Indemnity: Book Two: Covenant of Trust Series (16 page)

“
What is this place, Mommy?” Jack tugged at the necktie she put on him when she picked him up from school. “I look like a dope.”

“
This is the courthouse, and you don’t look like a dope. You’re very handsome.” She patted the passenger seat. “Come up here.”

“
Really? Like climb through the seats?”

“
Just this once. We need to talk about what’s going to happen in here.” She took his hand and steadied him until he slid into the seat beside her.

“
Are we in trouble? Are we going to jail?”

“
No, this is family court, but it’s still big stuff. We’re going to a hearing, which means we’ll go talk with a judge.”

He perked up and grinned. “Do we hafta swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”

“
Just listen for a minute. There will be another man in there, too. His name is Mr. Molinsky.” Tracy looked into Jack’s eyes. They were her eyes, the only thing he had of hers. “Jack, Mr. Molinsky is your dad.”

“
No, he’s not.”

“
Yes, he is.”

“
You said my dad was dead. If he’s my dad, where’s he been?”

“
I didn’t tell you about your dad, and I didn’t tell him about you because I just wanted it to be you and me.”

“
You lied?” His eyes widened. “You told me never to tell lies.”

“
I didn’t know what else to do.” She smoothed his hair. “A mommy’s biggest job is to protect her little boy from all sorts of things. I was trying to protect you.”

“
From what? What things?”

“
Just things.”

“
Is that why we moved here? To find my dad?”

“
Kind of ... not exactly ... It’s complicated. Maybe when you’re older I can explain it to you.”

“
I hate that answer,” Jack said with a frown.

“
Well, that’s all you’re getting for now.”

Jack closed and opened the air conditioner vents. “So, was my dad happy about me?”

“
Of course,” Tracy said. If she assumed yelling, threats and court orders were a sign of happiness, then Chuck was overjoyed. “At the hearing the judge has to say officially that Mr. Molinsky is your dad, and then he’ll probably say you need to be with your dad.”

“
Be with my dad?” The little boy’s eyes grew wide and his breath came in quick, shallow bursts. “You’re giving me away?”

“
No, never.” She took his hand, and looked at him, hoping somehow to transfer what she felt in her heart directly into his. “I promise you, I would never give you away.”

“
Never?”

“
Never. It’ll be more like a sleepover, then you’ll come right back home.”

“
Just one time?”

“
No, it will probably be every couple of weeks.”

“
What if he doesn’t like me? What if he’s like Cinderella’s evil mother? Or what if he’s got a dungeon?”

“
Jack, calm down.” She laid a hand on his shoulder. “Your dad is a good guy. The best. You don’t have to worry.”

“
I’ve never been on a sleepover before. What if I do it wrong?”

“
You can’t do a sleepover wrong. You’ll have fun.” Jack’s bottom lip jutted out. “The judge may say some other stuff, too. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“
I hafta do this?”

“
Yes, you do.”

He rolled his necktie up to the middle of his chest, and then let it drop. “What’s his name again? Mo-what?”

“
Molinsky. Chuck Molinsky.”

“
I can’t say that. How about just Chuck?”

“
No first names with grown-ups. You’ll have time to work on it later.”

“
Ok, then, let’s get this over with,” Jack said, opening his car door.

Bobbi sat with her husband on a bench outside the hearing room. Just a hearing, Chuck said, nothing to worry about. Yeah, right. Going to court might be second nature to him, but it intimidated her almost as much as the prospect of seeing Tracy Ravenna.

Mr. Henneke quickly agreed to her request for a personal day, so she spent the morning pacing, fidgeting, and drinking coffee. With her messed up metabolism, coffee always calmed her.

She carried a folded sheet of paper in the left pocket of her blazer. Early this morning, alone in the study, she wrote out Psalm 91 three separate times.

No evil shall befall me. You promised, Lord.

