Taming Corky

Four

Authors note: this chapter contains mature language.

             It is 8 o'clock in the morning, and Izabella and I are sitting in the courtroom, surrounded by my bar family and my lawyer. Laurie was right. The lawyers representing the Smith family did not expect the overwhelming support I have received. Their eyes widened when we walked in with everyone behind us.
         I am seated at the front of the courtroom, waiting for the judge to enter. My lawyer and I are going over the details of the case. "They are going to argue that you are unfit because you used to be a prostitute," my lawyer explains.
     "That's the key word, isn't it? Used to be. I am a reformed prostitute, which means I am no longer involved in that lifestyle. So why would they waste their time with that? By the time Izabella came to me, I was already working as a bartender and attending college," I respond.
    "That's right. So when the judge asks you, tell him everything you just told me," my lawyer advises.
    Just then, the bailiff comes out and calls us all to stand for the judge. Judge James Marshall. Once he instructs us to be seated, he wastes no time in getting into the case.
   "Laurie, please present your case," the judge instructs my lawyer. She stands up and begins explaining the details of my case to the judge.
   "So, your honor, the plaintiff only expressed interest in the child after she had already formed a bond with Ms. Sullivan. Miss Izabella Smith has repeatedly stated that she wants nothing to do with the grandparents, who had no interest in her for many years."
    It is now the other lawyer's turn to present his case, and he paints a negative picture of me. From leaving home at 16 to becoming involved in prostitution at 18. He conveniently leaves out the fact that I am now a bartender and a college student. By the time he is done, I am portrayed as a monster.
    A minute later, Izabella is called up to the witness stand. "Is that a good idea? She's so young," I express my concern to my lawyer.
  "She's your best choice," my lawyer reassures me, and I decide to trust her judgment.
  "Miss. Izabella- "
  "It's Bella," she says in her unenthused voice.
  "I apologize, Miss Bella. Can you please provide some details about your experiences over the past few years?" asks the Smith family's lawyer, unaware of the impact his question will have. Bella has been waiting for this moment for a long time.
   "Yes, I will tell you what I have gone through," Bella clears her throat and begins. "When I was a baby, my father was killed by a man named Martin Denver because he didn't pay a debt. As a result, my mother was forced into prostitution to repay the debt, and I was taken in by Martin as a punishment for my mother. Over the years, my mother befriended Martin in order to strike a deal. She wanted me to be able to live with one set of grandparents, away from Martin for good. Eventually, he agreed, and my mother called my grandparents to arrange it. She called her parents first, but they couldn't take on any more responsibilities due to my granddad's illness. However, when she called my father's parents, they refused to take care of me, stating that it was not their responsibility to raise their grandchild. After my mother passed away, my grandparents and other relatives were asked to care for me, but they declined. So what is their reason now? They were concerned that Corky, who is willing to take care of me, would receive money that they believe should be theirs. However, Corky doesn't need the money as she has her own and will soon have a good job. The money my mother had saved for me will be used for my college education."
      We are all left speechless at this point, and the judge informs us that she will return with her verdict in about an hour, allowing us to take a lunch break.
     An hour later, we reconvene in the courtroom, waiting for the judge to announce her decision. She enters the room about fifteen minutes later, and we all take our seats.
    "Miss Bella, could you please come up to the front?" the judge requests.
Bella confidently approaches and stands tall. "Yes, Ma'am," she responds.
    The Judge addresses Bella, having reviewed everyone's statements. She acknowledges that Bella has been through a lot at such a young age and now finds herself caught in the middle of a dispute between adults. The Judge proposes a solution: Bella can live with Ms. Sullivan full-time as she requested, but she will also have the opportunity to spend every other weekend with her grandparents and half a day with them on holidays. This way, Bella can get to know her extended family. The Judge asks Bella if this arrangement sounds good to her, and Bella expresses her excitement. "Yes, Judge, this is okay with me," Bella replies, turning to smile at me. I can't help but smile back.
    The Judge adjourns the court session, and we all begin to leave. Bella rushes towards me, embracing me tightly.
    "Let's go home, kiddo," I tell her, and we walk out the door together.
                                                            💋
