Chapter 18

Returning to the courthouse with the two children, Callaway found Barbara Conroy waiting for them along with two other couples. Looking at the two women, the judge saw that one had the same brilliant green eyes and platinum-blonde hair as Andrea Cartwright's while the other was a golden blonde with the most brilliant blue eyes he had ever seen. Clearly these were the children's mothers. The two women dropped to their knees and the children hurled themselves into their arms. The love that flowed between mothers and children was almost palpable in its intensity.

The two women held the children in their arms and stood up. Ken's mother asked, "And what did you two imps do? Were you being good?"

Glancing around the lobby, Callaway saw that they were alone. He said, "They saved my life, Mrs. Clifford, so in return I bought them lunch. As far as your question is concerned, I'll only repeat what the maître d' at my club asked me: 'Who are those two little angels?' The answer is that they were both little angels."

"Oh, Kenny!" Ali Clifford exclaimed, "I'm so proud of you, my son."

Then she smiled at him with the warmest, most brilliant smile John Callaway had ever seen. Clearly this was the sunshine smile Kenny had spoken of. Moreover, his reaction was exactly what he had said: The little boy just shone in the reflected brilliance of his mother's smile and the happiness she was feeling.

Seeing the woman's smile, something came back in the judge's memory. "You're Ali McGrath, aren't you? But ... but you can't be! It was so many years ago when I saw you in Vietnam..."

Still holding the boy in the crook of her left arm, she extended her hand and said, "How do you do, Judge Callaway. Yes, I am — or was — Ali McGrath. It's so good of you to remember me. But what is this nonsense about saving your life?"

Before answering her, Callaway first introduced himself to Andrea's mother who gave the girl a duplicate of Ali's smile. The little girl reacted in exactly the same way Kenny did.

Then he said, "This morning, when I entered the courtroom, I was dying. I had a malignant tumor growing rapidly and spreading at the base of my brain. Your son estimated that I had less than one month to live and possibly less than a week.

"When they asked to see me in my chambers, they explained that they knew I was dying and asked if they could try to help. Since the greatest minds of medical science had long since given me up for dead, I had nothing to lose so, of course, I agreed. At that the two children knelt on the floor, held my hands and Andy said a prayer to God asking for his intercession in my case. As soon as she completed her prayer, I could feel pressure in my skull that has been a constant in my life for months, start to diminish. In moments, it disappeared completely.

"Through the prayers of your two children I believe I have experienced a miracle. But back to the comment I mentioned, my reply was that I think they are, in fact, two angels. I truly believe it. Mrs. Clifford and Mrs. Cartwright, you have been blessed by God with these children."

Before the parents could respond, Andy said, "Mommy and Kenny's Mommy, I think I was bad."

When Connie Cartwright looked at her daughter with a puzzled expression, Andy continued, "You see, I really feel sorry for Kelly Callaway. Mom, she is such a gorgeous woman and she's just like you. You know that I can look into a person's brain and see things sometimes that the person himself is unaware of? Well, that happened this morning.

"You see, the judge has been hearing Kelly crying at night as she just writhes in bed in a frustration of wanting. And she's so good, she's just like Bobbie was: It would never occur to her to get relief through masturbation. She just writhes on her bed in agony."

Turning to Callaway she added, "A number of times she has even come into your room late at night when you were sleeping. Once she was just about to awaken you when you screamed in pain from your tumor."

Then dropping her voice until it was just above a whisper she concluded, "That's why I also prayed silently for God to make you younger and why I suggested that tonight you just kiss Kelly the way you've always wanted to and then just see what happens."

Tears had come to the little girl's eyes as she looked back at her mother and asked, "Will I be punished for what I did, Mommy?"

Connie just shook her head and replied softly, "My darling Andy, if anything happened, God Himself caused it to happen. You only asked. If you're correct, it was God's own plan, so who am I to second-guess the Lord? Right?"

Then she hugged the girl and added, "My darling, I am so pleased and proud that you're learning more about your very special powers and are using them to help others."

Then she introduced her husband, Chip, while Ali introduced Bill. After the introduction Bill said, "Darling, I think the children have been extra-special good today so something special is called for."

