Chapter 10

Charley’s turn:

How’s that saying go? Waiting is the hardest part? It never rang truer than that Thursday morning. It had to be worse for Claire, though — depending on how things went, she could end up living with her mother in Tacoma, with all the danger that would entail. I couldn’t do much to change that before the hearing, but I could at least be there for her, so I took the day off and went next door to spend the hours before we went to the courthouse supporting my sweetie.

“How’re you holding up, love,” I asked her when I saw her sitting on the sofa.

“I’m so afraid. I don’t want to lose you!”

“I’m worried, too. Mostly, I’m worried about your safety. I promise that as long as you’re safe, we’ll find a way to be together.” I sat with her, then had her lie down with her head in my lap while I petted her hair. Doing that seldom took long to calm her, but this time it was more than fifteen minutes before she loosened up.

When she felt better, we had some breakfast, then all four of us gathered in the living room to discuss how we wanted to approach the meeting with Judge Smith. We agreed the priority was keeping Claire safe by ensuring she wouldn’t be returned to her mother — as long as she was safe, we’d make it work. We also took some time to ensure we knew what we each wanted to say, and how we’d present it if given the opportunity. The attorney had caught us off guard, but if we got another chance to make our case for waiving the age limit, we’d be as ready as possible.

After an early lunch, I headed home to get dressed for the hearing. I chose an ensemble that I normally used when meeting new clients — a dark blue skirt with matching jacket, a simple fitted blouse, and low heels. When I went next door, Claire was wearing a nice, conservative dress with flats.

Mrs. Whitson took charge when we met outside the judge’s chambers.

“I think we have a good chance here, but it’s still not a sure thing. For this hearing, please remember to always address Judge Smith as ‘Your Honor.’ She’ll be asking each of you some questions. She’s very sharp, so please answer as honestly and completely as you can.

“I made the decision to not alert Judge Smith to Claire’s engagement. This gave her time to consider other possible ways of keeping Claire away from her mother. I believe she would have contacted me already if she had come up with something solid in that regard. She’s a busy person, and it might have allowed us to skip this hearing.”

Turning to Claire, she said, “She will probably have you recount the rape and all that followed again. I’m sorry, I know that it’s hard for you to talk about, but I feel your story will move her.”

There was a touch of worry in her eyes when she addressed me. “Miss Black, the only reason we’re having this hearing is that everything you both said when we spoke before rang true. As I said, though, Judge Smith is very sharp, so I hope you’re as convincing today. Expect to be grilled if she sees anything untoward in your relationship with Claire. I don’t think it will happen, but it’s possible, and the biggest risk I see in bringing this to her attention.”

I nodded my acknowledgement, then noticed Claire starting to get agitated. Taking her hand, I said, “Don’t worry about me, sweetie, I’ll be fine. Let’s concentrate on keeping you safe and away from your mother. Okay?”

I gave her hand another squeeze just before we were called into the judge’s chambers.

“Ladies, Mr. Lewis, counsel requested this hearing to consider custody issues regarding Miss Claire Lewis, a fifteen-year-old girl currently living with her maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis,” the judge said after our attorney had done the introductions. “Counselor, I’ve familiarized myself with the case file, but please fill me in on any additional background that you feel is germane.”

Mrs. Whitson did so, noting the questionable work by the Tacoma police during and after Sally’s arrest. Then she highlighted Claire’s stellar academic accomplishments, and the fact that the district had no record of her mother ever attending a parent-teacher conference or other similar function. After that, she explained that Claire had her own story to tell of the events leading up to the hearing.

Turning to Claire, the judge said, “Please tell me, in your own words, what has brought you to this hearing.”

Claire spoke first of what it was like growing up as the daughter of a stripper, then about how she came to realize that her mother also engaged in prostitution. Then, in fits and starts, she recounted the rape and her mother’s efforts to cover it up. Finally, she explained how she arranged to have her mother arrested, and her unease with the actions of the police officer who questioned her.

She summed it up by saying, “Your honor, the months since I came to live with Grandma and Grandpa are the best I’ve ever known. If there’s any way to avoid it, please don’t let my mother take me away from here! I don’t understand why she wants me back, but I don’t think it’s because she loves me.”

By the time Claire finished, the judge was visibly upset. She took a moment to regain her composure, then turned to Mrs. Whitson. “I can certainly understand why you wish the court to act, counselor, but there are complications. Foremost of these is that the custody order was issued in Pierce County, so any adjustments or renewal will need to be handled there. I’m curious as to why you wish to involve this court, and what you feel it can do that would not be better dealt with in Pierce County?”

“I understand about the custody order, your honor, and we’re prepared to fight it in Pierce County if necessary. After interviewing Miss Lewis, though, I believe there’s a much better solution, one that could not later be challenged based on Sally Lewis’ apparent parental fitness.

“Your honor, Claire Lewis is engaged to be married, and has been since this summer. She and her fiancée, Miss Black, plan to marry as soon as she turns seventeen. Having spoken with both of these young women, I believe that allowing them to wed now would be the best long-term resolution to this case, mooting all considerations of custody. At that point, I believe Miss Lewis will also meet all the criteria for emancipation, so we’d like to do that as well, giving her control of her own future.”

I was expecting a hostile look after that revelation, and I wasn’t disappointed. I didn’t have any trouble accepting it, but I knew that we hadn’t done anything wrong so it was easy to stay calm. Well, as calm as I could manage given how important this hearing was.

