N9ne: The Tale of Kevin Clearwater (King, #9)(78)

“And how often has that been?” The judge asks, making notes.

“Twice a week, Your Honor. Every Monday and Thursday afternoon after his court-appointed visits with his biological mother.”

“And in your…excuse me, in Huck’s opinion, does he wish to be reunited with his biological mother?”

Nine looks to the scared, frail woman on the other side of the courtroom then back to the judge. “No, Your Honor. His wish is to have his mother relinquish parental rights so he can be adopted by a forever family.”

“Miss De La Vive has presented the court with all of the requirements to be granted custody of her child once again, Mr. Clearwater. Does Huckleberry know this?”

Nine nods. “He does, but he’s also been promised this every few months for his entire life. In addition, he was told by his mother on her infrequent visits that she was going to buy him a pony and take him to Disney World three times a year. The kid doesn’t want the promise of things that will never happen. He’s been there and done that. He wants a family. A reliable, stable family to love him as he deserves to be loved. The current foster family, the Andersons, have filed a petition for custody and adoption if circumstances and Your Honor will allow it.”

“I love my boy!” Huckleberry’s mom stands up and shouts with tears in her eyes. “I do. I love my boy.”

“Permission to speak to Miss De La Vive, Your Honor?” Nine asks.

The judge nods.

Nine looks to the woman with sympathy, but speaks to her plainly and without judgement. It’s an art form to hear him talk like this and I wonder how many hours of practice he’s had. “Ma’am, I mean no disrespect, but I spent my entire life in the system. I know what it’s like to wait for something that’s never coming. Tell me something. Do you have the finances to buy Huck a pony if he were to go home with you today? Can you take him to Disney World as you promised?”

Her shoulders fall. “No, I mean, not right now, but I will do those things when I can. Someday. I swear it. As soon as I get a job. As soon as I make enough money to move out of the shelter.”

Nine’s voice is calm and clear. “Huck doesn’t want any of that. Huck wants to be loved. He wants someone who will cut the crusts off his sandwiches. He wants a comfortable bed to sleep in at night and a mom who will sing him songs until he falls asleep and who will stay up with him when he has nightmares. If the Andersons don’t adopt him, he could be ripped from their care at any time and placed back in the system where most homes aren’t like theirs. He could be subjected to both sexual and physical abuse or worse. Trust me. I’ve lived that life, and I don’t want to see Huck go through it.” He takes a deep breath. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do, ma’am. I wish I had a mother who loved me the way you obviously love your son, but I didn’t. I’m only here to tell you what Huck wants and to speak his wishes to the court.”

“I do love him,” she says again, wiping a tear from her cheek.

“I don’t doubt that ma’am, but love and the life he deserves are two different things.”

“Please have a seat, ma’am,” the judge orders.

She sits, visibly shaking. The judge turns his attention back to Nine. “Mr. Clearwater, before I make my decision, is there anything else you’d like to say on behalf of young Huckleberry?”

“It’s his wish to continue to see his mother. He would want her to be invited to all birthday parties, school events, and holidays. He doesn’t want to shut her out. He just wants stability.”

“Ma’am, how long have you been sober now?” the judge asks the mother.

“Three months, sir, but I had a setback last week. That’s why I didn’t show up for the last visit or the court date. I couldn’t let him see me like that.” She sniffles.

My heart breaks for her and for her son.

“Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, would you agree to allow Miss De La Vive these visitations that young Huckleberry has asked for if I award you guardianship?” the judge asks.

A well-dressed couple in the back of the room stands. “Of course, your honor. Anything he wants. We don’t want to separate a mother and child. We just want to give him a home and would welcome Miss De La Vive to be a part of his life if given the honor of being able to give him a forever home.”

Miss De La Vive looks over to the couple and mouths the words thank you to them. They both nod, and the judge orders them to, once again take a seat.

“In the best interest of the minor child, I’m going to award guardianship to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson with expectations of supervised visitation by the young Huckleberry’s biological mother. This court’s goal is not to tear families apart but to put them back together. However, Miss De La Vive, you haven’t been sober long enough, although both I and the court do appreciate your honesty about your struggles. We will reconvene in six months. We will reevaluate the child’s wishes at that time and Miss De La Vive’s progress. I can’t consider any arrangements for adoption in cases where parental rights have not been relinquished, and since we have a mother in this case who is clearly trying to better herself, we will have to wait and see where we stand in six months.”

The judge picks up the gavel and is about to slam it down when the mother stands again.

“Wait!” she says. She turns to Nine. “If I sign off on my rights, will you promise to make sure that he’s okay, even when I can’t?”