Chapter 4

“Call your next witness, please,” the Chair pressed Amy Tolliver, a satisfied look on her face due to the foursome that took place earlier.

“Call Andrea Gillam,” Amy smirked.

“Call Andrea Gillam to the stand,” the Chair summoned Allen’s date from the double date with Sidney Terranova.

Andrea walked into the chamber in full Goth cosplay, quite impressive in fact. She laughed as she looked at Sidney and Allen both, rolling her eyes.

“Name and relationship to the respondent?” Amy asked Andrea now. ]

“We had one date. I don’t think that really qualifies as a relationship, particularly with a panty waste like him. He was such a wuss! Never made a single forward move with me. Blame those postmodern assholes with their confusing messages about consent and sexual aggression. They really fucked society over for a while there. No wonder the population dropped so radically. Trust me, this guy’s a wimp, plain and simple! A waste of good Y chromosomes, rather short on testosterone, if you ask me,” Andrea snorted disdainfully.

“So, he was too cautious with you?” Amy asked for clarity’s sake.

“By half! But yes, far too... ‘cautious,’ as you put it. Like a wimp! Dude’s the fucking poster boy for castration and its benefits to society!” Andrea sneered at Allen with utter contempt.

“I see,” Amy wrote something down for some reason, even as Allen sweated bucket in response to her testimony.

“Is there anything else for this witness?” the Chairman asked Amy.

“Yes. Did you notice any ... similarities between Mr. Gordon and Mx. Terranova?” Amy questioned Andrea.

“Yes. Quite a few, in fact. The only difference, that I can see, is that Mr. Gordon at least dominated and topped with Mx. Terranova. Both are candidates for orchiectomy. It’s just that Mx. Terranova was so obvious about the need for emasculation that even they didn’t fight it. At least I understand them better. They’re not in denial,” Andrea coughed.

“Anything further?” the Chairman inquired of Amy.

“None at all. I’m satisfied with what I learned from her. You may excuse her,” Amy informed the Chairman, only adding to Allen’s fear and mistrust again.

Amy winked at him as Andrea departed, but he didn’t return her gesture, his eyes staring at the floor again.

“Please call your next witness, Ms. Tolliver,” the Chairman turned to Amy again.

“I call Julianne Williams,” Amy stated the name of Sidney’s date from the double date, a rather sweet and geeky librarian.

“Call Julianne Williams to the stand,” the Chairman commanded.

Julianne looked at Allen with a bit of sympathy as she stared at him from the stand.

“Mrs. Williams, what is the nature of your relationship with the respondent?” Amy asked her now.

“I ... I was having an affair with Sidney Terranova ... behind my husband’s back at the time. I since then reconciled with my husband, partly because I realized that Sidney was so into Allen. I was convinced that I’d have to share Sidney with Allen, something that has since been confirmed by testimony in this court about their tryst.

“I ... know that sounds ... hypocritical, but the whole reason that I was unfaithful to my husband was that I had to share him with his secretary and I wanted some payback for that. I also hoped that I would have Sidney all to myself. I believed that I could start fresh with them. A clean slate. That was clearly not to be. I will say that the way that Sidney and Allen behaved, Sidney was more into Allen than vice versa,” Julianne stipulated.

“And just who was ... Allen into, then?” Amy cornered her now.

“Andrea. But in vain. Guy couldn’t take a hint about her disinterest, which I could see a mile away. Look, he’s shy, he’s awkward, he has trouble reading female mating signals or whatever, but he’s no wimp. He’s just a bit lonely and bashful, unsure of himself, that’s all that’s wrong with him. He’s still a dude. Trust me on that,” Julianne nervously rambled.

“I see. Well, that will be all,” Amy told her, “I’m done with this witness.”

“That will be all, Mrs. Williams. Thank you for your testimony. You’re excused,” the Chairman stated, “Ms. Tolliver, are you ready for the next witness?”

“Yes, sir. Call Jordan Stearns,” Amy announced.

“Call Jordan Stearns to the stand,” the Chairman now called upon Allen’s guidance counselor from high school to testify.

As far as Allen knew, Jordan was a lesbian, so what did her opinion of him matter, anyway?

“Ms. Stearns, what is the nature of your relationship with Mr. Gordon?” Amy led with their connection, as always.

“I was his ... guidance counselor in high school,” Jordan explained for the record.

“And what would be your impression of Mr. Gordon?” Amy continued.

“He was ... timid. Shy. Nervous. Talented in some areas. Certainly intelligent. Hard-working. Studious. Just very lacking in confidence. Yet he asked me to the prom when he had no one else, so he must have liked me. I had to decline because he was a student, but also because I’m gay. Even so. It was rather flattering, especially after the end of a bad relationship with my ex-girlfriend,” Jordan smiled shyly with more than a little empathy for the guy.