Chapter 23: A New Beginning

NADIA

Mr. Carpenter called and asked if I could meet him at his office because he had some news about my case. As the knight in shining armor that he is, Theo was by my side.

“Your mother is not sober. She was arrested two nights ago for driving under the influence. This is the leverage that we needed to sway the judge to give you guardianship of Nathan,” Mr. Carpenter said.

“I want her parental rights terminated.”

“That’s a bigger battle. Let’s start with guardianship and then terminate her parental rights.”

“What do we need to do?”

“Your court hearing is next week, and I will need you and Nathan to make a statement. Remember, since this is a custody case, there are no jurors, only the judge.”

“What if we lose?” I asked.

“Nathan will be forced to live with your mother.”

“We can’t let that happen.”

“I’ll try my best, but our best defense is Nathan’s statement,” Mr. Carpenter advised.

I ended up leaving Mr. Carpenter’s office feeling a bit defeated. I didn’t understand how my mother even thought she was fit to raise Nathan.

“I’m going to drop you off at your apartment and then head to my place to coordinate with the painters. Is that okay?” Theo asked.

“That’s fine. Will you be over for dinner?”

“I’ll try to make it, but I’m not sure what time the painters will leave.”

I kissed Theo and walked into my apartment complex. I wanted Theo to stay, but I didn’t want to be the needy girlfriend.

I didn’t need to mess things up again. Nathan was still at Jay’s, so I was taking this time to relax and write.

I owed Bill an article this week, and it was an opinion article, and I had written about my path to guardianship over Nathan. My goal with this was to open an alternative path of writing and to expand our readership.

If people liked to follow stories like this on social media, then it should take off in print…hopefully.

I was deep in my article when Nathan came through the door telling me he didn’t feel well. I took one look at him and knew he felt bad.

His face was pale, and he looked tired.

“How long have you been feeling bad?” I asked.

“All day. I thought it would pass, but it’s gotten worse.”

I touched his forehead with my forearm, and it felt like he was running a fever. He didn’t normally have a fever during his flare-ups, so this might be something different.

“Go lie down and I’ll get you some medicine.”

I got the medicine and water and brought them to Nathan. He was already lying in bed, buried under his covers.

“What are your symptoms?”

“My head and body hurt.”

“You have a headache?”

“Kind of. It’s more of a pounding instead of sharp pain.”

“Take the medicine and I’ll check on you in an hour. Do you need anything?”

He shook his head no before rolling over to face the opposite direction.

I texted Theo to let him know I was no longer cooking and asked if he would bring dinner when he came over. I checked on Nathan and he seemed to still have a fever; it worried me.

I knew this wasn’t his lupus, and I was going to take him to the doctor in the morning.

***

Theo opened the door. “Hey,” he greeted me.

“I have pizza and soup. How is he doing?”

“He’s still sleeping.”

“Is it a flareup?”

“I don’t think it is. I think he actually has a virus. I’m going to take him to an urgent care clinic tomorrow.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Nope, you brought food, which is a big help. How did the painting go?”

“It went well. They’ll be back to finish the bedrooms. Have you given any thought to moving in with me?”

“I don’t think now is a good time. I would like to be dating longer before we make that kind of commitment.”

“Well, it’s a standing offer, so when you’re ready, I’m ready.”

“Are you staying the night?” I asked.

“I was planning to unless you don’t want me to.”

“I want you to.”

It was the truth. I enjoyed having him around.

I knew that if he stayed over all the time, it would be like we were living together, but it was different. I was more comfortable here, and I had my space here.

Theo brought over some pizza and drinks and sat next to me on the couch.

“How are you feeling? I know today didn’t start out well, and now that Nathan is sick, you must be stressed,” he said.

“I am worried, but it’ll all work out in the end, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.”

“It will. I have faith. You take care of Nathan, and anyone can see that.”

Right now, it only mattered if the judge saw that. It all went by so fast.

The week was filled with taking care of Nathan and Theo. He ended up having a virus that had to run its course, and it did, but somehow Theo caught it, and I didn’t.

I was thankful that they were better and could attend this court hearing.

“All rise for the Honorable Judge Macone.”

The judge was a much older woman, which I didn’t expect. I had it in mind that almost all judges were males.

“This is a custody case. I am not here to determine if you’re guilty of something; I am here to determine what is the best living arrangement for the minor involved.”

She was quiet for a few seconds, looking through the paperwork.

