vegas for two weeks now and things were still going good. “I hope Roland can get his work wrapped up in time to join us for Sunday dinner.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Ida said, crossing the living room and heading into the kitchen.
Dionne ignored her aunt. “I just wish everyone could be happy for me.”
“Well, sometimes we have to make ourselves happy, and not other people,” Henry said. “I just urge you two to go through some premarital counseling. I don’t marry folks in my church unless they go through it.”
That’s why we’re not getting married in your church, Dionne thought.
“Dionne, since you didn’t help us cook, you think you can come in here and set the table?” Rosolyn yelled from the kitchen.
“Bryson, don’t you want to go help your mother set the table?” Dionne slyly asked her nephew, who was sitting in a corner playing his Game Boy.
“I’ll do it for a dollar,” he said with a big, toothy grin.
Dionne’s mouth dropped open as she turned to Henry. “Y’all raising a little blackmailer.”
“My son is a negotiator. If there’s a way to earn a buck, he’ll find it,” Henry proudly said.
Dionne laughed as she stood. “Forget it. I’ll set the table myself.”
Bryson shrugged like it didn’t bother him a bit.
Dionne walked into the kitchen just in time to see a look of shock cross her sister’s face. Vanessa covered her mouth, then ran out of the kitchen.
“What’s going on?” Dionne asked.
Rosolyn looked both confused and concerned as she said, “I don’t know. I just told her Shelly’s getting adopted.”
“Who is Shelly?” Dionne asked.
“This little girl at The Mason House Vanessa has grown attached to.” Rosolyn glanced toward the door where Vanessa had disappeared. “I had no idea she was that attached to her, though.”
Ida stood off to the side wiping her hands on her apron. She was taken aback by Vanessa’s reaction, too.
“Let me go talk to her,” Rosolyn said.
“I’m coming with you,” Dionne added.
They found Vanessa sitting on the edge of the bed in the guest room.
“Are you okay?” Rosolyn asked, sitting next to her sister. “I’m sorry for breaking the news to you so abruptly. I had no idea it would affect you like that.”
“I had no idea either,” Vanessa admitted. “I mean, I guess I didn’t realize how attached I’ve become. I mean, I haven’t been going to the center for that long. But just hearing that she’s gone, and I won’t be able to see her again…” Vanessa seemed mystified at herself. “Well, to hear that without warning kind of caught me off guard.”
“I stopped getting my hopes up on this stuff a long time ago. But once they made up their mind, everything moved so fast,” Rosolyn said. “The Taylors have been visiting with Shelly on a regular basis. They don’t have any children and have grown very fond of Shelly.”
“But you could’ve at least called me up so I could say good-bye.”
“I’m sorry,” Rosolyn said. “I didn’t realize your feelings were that serious.”
“Dang, Vanessa, are you feelin’ this little girl or something?” Dionne asked.
Vanessa loudly exhaled. “I’m sorry. I’m overreacting.” She rubbed her temple. “The stress of everything, I guess, just has me emotional.”
She stood up promptly. “Let’s go eat dinner. I don’t know why I was getting all attached anyway. It’s not like I have anything to offer the girl.” Her face darkened with a scowl. “No, with the drama in my life, it’s best that I don’t get involved with any kids, especially emotionally needy ones like Shelly.”
Vanessa flashed a fake smile at her sisters. If only she could make herself actually believe those words.
Chapter 28
Vanessa surveyed her reflection in the full-length mirror standing in the corner of her bedroom. She wanted to look conservative but cute. Thomas needed to see what a good thing he’d messed up.
“I still can’t believe you’re going to talk to some stranger about your business.” Ida’s voice snapped Vanessa back to their conversation. Vanessa had the phone nestled in between her ear and shoulder as she got dressed for her first mediation session.
“In my day, you kept family business in the family,” Ida declared.
Vanessa deftly broke off a piece of thread that was sticking out of her Donna Karan suit. “I can’t believe it either,” she said. “Trust me, I don’t want to do it, but the judge is being a jerk.”
Vanessa had protested Judge Jarrett’s “spiritual counseling” requirement, filing a formal conflict of religion complaint. Although the mediation recommendation hadn’t been thrown out altogether, as she had hoped, Judge Jarrett had been forced to revise his order to regular mediation.
“Well, if you gotta talk to someone,” Ida said, sniffing, “why don’t you go talk to Pastor J. over at that fancy-schmancy church you go to—every Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Easter.”
“Because I don’t want to talk to any pastor,” Vanessa replied, ignoring her aunt’s hint of sarcasm.
Ida tsked. “Umph. That’s where you went wrong in the first place. You need to take your problems to God first and foremost. And then, if you just got to have more than that, take it to a man of God.”
Vanessa released a long-suffering sigh. “Aunt Ida, God can’t do nothing for us now. Thomas and I are through. This is all just a formality. I gotta go. Talk to you later. Love you, ’bye.” Van
essa hung up the phone before her aunt could say anything else.
That was Ida’s answer to everything: take it to God. Vanessa was nowhere near as religious as her aunt. She did believe in prayer because that was the way she was raised, but no amount of prayer could help her and Thomas anyway. That was why she especially didn’t want to take part in some spiritual retreat.
Thirty minutes later, Vanessa was sitting in a small conference room glaring at Thomas, who sat on the other side of the long oak table. A mediator sat at the head of the table, with her chocolate brown hair tightly pulled back into a bun. Her cat-woman glasses and bland gray suit made her look like the headmistress of a boarding school.
“Welcome,” the mediator began. “I’m Dr. Yvette McDowell and I’ll be mediating your case. It is my hope to one, make sure this divorce is something that you both want; two, make sure that all avenues of reconciliation have been explored and exhausted; and three, try to end this as amicably as possible, if that is our only recourse.”
Vanessa noticed Thomas was staring at her like he wanted to say something. She could see the pain in his eyes, but she was sure it was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her heart. For a moment she wanted him to take her in his arms and tell her this all had been some horrible nightmare. She longed for those quiet times she and Thomas had shared, times she’d taken too much for granted.
Vanessa shook off those thoughts as Dr. McDowell went on to explain her role. The more bland words she spouted, the more Vanessa found evil thoughts filling her head again. Those good times with Thomas were gone. He was dragging this out to make her look like a bad wife. She looked up when Dr. McDowell patted her hand.
“Are you with us, Mrs. Kirk?” the woman asked.
“Wha…? Oh yeah, I’m following you,” Vanessa said.
Dr. McDowell nodded. “Okay, then I’ll begin with you. What do you think your husband deserves to take away from this marriage?”
“Please.” Vanessa snorted. “He needs to leave with what he came with—nothing.”
Can I Get a Witness? Page 13