Counting by 7s(68)

Mai took that to be a good sign.





Chapter 60





Family court has its own area on the second floor of City Hall.

I could ask a million questions about what will happen next, but I’ve decided that I’m going to go where the wind takes me.

And it’s gusting outside, so if that’s any indicator, maybe I’ll be blown far.

Lenore knows her way around this place and a lot of people say hello. She keeps her hand on my shoulder, which is a nice touch.

She says that she will be there for me.

I’m taken into a waiting area.

They don’t have kids sit in the main room, and that makes sense.

I see a little boy come in and he’s crying. He’s small. He looks like he’s only six or 7 years old.

A man picks him up and whispers in the boy’s ear, but he keeps crying.

I’m glad I can’t hear what is being said.



I think that waiting is the hardest part.

I’m okay with it, though, because it’s not like I’m rushing to get somewhere.

Lenore leaves the room and I realize now that I could run away.

I could just walk out the door and keep going.

But I don’t do that. And not just because I’m tired.

I have given in.

But that’s different from giving up.



After a long time, a woman appears and says that it’s my turn to see the judge.

I don’t know what happened to Lenore, and I feel like I should wait for her.

But the woman says that Lenore’s dealing with something unexpected.

I just shrug.

I think that everything Lenore deals with is unexpected.

I follow the new woman in charge down the hall, and we turn and enter what is the judge’s chamber.

I guess saying judge’s office doesn’t sound as powerful.

And that’s when I see them.

They are standing.

Dell has on a suit, which is pretty tight.

Next to him on one side is Quang-ha.

On the other is Pattie.

At Pattie’s elbow is Jairo. He also wears a suit, so I almost don’t recognize him.

And in front, holding a big bunch of tulips, is Mai.

They are all smiling.

I don’t say anything. And I don’t move. I am completely still.

I know how to do that.

At the desk, a woman gets to her feet. She is wearing what I guess is a judge’s robe, but it looks like a choir outfit. I don’t even blink as she says: “Willow, I’m Judge Biederman. And I think that you know these people.”

I’m not sure what to do.

I realize that tears are flooding my eyes, but I’m not crying. I’m just drippy.

I don’t know what any of this means.

The judge continues:

“There has been a formal request made today to the court for your guardianship. In a motion filed by Mr. Jairo Hernandez and Ms. Dung Nguyen—”

Pattie interrupts the judge:

“It’s Pattie.”

Judge Biederman continues, but I don’t think people break in on her very often, because her nose wrinkles up.

“Mr. Hernandez and Ms. Pattie Nguyen are seeking this custody agreement as partners . . .”

I don’t hear anything after that.

I don’t need to.

I know that Lenore comes into the room.

And at some point she has her arm around me. I sink into a chair and I bury my face into my red hat and I’m not sure if I’m laughing or crying.

I hear Mai’s voice.

“It’s going to be all right now. Don’t cry, Willow.”

I answer in Vietnamese:



Which means:

“It’s more than all right.”



Pattie and Jairo aren’t getting married or anything like that.

But they are in some kind of a relationship, which looks to me like more than just friends.

We find out that Pattie hasn’t been working late all the time.

She and Jairo have been going to dinner and even to a few movies, and once to a poetry reading at Bakersfield College.

We all have the same look on our faces when we hear this piece of news.

Quang-ha (of course) is the one who says:

“Poetry reading? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Dell wanted to go for guardianship too, but he’s pretty much broke—even though I recently put his accounts on autopay to help straighten out some of his finances—so he doesn’t qualify.

Jairo has some cash in his account (from his prize), but the real discovery is that Pattie is some kind of hoarder.

While Dell spent years piling up plastic plates, Pattie was stacking money.

She hid this from everyone, but now that the court needs to review all of her financial documents, she has to admit that she’s got, as Quang-ha says, “crazy mad money.”

I’m not supposed to see any of this, but Pattie and Jairo didn’t follow any of the correct procedures and that means that Lenore has to bring out the paperwork while I’m in the room.

Judge Biederman says that she is going to overlook all of the red tape for now.

I can see that Pattie likes the idea of red tape.

Obviously because of her attachment to the color.