“I’m going to ask a few questions to each side, and then I’ll leave the floor open for personal statements.”

“Ms. Monroe, you’ve shown that you’ve been taking care of your brother for a few years. How did he end up in your care?”

“I had moved out for college, and I kept in touch with my mother to make sure Nathan was being cared for.

“One day she didn’t answer the phone, so I made a quick trip to make sure everything was okay, and I found Nathan home alone in dirty clothes, crying.”

“How old was he?”

“He was about five.”

“Where was Ms. James, your mother?”

“I’m not sure. She didn’t call until a week later, asking if I had seen Nathan.”

“Good job. Stick to the facts,” Mr. Carpenter whispered to me.

“Ms. James, would you agree with what Ms. Monroe stated?”

“Yes, your honor. That was a tough time for me, but since then, I got help. I’m sober now.”

“Your honor, I would like to point out that Ms. James was arrested not too long ago for drinking and driving.”

“I see that in the file, Mr. Carpenter,” the judge said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Ms. James, are you still using drugs?”

“No,” my mother answered.

“Will you submit to a drug test?”

I could see the shock on my mother’s face.

“No. I will not be violated like that,” she argued, which meant we had just caught her in a lie.

This was what Nathan and I needed. We needed proof that she wasn’t sober or fit.

“If you do not submit a drug sample, I have no choice but to believe you are still using.”

“That’s not fair. You’re not asking her to?” she yelled.

“Ms. Monroe, would you be willing to submit a sample?”

“Yes, your honor. I’ll even give it to you today if you want me to,” I said. I didn’t hesitate to answer because I had nothing to hide, and this would give the judge proof that I was better than my mother and better for Nathan.

My mother was glaring at me. She was pissed and close to blowing up, and all I could do was smile at her.

“How often does the minor have contact with Ms. James?” the judge asked.

“According to my client, none,” Mr. Carpenter answered.

“She doesn’t allow me to see him,” my mother tried to argue.

“She has been given chances but only shows up when she needs money, and this is the first time we are seeing her in about a year, your honor,” I quickly stated.

“Where is the father?” the judge asked.

This time my mother answered.

“He left as soon as he found out I was pregnant.”

“Has he had any contact?” the judge asked.

“No,” she said defeatedly.

“Ms. Monroe, you have concerns about your brother living with your mother, but would you allow visitations if you were to have guardianship?” the judge asked.

“Yes. She may lack the skills to be a mother, but she is still our mother, and if she wants visitation, she can have it,” I replied.

“Ms. James, are you willing to get treatment for your alcohol and drug use?” the judge asked.

“I don’t have a problem, so I don’t see why I need to go,” my mother said.

The judge wrote something down before looking at me.

“I was told you wish to make a statement,” the judge said, looking at me.

“I do. Nathan may be biologically my brother; he’s my son. I raised him, I took care of him, and I made sure his basic needs were met,” I said. “He’s an amazing young man who deserves better, which is why I wanted custody. Nathan has lupus, and I’ve been the one to help him get through it when it flared up.

“I’m the one that made sure he had a roof over his head and had food. I was willing to do anything if it meant he’d be all right.”

“Thank you. Now I’m going to ask Nathan to come forward,” the judge said.

Nathan was hesitant about getting up, but he stood and addressed the judge.

“If you got to pick, would you stay with your sister?”

“Yes. I don’t even have to think about it. There are no words to describe how awesome Nadia is. She is always there for me, and she loves me unconditionally.”

“Thank you, Nathan.” The judge paused for a minute as she wrote something down.

“After looking at all the documents and hearing from both parties, I believe it’s in the best interest to award not only guardianship but full legal custody of Nathan James to Nadia Monroe.”

I couldn’t help but let out a joyful sob.

“In order to keep your parental rights, Ms. James, you’ll need to seek treatment for your drug and alcohol abuse and have weekly check-ins with the Department of Child Services. The same goes for Ms. Monroe. To keep custody, you will be required to check in. I’ll set another court date for six months from now to see how everything is going.”

She banged her gavel and immediately walked out.

Theo and Nathan rushed to my side to hug me.

“Does this mean I get to stay with you?” Nathan asked.

“It does. As long as we do what we need to do, it does.”

“I’ll make sure you get the custody paperwork by the end of the week,” Mr. Carpenter said.

“Thank you, Mr. Carpenter. I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

Things were falling into place, and for once, I was looking forward to what the future held.