Chuck sat beside her, explaining what would happen with great sweeping hand motions, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the far end of the hall. Any moment that heavy fire door would swing open and Tracy Ravenna would stride through.

She gripped the sheet in her pocket.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” God, you promised.

“
It’s not that formal,” Chuck said. “Today’s just a hearing. Now if Tracy wants to be difficult, then the judge can order a trial, and it’ll be more like what you see on television.”

“
You think she’ll be difficult?”
As if she could be anything else.

“
If she mentions Rita’s stunt, or if she included that in any of her filings, it could get very difficult. Either way though, the paternity shouldn’t be an issue. I’m acknowledging it, and the tests proved it.”

“
How long do you think this is going to take?”

“
Thirty minutes, tops.”

Thirty minutes. Surely, I can live through thirty minutes.

Just then, the door to the conference room opened, and a woman carrying a thick folder in her left hand, extended her right hand to Chuck. Bobbi was a little surprised that she wasn’t wearing a robe, but a navy suit instead. Maybe that was the difference between a hearing and a trial.

“
I’m Judge Margaret Swift, and you are?” she asked with an air of authority and command. Tracy wouldn’t be able to con this judge.

“
Chuck Molinsky, the plaintiff,” he answered, shaking the judge’s hand, “and this is my wife.” Before Bobbi could apologize for having such cold hands, the door to the stairwell opened.

Her breath caught in her throat as she watched Jack Ravenna shuffle through with his mother close behind. Bobbi dropped her eyes and looked away. Chuck took her arm, and ushered her into the hearing room before Tracy could catch up to them.

The clack of Tracy’s heels on the tile floor grew louder, so Bobbi took the seat furthest from the door. Wait and dread gave way to the gut-wrenching reality of facing the woman who nearly destroyed her marriage, and tore her family apart for months.

Lord, You promised to protect us from all snares and evil. This would be a great time to make good on that promise. Please let this be as quick and painless as Chuck says it will be.

Jack Ravenna hopped up in the first seat he came to, and scooted all the way back, but then his feet didn’t touch the floor. He huffed and slid back out to the edge of the chair. Then he noticed the other man and woman in the room.

That ... is my dad? He’s old! Like seventy or something. He’s more like a grandpa. Maybe my dad is still out in the hall somewhere.

He glanced behind him, but when the judge closed the door, he frowned and studied the couple across the room. The guy wore a red-striped tie just like his, except the guy didn’t look like a dope. But he didn’t look like a fireman or a cowboy or a football player or anything cool. Just a guy in a tie. An old guy.

The lady, though, looked nice. He knew her from somewhere, but he couldn’t get a good look at her. The lady never turned her head. She just looked straight at the judge. The guy looked over and smiled at him, but Jack didn’t smile back. He couldn’t smile at a guy he didn’t know, even if it was his dad.

Judge Swift took her seat in the middle of the long table across from the others. A clerk, who had been seated in the corner, stepped up, placed a microphone in front of the judge, and switched it on. The judge opened the folder, and opened the glasses she wore on a chain around her neck and slipped them on.

“
I’ve read all your filings. Mr. Molinsky is acknowledging paternity of Jackson Charles Ravenna. Ms. Ravenna is not contesting, and DNA testing has determined there is a ninety-nine-point-six percent likelihood that Mr. Molinsky is indeed the father. Is this correct?”

The judge looked first at Chuck who answered, “Yes, Your Honor.”

Jack snapped upright in his seat. He didn’t know the guy was gonna talk. He sounded like the principal in his kindergarten school when he said, “Boys, straighten up!”

The judge looked at his mother. She nodded and softly answered, “Yes, Your Honor.” Two yeses. It was official now. The old guy was his dad. Jack slumped back in his chair.