When she turned back to Claire, Judge Smith still appeared skeptical. “Miss Lewis, your wishes and wellbeing are paramount here. Waivers of the minimum age for marriage are rare, as well they should be. While allowing you to wed would solve the immediate issue, it would be an extreme solution. I will only consider it if I’m convinced that you are fully invested in this relationship, and that you are mature enough to make such a decision rationally. Now, please, tell me what led to your engagement to Miss Black.”

I smiled as Claire recounted our initial meeting in her grandparents’ backyard, and the attraction she felt towards me. Her take on those first days reminded me of my own feelings, of falling in love and finally letting myself accept it. Then she told her side of that Saturday.

“Your honor, I knew I loved her, but I was afraid that when Charley found out that I’d been raped, she wouldn’t want anything to do with me. I’ve done a lot of reading, and stories about rape victims being treated as soiled by loved ones are common. I was afraid Charley would see me that way. She said that was absolutely not the case, but that as much as she loved me, in the eyes of the law, if she touched me, she’d be a criminal, and no better than the one who raped me.

“Um, your honor, I’m getting better now, but, as you might imagine, I’m still dealing with issues left over from the rape and my mother’s actions afterward. That day I was feeling very fragile. I just knew that the love and comfort of her arms could help hold me together, and she wasn’t willing to touch me! The woman I loved was withholding the closeness I so badly needed.”

She took a moment to compose herself and wipe her eyes, then continued. “Insecurities still plague me, and my therapist says they may do so for years. They were worse back then. They whispered in my ear, saying that she was rejecting me. They told me that now that she knew I’d been raped, she really didn’t want to touch me — my age just provided her with a convenient excuse.

“Instead, she proved, at least to me, that she did want me, but only when we can legally be together. She went to one knee and proposed, right there in front of Grandma and Grandpa. When they approved, we walked downtown and picked out wedding sets. We’ve each worn our engagement rings ever since.” When she held out her hand to show her ring, I found myself fiddling with mine, remembering the initial thrill of sliding the ring on her finger, and how I felt when we held them up together for the first time.

Claire then said, “It’s been hard being around each other without getting carried away, but before proposing, Charley asked me if I loved her enough to not put her in the position of being a considered a criminal by the authorities.

“Your honor, I had to dig down deep before I answered her. I needed to get past those insecurities and my immediate needs. Once I did that, once I focused, not just on myself, but also on the woman I love and her needs, I understood that I do love her that much, and I’m mature enough to wait.

“When I told her that, she showed how much she trusted me and my commitment to her. She trusted me enough to propose, even knowing we needed to wait for more than two years. She entrusted her heart to me that day. I will not betray her trust. If there’s another way to be certain of keeping me out of my mother’s clutches, then I swear I will continue to earn Charley’s trust, every day, until we can legally be together.” She stopped and drew a breath, then turned toward me and said, “But I’d like nothing in the world more than to marry this wonderful woman.”

It took a real effort to not cry, seeing the love in her eyes.

The judge was silent for a moment. When she turned to me this time, her look was no longer hostile, but appraising. “Miss Black, please tell me the story from your perspective.”

“Your honor, Bill and Terri Lewis are among my closest friends. Several years ago, I told my parents that I’m a lesbian. They disowned me, cutting off all contact. We’d always been a close family, but now I found myself adrift. When I decided I needed to move away from the area I’d known all my life, and the memories it held, I ended up moving next door to Bill and Terri. They were open and accepting of me, soon becoming my surrogate parents.

“When I first met Claire, she said that since her grandparents were raising her, they were acting as her parents. So, if they were my parents as well, we must be sisters of a sort. I think that’s when I started falling in love with her. That feeling surprised to me, since all of my other relationships have been with older women. It also unnerved me. What it didn’t do, was diminish with time. Instead, my feelings for her got stronger as we spent more time together in the following days.” I couldn’t help but smile at the memories of those days, and of fighting my growing feelings for her.

“When she told me about the rape, it was easy to see that she was afraid that I’d reject her. Instead, it made me feel more loving and protective of her. There was a problem, though. I would have been considered a child molester, perhaps even a rapist, if I’d shown her how much I loved her in the manner we both wanted.

“Your honor, my father was a California Highway Patrolman. When I was growing up, he explained why we have laws and his reasoning continues to resonate with me today — in a very real way, laws, and our willingness to abide by them, allow our civilization to exist.

“I like the world in which we live, so I feel that it’s only right that I do my part to maintain it. I will not knowingly break the law, even minor laws like speed limits, unless there is an overriding need, most likely dealing with safety. That’s how I was raised, and it’s always stood me in good stead. All of that is to say that I couldn’t make love to Claire because to do so would compromise my beliefs.

“I could see, though, that Claire needed more than just words. She needed to believe how much I loved her and how strongly I was committed to her. When she assured me that she loved me enough to wait for me, I couldn’t do any less for her, so I asked her to marry me when we could do so legally. I hoped that my promise — as symbolized by the rings we both wear — would convince her I wanted her and would be there for her.

“As she said, if there’s another way to ensure her safety until she’s of age, then that’s fine with us — we’ll continue as we have been. But, your honor, she’s the owner of my heart, and I’m dearly looking forward to our wedding day.”

Turning to Bill and Terri, the judge said, “Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, what do you think of this relationship between your granddaughter and Miss Black?”