With a big grin he said, "The circus is in town, kids. How would you like to go tonight?"

The children were elated at the prospect.

Then the judge's eyes widened as Ali asked Connie, "Daughter, could you spare a tit to feed Kris tonight along with little Charley? I'll have to use the urchins to drain my tits. Could you?"

"Good grief, Mom! What do I look like? A cow?" Connie asked with a grin.

Ali just reached out her hand, gently felt her daughter's milk-swollen breast, and said with a wink, "As a matter of fact, yes!"

Then Chip Cartwright said, "Judge, just before we were married, at Ali's wedding reception, Connie said the most beautiful words I have ever heard. She announced that since she was not going to compete with me in making money — she didn't think she could, but more importantly we can't possibly spend what we already have — she was going to do something I can't possibly do: She was going to make babies.

"Judge, Andy is the result. For a first effort, Connie didn't do too badly, do you think? Of course, she is only the first and Connie really hadn't warmed up yet, but for a first effort... ?"

"Mr. Cartwright, I can only say again: You and your wife, with God's help, brought an angel into the world. You couldn't possibly have done any better."

Then after glancing at his watch he said with a grin, "Now how about if we get this show back on the road?" With the warmest smile at Andy he had ever given anyone he said, "I don't want to be late getting home tonight!"

Returning to his seat on the bench, the bailiff called the court to order. Roberta Kramer was on her feet waiting to address the court as soon as the bailiff concluded his duties. "Your Honor, we went through Mrs. Conroy's little ... charade this morning. That test — such as it was — only tested mere facts. There's far more to education than the rote memorization of facts," she said disdainfully. "There's the need to put those facts to use—"

"Of course, Ms. Kramer," Bobbie interjected. "You mean reasoning ability? Well, I have some questions here that I propose to use this afternoon. I have written them on slips of paper. The court can deal them out to whomever it wishes in whatever order. I estimate that forty-five minutes should be an appropriate length of time to answer each question. Is that fair? You and your colleagues will, of course, participate. It's only right that the court have answers from highly-educated adults such as yourselves to use as a benchmark."

With that she brought up a small stack of little slips and a package of blue answer books that were standard in so many colleges and universities for test-taking.

Again the clerk of the court distributed the questions and the answer books. This time, though, it was the three children being tested against three of the people at the plaintiff's table. Ms. Kramer was one of them. Callaway watched the proceedings with interest, mentally rejoicing at how great he felt for the first time in memory.

The first thing he noted was the children took out fountain pens, carefully read their questions, thought for a few minutes and then began to write swiftly. Mrs. Conroy had left the table and was joined by a number of people — obviously parents — in the hallway. Returning his attention to the table where the children were taking the test, he was fascinated watching them. It almost appeared as if all of their attention was focused on their handwriting rather than on its content. Meanwhile at the state's table, there were apparently problems with the questions themselves.

Ken Clifford was the first one to finish his test. Bringing it up to the judge's bench he whispered so as not to disturb the people still taking the test, "Judge, I want to apologize for my very poor handwriting. I'm really working on it very hard — so are the other kids — but it's still got a long way to go!"

Looking at the boy's test booklet, Callaway was amazed. The script was meticulous and beautiful. "Kenny, this is terrific! I wish I could write nearly as well. What do you mean?"

"But judge, it's terrible! Just look at this," he said passing Callaway the slip of paper on which the question he had answered was written. The handwriting — Bobbie's — was the most beautiful he had ever seen. Before he could say anything, Kenny added, "Please don't say anything to Bobbie — Oops! Mrs. Conroy — judge. It's only so sloppy because she just scribbled the questions out in a hurry. Normally, her handwriting is utterly perfect."

Realizing the little boy was being completely serious he asked, "What do you mean by good handwriting, Ken?"

"Well, sir, Mrs. Conroy demonstrated what she meant one day in class. You see, sir, back during the Civil War period, fine writing was the hallmark of ladies and gentlemen. There were people with handwriting so fine that it was possible for them to write across a piece of paper, then turn it sideways and continue with all the words crossing the ones already written.

