Chapter 11

Jimmy sat at a table in the courtroom next to the lady from Child Services. He looked over at Mrs. Hudson who was sitting alone at another table across the aisle from his. He kept trying to make eye contact with her, but she was sitting on the front edge of her chair with her hands clasped in front of her, staring forward at the judge. The judge sometimes asked her a question which she answered. Other times the questions were directed at the Child Services woman next to him.

Bored, Jimmy looked around the majestic courtroom, at the dark wood walls and railings. Tilting his head back, he stared up at the high ceiling with massive chandeliers giving off a yellowish light. His eyes moved from one clerk to the next and then landed on the judge’s big mahogany desk which sat atop a platform higher than everything else. Like a king’s throne. Except the judge was a lady so it would be a queen’s throne.

Jimmy glanced at the woman sitting next to him from Child Services. Her brown skin contrasted greatly with her white-gray kinky hair. The navy-blue skirt suit she wore was neatly pressed, but the cuffs were frayed. Some typed pages, along with a few hand-written notes, were spread out in front of her.

Jimmy twisted around to look over his shoulder. Not a seat was occupied on the other side of the railing. Turning forward, he slid down in his chair with his legs straight out and resting on his heels. His chin dug into his chest as he tapped his fingers on his thighs. No one had told him why he was there. The judge had asked him a few questions about Mrs. Hudson, but he was mostly left out of what was going on and wasn’t really listening. He feared that Mrs. Hudson was in trouble for what happened to his father. There was a lull in the proceedings and the courtroom had been silent for a considerable time while the judge read papers on her desk.

Jimmy’s head popped up when the judge finally spoke.

“Mrs. Hudson,” the judge said after looking up from her papers, “our main concern is for the child. We have checked and there are no living relatives so our choice is to put Jimmy up for adoption.” The judge looked at Jimmy and said solemnly, mostly to herself, “It’s not often a fourteen-year-old gets adopted.” Then she turned back to Gail. “We’ve interviewed the boy and he wants to live with you. You are financially sound and have raised your own child well so I don’t see any reason for this Court not to honor your request to adopt Jimmy.”

“Woopie!” Gail shouted, jumping to her feet with a raised fist.

The judge chuckled. “I guess we made the right decision.”

Gail ran to the other table and pulled Jimmy to his feet. She hugged him to her body so tight he thought he’d be crushed. Finally, she released him and turned to the judge.

“Can I take him home now?”

The judge looked at the Child Services officer who nodded. She turned back to Gail and said, “With the Court’s wholehearted blessing.”

Gail signed the appropriate papers and was given, among other things, the key to Jimmy’s old house. She drove there and stood on the front porch. Looking at Jimmy, she saw him staring at his feet. With a trembling hand, Gail ripped the yellow “do not cross” police tape from the door and crumpled it into a small ball in her tightly clenched fist. Nervously, she opened the door and placed a hand on Jimmy’s back and nudged him. The two entered the eerily quiet house. They walked past the living room, pausing momentarily to look at the dark stain on the carpet where Jimmy’s father had died.

“Where’s your father’s camera?” Gail asked.

Jimmy led her to the master bedroom and opened the closet door. On his tiptoes, he stretched until his fingertips touched a box on the top shelf and moved it around before it came crashing down. The lid popped off and the contents spilled onto the floor. Among them was the camera.

Gail picked it up and turned it on. She looked at the pictures on the memory card, surprised to see the woman who had tormented her the night Mr. Young died. The woman was in various stages of undress doing obscene things. Evidently there was more to the deal than just sex. When Gail came to a picture of the woman with Mr. Young’s dick in her mouth, looking up at the camera with a drunken gaze, she shivered and turned the camera off. Dropping it into her pocketbook, Gail turned to Jimmy.

“Where’s the computer?”

Jimmy took her hand and led her to the den. She powered on the computer and waited for it to boot. Then she searched the folders until she saw one called “Hudson.” Opening it, she saw the pictures Mr. Young had used to blackmail her. She deleted the folder and turned off the computer knowing she would wipe out the entire hard drive when she had the time.

They packed a few of Jimmy’s things and Gail took him to her home—now his home too—and was overcome with joy when Bobby hugged his best friend. They ran off to play, leaving Gail in the kitchen. She let out a deep sigh. A huge weight had been lifted.

The three spent a glorious day together as a family and then Gail informed the two boys that it was time for bed.

“Is Jimmy gonna sleep with me?” Bobby asked, excitedly.

“No, hon, the guest room is now his room.”

“But why can’t he be with me? Why can’t he sleep in my room?”

“Bobby, you only have one bed and the room isn’t big enough for two. Jimmy will have his own room.”

“That’s not fair. I want him to sleep with me.”

“Bobby, Jimmy is not your plaything. He’s your new brother. You’ll have a lot of time together, but you will each have your own room.”

Bobby pouted and waited for Jimmy to back him up, but Jimmy remained silent.

Gail watched television while the two boys got ready for bed. Then she went to Bobby’s bedroom and again defended her position for the separate rooms. She leaned over and kissed Bobby on the forehead and left. Then she went to Jimmy’s bedroom and found him in bed. There was no argument from him about having his own room which pleased her. Having one teenage son was hard enough and she now wondered if two was going to be too much for her. She walked over to the bed and smiled at her new son. Bending over, she pressed her lips to his forehead but, unlike with Bobby, they lingered there. And then her lips traveled over his nose until they found his mouth. There was no urgency to move away. It wasn’t until the tip of her tongue touched his lips that she abruptly pulled away. She stared down at Jimmy who looked confused, and then she spun on her heel and rushed out of the room.

Gail sat on the couch staring at the TV without seeing it. She turned it off and went to bed with a book. Propped up against the headboard, it had been a while since she had turned a page. A soft knock on the door caused her to place the book on the end table and look up.