Ms. Baldwin asked leading questions that allowed Iris the opportunity to go on and on about her so-called magical romance with my husband. Most of the time I zoned out but the parts I did hear pierced my heart and soul.
My confidence had faded and only continued when her attorney showed a video of their beachside destination wedding with the two of them barefoot in the sand with their white linen blowing in the wind. Ricky looked so happy that I had to turn away.
There were more videos. Vacation videos. Videos of their daughter being born. Videos of their son being born—Ricky was there cheesing from ear to ear each time. There were Christmases, Easter Sundays, and other holiday videos added to the home movie marathon. And unlike any evidence we had, there was even a video of Ricky waking up in their bed on Christmas morning and the two of them waking up their daughter to open gifts. It wasn’t just that last video, but I had no idea that anyone kept such tangible records of their daily lives and I couldn’t imagine Ricky being comfortable with any of it.
Mr. Blankenship only cross-examined Iris after I insisted he asked her something.
“Miss Hart—”
“That’s Mrs.,” Iris responded and sat up straight in her seat, tossing that damn hair again.
“Okay, Mrs. Hart, when you first met Dr. Hart in the airport as you described, you didn’t suspect that he might be a married man?”
“Actually, I did.”
“And so how did you conclude that he wasn’t married, or was it that it didn’t matter to you if he were?”
“Of course it mattered. But, he wasn’t wearing a wedding band so…”
“So… because he wasn’t wearing a wedding band, you thought he wasn’t married?”
“One, he wasn’t wearing a wedding band and two, he asked that we keep in touch. Why would I think he was married?”
“Do you think that was naive of you? I mean, now that you know he was married.”
“I still don’t believe he was married and everything he ever said to me led me to believe he was divorced—or he thought he was anyway.” Iris looked in my direction.
“Tell me, did you ever, in the time that you knew Dr. Hart, ask him straight out if he were, in fact, divorced?”
“Of course—well, I don’t know if I asked but the word was certainly spoken—and spoken in that context.”
“By you or by him?”
There was a pause, and then finally Iris answered, “I honestly don’t remember.”
“Thank you.”
That was it. I was disappointed that she wasn’t shaken up at all. It wasn’t what I expected at all. I wanted her to be a flustered, frustrated blubbering idiot. But, she was cool and direct. There was no way she looked like the desperate side piece in denial about her man being married to another woman while she crept around with him—waiting for him to show up once he could sneak away from his family. No, she wasn’t that chick.
Iris’s attorney called her personal assistant to the witness stand next. Her name was Marigold Jones and for whatever reason, her name seemed to fit her. She wore braids and wire-framed glasses and yoga pants with a turtleneck.
“Miss Jones,” Ms. Baldwin started. “How long have you worked for celebrity blogger, Iris Hart?”
“Three years, maybe three and a half.”
“Did you have a chance to meet Dr. Hart, her husband?”
“Yes, on many occasions.”
“Oh, so you knew him?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Where would you see him mostly?”
“At their home—that’s where we worked mostly. So, that’s where I would see him.”
“How often would you see him there?”
“I don’t know—if I had to give a percentage, it would be about fifty percent of the time that I was there.”
“That much?”
“Maybe a little less. He was mostly at the hospital, I presume.”
“Sure—sure.” Ms. Baldwin paced with that annoying squeaking coming from her shoes. “So, when was the last time you saw Dr. Hart, Miss Jones?”
“I think it was the day Iris went into labor. He was about to take her to the hospital when I showed up at their home.”
Ms. Baldwin turned to the judge, “I’d like to play exhibit twelve.”
Judge Long nodded her approval just before the next video came on to the screen.
“Is this the day you’re talking about, Miss Jones?”
The footage appeared to be a cellphone video and it became apparent that Iris was the one filming. It was her face on the screen and there was a lot of moving about. I could hear Ricky’s voice in the background, asking her to turn off the video when suddenly, the view switches and Marigold comes through the door. She clearly asks Ricky, ‘where’s your wife’ and he answers her by pointing to Iris.
It was the final knife in my chest. That final bit of hope that I didn’t even know I was holding on to, was dashed. I could feel my pale skin grow warm and I knew it was ruby red. I completely checked out while Ms. Baldwin continued to question Iris’s assistant. I didn’t want to hear anymore.
There were several other people parading the witness stand: their neighbors, babysitters, and the like. I had no idea what any of them said.
And then…
I heard Ms. Baldwin call one more name, but I thought I was surely mistaken. I waited to see if she would repeat herself, but she didn’t. I turned with everyone else to see who was going to come through the doors and my heart dropped when he did. It was Coach Wagner.
I imagine my eyes were wide as saucers. I kept trying to blink but couldn’t.
Coach was dressed as if he had just come from the school—sweat pants, knit shirt complete with a whistle hanging around his neck. He stepped into the witness stand and waited for the bailiff to approach.
“Please, state your name.”
“David Wagner,” he answered.