“
All right then,” Judge Swift said. “For now, I’m ordering visitation for Mr. Molinsky alternate weekends, beginning tomorrow, from five p.m. Friday until eight p.m. Sunday evening, and every Wednesday evening from three p.m., or whenever school is finished for the day, until eight p.m.” The judge made some notations on the top sheet in the folder, and then she looked up at Chuck. “You need to build a relationship with your son.”

Chuck squeezed Bobbi’s hand and gave her a sideways grin. He got exactly what he wanted. She, on the other hand, had to figure out a way to explain this all to Shannon tonight.

“
Further,” Judge Swift said, “Ms. Ravenna supports the claim that Mr. Molinsky was not aware of the birth of the child, nor of his existence these last six years. She has not asked for support and from her financial filings, it is clear that she is independently capable of providing for the child.”

Judge Swift closed the folder. “However, Mr. Molinsky, you appear to be a man of some means, and more than willing to accept your responsibility and obligation to your son.” Chuck nodded. “Ms. Ravenna’s refusal of support should not abrogate your responsibility, nor should the child be denied the benefit of that support. Therefore, I am ordering a sum of fourteen thousand dollars per year in back support for the maximum of five years, a total of seventy thousand dollars, to be established in a suitable fund for the boy to be applied to his college education.”

Bobbi choked at the sum. Tracy’s going to get his money after all. She tried to steal a glance at Tracy, but the woman had angled her chair, purposely no doubt, to make that impossible. Chuck, however, didn’t bat an eye.

“
Is this a problem, Mr. Molinsky?”

“
No, Your Honor. I’ll need some time to transfer the funds.”

“
That’s understandable. I’ll say thirty days. Notify the court if that’s not long enough, and we can extend it. Finally,” Judge Swift said, “the court will assign a case manager who will assist you in developing a parenting plan that will address the specifics of your arrangement. As part of that plan, we will work out an equitable amount of monthly support going forward.” She slid a calendar closer. “October eighteenth, I’ll see you back here with the final plan. Any questions?” She looked at Tracy and Chuck giving them a chance to speak. “Nothing? Then if you ladies will excuse us, I would like to speak with Mr. Molinsky and Jackson.”

Bobbi’s jaw dropped. Wait in the hallway alone with Tracy. Chuck didn’t say anything about this. No way. Tracy patted Jack’s knee and eased around his chair. Bobbi waited, running her thumb over the paper in her pocket, as if nothing bad could happen as long as the sheet was there, as long as she had contact with it.

After giving Tracy plenty of time to get out, Bobbi stood to leave. Chuck squeezed Bobbi’s hand and winked. She almost laughed out loud at him. Did he really believe a wink could reassure her? She answered his wink with a glare before she slipped out the door.

Chuck knew that look meant Bobbi would unload on him as soon as he left the hearing room, but honestly, he never anticipated the judge sending her out in the hall with Tracy. Besides, for all her fears, Bobbi was a very strong woman, more than capable of standing up to Tracy.

Since he couldn’t do anything for Bobbi right now, he focused on the little boy in the chair next to him. His son. His son was coming home with him tomorrow night. A lump rose in his throat as Jack looked him in the eye for the first time, but the boy quickly dropped his eyes.

Judge Swift folded her arms and leaned forward on the table. “Now Jackson—”

“
Just Jack,” the boy corrected.

“
All right, just Jack,” the judge said with a smile. “This was quite a surprise to you, wasn’t it? Have you met your dad before?”

“
My mom said my dad was dead. He doesn’t look dead.” Jack nodded toward Chuck.

“
No, he doesn’t. Have you ever spent the night away from your mother, like at a grandparent’s house?”

“
I don’t have any grandparents.” Jack fidgeted with his tie. “Do you think this looks dopey? My mom made me wear it.”

“
No, it’s very appropriate. Jack, do you understand that I ruled that you’ll spend tomorrow night and Saturday night at Mr. Molinsky’s house?”

“
Yeah, I got that part.”

“
If you get homesick, Mr. Molinsky will take you back to your mother immediately, but you need to spend some time with your dad.”