"Well, Bobbie wrote a letter that way. Except instead of writing vertically, after the first horizontal page she tilted the paper to the left and wrote with the words intersecting at a forty-five degree angle. When she finished that, she tilted the paper the opposite direction. Now her writing intersected the original at forty-five degrees the opposite way, and the second pass at ninety degrees. When she gave it to us to read, it was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. Reading each way, the writing was so clear and easy to read. It was unbelievable!"

"Can you or any of your friends do that yet?" the judge inquired.

"Karen Chan can do it two ways but not yet three," the boy answered. "I guess that's because she is Oriental. Everything about her is so incredibly graceful and elegant." He grinned and added, "We tease her about being an Oriental midget while she calls us a bunch of Occidental oafs! You know something, Judge? I think she's right. And she is such an incredibly beautiful little doll!"

"Are you going to marry her when you grow up?" the judge teased.

"Oh, no sir!" Ken immediately exclaimed. "I thought it was pretty clear to you, though. I am going to marry Andy."

Then he added softly, "Judge, that's why Andy feels so badly for Kelly. It's something Andy and I both understand completely, except for totally different reasons. You know, sir, it's absolutely terrible to have an adult's needs and desires trapped in a small child's body. All we can do now is wait, but I love her so much!

"You tasted the love in her lips. Can you imagine what I get? It's the same love but at a level of intensity that's multiplied, coupled with pure passion!" With tears in his eyes Ken concluded, "We adore one another. Honest we do."

Callaway had been looking into his eyes while Ken Clifford was speaking and knew instantly that he was hearing the complete truth. These two were incredible people and could, in fact be angels. Certainly they were like no humans of any age he had ever met. Moreover, he had personally experienced some of their extraordinary powers himself that morning.

Ken left the bench and Callaway started to read his test. First, the question: "America's Revolution was fought almost exclusively on land but decided at sea. Explain and discuss." His eyes widened as he realized it was the sort of question one might find on a specialized college history course dealing with the Revolutionary period.

Fascinated, he began to read the little boy's answer. In several comprehensive paragraphs he sketched the sweep of the land war in the Middle Colonies and then in the South. The decisive event, in his opinion, was the defeat of the British fleet off the Chesapeake Capes by the French under de Grasse and d'Estaing. With Admirals Graves and Hood unable either to resupply Cornwallis at Yorktown or evacuate him, the general was forced to surrender.

Finishing the test booklet, Callaway let out a soft whistle. The paper was, in his opinion, perfect. It was carefully presented and beautifully reasoned and supported. He found a red pencil in his drawer and carefully wrote A+ on the cover.

When Casey Jackson brought up her paper and gave it to him with a shy smile, he smiled back. The girl quickly retreated to look for her parents while he opened her test. Her question: "A British senior officer serving with Cornwallis in the South wrote in a letter home, 'If we win one more battle like that one, we shall surely lose the war.' Explain and discuss."

Intrigued, he opened the small girl's test paper. Her handwriting was as beautiful as Ken's but even neater in a charmingly feminine way. He began to read how Cornwallis had moved out of his base at Charleston, South Carolina, with his force in an attempt to wipe out the Continental forces in the South. He read how the British had "won" first at Cowpens, and later at Guilford Courthouse — the battle that was referred to in the British officer's letter. In each case "winning" was defined as being in possession of the field of battle at its conclusion, but also in each case Cornwallis sustained frightening and unaffordable losses of manpower.

Meanwhile, a Tory force under Major Ferguson encountered Ike Shelby, John Sevier, and the over-mountain men. A British effort to rouse the Indians against the over-mountain settlers had backfired. The aroused colonials, who until then had been sympathetic to the Revolution but essentially uncommitted, moved east over the mountains and wiped out Ferguson and his Tory troops at King's Mountain exposing Cornwallis's left flank.

At the same time guerrillas under Francis Marion had interdicted his supply columns coming up from Charleston so he was faced with the choice of either returning to his base or cutting himself off and relying on total victory. When his cavalry force under Col. Banastre Tarleton was destroyed by Light Horse Harry Lee's troopers, his movements became a full-bore retreat which ended at Yorktown.