“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you, God?”
“I do.”
I still hadn’t blinked.
Ms. Baldwin started her squeaky saunter across the floor and got right to it. “Thank you for being here, Coach Wagner,” she said.
“Are you okay?” one of the attorneys on my team asked me. I hadn’t taken the time to learn their names and I then regretted not being more involved. They had presented me with a list of witnesses and I never read it.
I didn’t answer. I simply removed a fan from my purse, opened it, and cooled myself off.
“You’re welcome,” David answered Ms. Baldwin.
I hadn’t answered the many calls or texts he’d made trying to reach me. I had fully decided to wait to return them when all the drama had subsided and was planning to pick up where we’d left off.
Why was he here? Who brought him here? Or, did he contact them telling them he had juice to help their case? His testimony could totally make me look like a woman who had moved on from her marriage, so I just held my breath and tried to pay attention.
“Coach Wagner, can you tell the court how you know Mrs. Amy Hart?” she asked him.
David cleared his throat, still not looking my direction, and said, “Yes, Amy and I have been in a relationship for the past five years.”
There was some mumbling in the courtroom and Blankenship turned to look at me.
I finally blinked.
Five years? I couldn’t believe he lied like that.
“When you say relationship, what do you mean by that?”
“I mean a romantic relationship—we were dating, you know, seeing each other.”
“Was this romantic relationship sexual? Were you two intimate?”
That’s when David’s eyes met mine but only for a brief moment.
“Yes, we were—are intimate.” He shifted a bit in his seat.
“You say are, so does that mean you are currently in a relationship with Mrs. Hart?”
“With everything that’s going on we haven’t seen each ot
her but yes.”
“What about Dr. Hart? What was your impresssion of the relationship between them?”
“Objection,” Blankenship finally spoke up. “The witness’s impression about the relationship of a married couple is irrelevant. We don’t even know who this man is, Your Honor.”
“I’ll allow it,” Judge Long responded.
“Go ahead, Coach Wagner,” Ms. Baldwin said.
“I was under the impression that they were divorced but still friends.”
I couldn’t believe it. As David’s testimony continued, he told lie after lie, making it seem as if he and I had much more than what we really did. Was he so angry with me for not calling him back that he would lie in such a way? He lied about everything. Yes, he knew my kids but that was from school when they were students, but he made it seem like my children knew about he and I being together. I was totally humiliated.
It had only been a few moments, but it seemed as though it went on forever. I was so caught up in the things he said that I didn’t even see him leave the courtroom nor did I hear Ms. Baldwin recall me as a witness. I almost fainted. And then, I could see the satisfied expression on Iris’s face, so I regained my composure and took my place.
“Please be reminded that you are still under oath, Mrs. Hart,” Judge Long stated.
“Yes, ma’am.” I straightened out my clothes and smoothed my hair.
“Mrs. Hart, knowing that you are under oath—”
“I know I’m under oath,” I spat out.
“Good. How long have you been sleeping with your son’s former coach?”
I choked but got it together quickly. “David and I flirted with one another for years, but I will admit that I had stepped out on my marriage for the first time ever, earlier this year. It was one time and one time only. I swear.” I didn’t know if that admission helped or hurt the case, but I just didn’t have time to think.
“So, you had this devoted husband in Dr. Hart and you flirted with another man for years and then finally gave in to that flirting and slept with a man that wasn’t your husband?”
I said nothing.
“Did Dr. Hart know you cheated on him?”
“Ricky cheated on me for years and I had just this one slip up,” I defended myself.
“Dr. Hart cheated on you for years?”
“Yes, he did.”
“With how many other men did you cheat on your husband?”
“None.”
“So, is the court supposed to believe you now—you and Dr. Hart were happily married but cheated on each other—or earlier that you were both devoted to each other and only each other? Which one is it?”
“Look, it isn’t the way David said at all. He knew I was a married woman and that was a one-time thing. I loved my husband and he loved me even though over the years I caught him seeing other women to the point where I just decided to stop looking for evidence of him cheating. That’s probably the reason we’re all here now.”
“Did Dr. Hart know you were in a relationship with another man?”
I felt tears burning my eyes when I answered, “He suspected but he never knew who… or any details.”
“Is that because in reality, you and he had been estranged for a long time—possibly years?”
“No. It was because I hadn’t told him, and I imagine at some point I would have.”
“I have nothing else, Your Honor.” Ms. Baldwin squeaked her way back to her seat.
My attorneys redirected, asking me to clarify my relationship with David but none of it helped. The damage had been done.
Closing remarks only proved to prolong the inevitable. I felt that I had lost the case and I was frustrated because I realized my own negligence in fighting. And there were no do-overs. And the closing remarks were a reminder of that very fact.
The only things my attorneys could focus on in closing were that I was the first Mrs. Hart and there was no divorce or evidence of a divorce. Iris’s attorney not only made it clear that Iris was the last woman Ricky had said ‘I do’ to and his apparent excitement and involvement in his children’s births showed that he claimed Iris as his current wife.
To add insult to injury, Ms. Baldwin reminded the judge that Ricky and I had no marriage to speak of in recent years and the fact that I had moved on with my life with another man proved I knew there was no marriage.
A smug Iris and I made eye contact for a moment just as the judge laid down the gavel, closing the proceedings. She and I both knew how this thing was going. I lowered my head, joined my brother, and exited the courtroom.
22
Rose
I wanted to say something to
Amy and Iris but…
Every day I worked hard at avoiding the news. I didn’t want to know what was going on with the trial and there seemed to be nothing but updates and breaking commentary. Those closest to me knew to avoid the subject.
The hospital was where I felt closest to Rick, so I spent all of my time there. Not even our home made me feel his presence the way the Presby corridors did. But the day had come when I had to rid myself of my daily uniform of scrubs and lab coat, to put on a skirt and blouse to appear in court.
I didn’t really understand why it was necessary for me to be present for the verdict but the last thing I wanted to be was in contempt of court. I told myself it would be the last hurtful thing I would have to face where Rick was concerned and then I could move on with my life. I just needed to get this over with.
Anxious to do just that, I marched into the courthouse forty-five minutes early. I was clearly the first one there because there was no media to be found. So, I quietly waited on a bench out front, doing my best to blend in. Stanley showed up not too much later to escort me in. He found a room we could hide out in until we could enter the courtroom.
“There’s no need to be nervous, Rose. This should all go smoothly and quickly.”
“Which way do you think it’s going to go?” I asked. I couldn’t help but be curious.
“I have to tell you, the young woman with the newborn has a pretty good case and that attorney of hers, Greta Baldwin, is a known beast in the courtroom. It’s hard to say. Judge Long is fair but Texas has some quirky marital laws—this will be interesting for sure.”
“I don’t envy either of them—they both must be concerned for their children. I guess that’s one blessing in all of this for me. I don’t have to bear that burden.”
The sound of traffic in the hallways grew louder. I peaked at my watch and time was drawing near. We slipped out of the room and headed in the direction of the courtroom.
We could see the media frenzy over the banister on the first floor at the front doors before entering the courtroom.
“I guess the other defendants are arriving,” he said.
“Is this how it’s been?”
“Pretty much—but today, the verdict coming in even has national attention.”
I didn’t want to even think about it. I wondered just how bad the punishment would be if I ducked out of there. Instead, I sat quietly and waited.
Suddenly we hear screaming and cursing and what sounded like tussling coming from the other side of the doors. Stanley, and a few others who were on the other side of the room, trickled out to the hallway to find out what was happening. The doors finally opened, and people quickly filled the room.
I did my best to keep my attention to the front of the room; not looking around, knowing that the people were there only to get a glimpse of the third foolish woman who had no idea her husband was married to other women. Like one of the talk show hosts said in reference to us not knowing about each other, ‘Texas ain’t that damn big!’
Amy was the first of the other two to make her entrance. She was dressed in a powder blue pantsuit that matched her eyes beautifully. It was obvious that she wasn’t in the mood to exchange pleasantries, so I didn’t even try to be cordial. I could see her straightening out her clothes and smoothing down her hair. She was breathi
ng hard and was clearly and understandably unhappy about being in court. Several men, I assumed her attorneys, surrounded her, asking if she was okay.
Moments later, security escorted Iris and her attorney through the doors. She was dressed to kill in all white, which looked great on her chocolate skin. Her presence demanded attention and I was certain that her whole ensemble and look was all planned. Iris expected to be victorious, and according to my attorney, it was looking good for her. However, she, too, stormed in as if the Dallas County Courthouse was the last place she’d rather be. Again, understandable.
All three of us looked as if we wished this night-mare would just end.
Stanley rejoined me at the table. “Iris and Amy had an altercation out in the hallway,” he told me.
“Physical?”
Stanley simply nodded, and I then shook my head and held it down.
Once the bailiff called the room to order, we were instructed to stand until Judge Long entered and took her seat. She did so with a poker face in place.
I had every intention to observe the happenings and that was it, so I adopted her same poker face, barely breathing and moving. I didn’t want to bring any attention to myself.
Judge Long looked around the room and slowly opened her mouth. “First let me say that I am deeply disappointed. The two of the three defendants here—the two that happen to be mothers, reduced themselves to a brawl out in the hallway as if they were in an alley.” She peered at Amy and Iris. “What example are you setting for your children? And let us not forget that a man is at the bottom of all this. He’s the reason you all are even here—he deceived each of you. Yet, instead of having some dignity and seeing this for what it really is, you turn on each other instead of directing your anger to the right person.”
The whole courtroom was quiet when Amy scoffed.
“And Amy Hart, you should be setting the example.” Judge Long settled back in her seat. “I would only hope that when all of the emotions die down, you two will make an effort for these children, who are siblings, to get to know one another.”
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