      Bella is spending the night at her grandparents' house for the first time, so I'm working at the bar. I don't like being alone in that house, so I decided to work instead. Dean and his police friends are at the bar tonight, so I personally deliver their drinks. "Hello guys, how are you doing?" I say politely.
    "Well, it would be better if you handed us our drinks, whore," Dude-drop tells me and gets hit in the back of the head. "I've told you not to call her that," Dean warns him.
    "Sorry Corky. The night is going great," the asshole says. I ignore his sarcasm and continue.
    I go back to the bar and start cleaning up a bit. "So, Corky, are you and that cop finally together?" Gordon asks me.
   "What cop?" I pretend not to know.
   "Girl, you know exactly which cop I'm talking about," Gordon smiles at me. I smile back. "Not yet Gordon... not yet," I tell him, then look over at Dean.
    Dean looks up at me and smiles. Then he gets up and walks to the bar. "So, Corky, I heard you're all alone tonight?"
   "You heard right," I tell him. "Good, you can come home with me tonight," he tells me straightforwardly.
   "Can I now?" I ask him.
   I know as well as he does that we can play this cat-and-mouse game all day, but I'll probably end up at Dean's house in his bed.
  "I'll see you tonight after your shift," Dean tells me, then goes back to the other guys.
   "Now tell me again how there's nothing going on between you and the cop," Gordon teases me.
    I stick my tongue out at him and move on to my next customer. "What can I get you, sugar?"
   "Jack and coke," the man tells me, and I swear I recognize him from somewhere. I shake it off and get him his Jack and coke as requested.
When I return the item to him, he expresses his gratitude, and as I start to walk away, he stops me with a comment. "So, I hear you're studying to become a teacher," he says. I freeze in my tracks. "Excuse me?"
    "Come on, Elizebeth Hooks, you can't tell me you don't know who I am. Hell, I look just like you." I haven't heard that name since I was sixteen. I changed my name to Corky Sullivan the moment I started having to interact with people. I didn't want my parents to change their minds and try to bring me back to that house, where other creeps could sneak into my room.
    "The guy in front of me is too young to be my father. Fuck! Archie?"
   "It's me, little sister," he says, smiling at me. "What do you want?" I ask him.
   "I just came to see how you were doing after everything that happened to you last month, and I couldn't just stand back and watch you from afar this time. I wanted to talk to my little sister and finally get to know her. My biggest regret all these years was not following you out that door and facing this world with you."
   "Now, Archie, why would you do that? You would lose out on all the money and your father's company. You went to work for dad, didn't you?"
   "Yeah, I did, just like he wanted. But Elizebeth, I'm not as strong as you, and it doesn't help that I have a family to support now."
   "It's Corky. I haven't been called Elizebeth in years. So, I have a niece or nephew now? How old?" I ask him. I don't know why I'm entertaining him, but deep down, I know it wasn't his fault, and my brother and I were very close growing up.
   "You do. I have a daughter. She is two, and I married Emily Cooper." I look at him in shock. "My best friend from childhood?"
   "Yes, when you were kicked out, we both searched for you for weeks, but you disappeared, and then we grew closer, and, well, you know the rest."
   "How did you find me now, Archie?"
  "I discovered you around a year ago, but I was too afraid to approach you. You were out on the streets, doing your thing, and I..." He pauses.
  "You didn't want anyone you knew to see you talking to a sex worker, in case it got back to your father and ruined your career. He would do anything to undermine his own children. Good old dad," I say sarcastically.
   "Exactly," Archie agrees. "Well, I have to get back to work, but maybe we can meet up tomorrow and grab a bite to eat. I have Sundays off since I work at a bar," I suggest. He chuckles and remarks, "You haven't lost your sense of humor, I see."
    "Nope," I reply, walking away with a smile on my face. I've really missed my brother. It's been so long that I almost forgot I had one. How messed up is that?
    The night gets busy and I become engrossed in serving customers until it's time to clean up and go home. As I'm heading towards my car, I hear someone calling my name. I turn around and see Dean approaching me.
    "Well, Mr. Dean Adams, what can I do for you at this late hour?" I ask.
    "For starters, you can tell me who that was you were talking to at the bar earlier," he demands, leaning against my car.
    "Oh, Dean, do you have a jealous streak?" I tease. He steps closer, trapping me between his body and my car. "Who was that guy you were talking to, Corky?"
    "My brother," I answer, as Dean looks at me with surprise, as if he never expected me to have any family. "I know, shocking," I add.
    "Are you okay?" Dean asks concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just shocked that he came looking for me. I haven't heard from any of my family in so long, it's just strange," I explain.
    Dean leans down and kisses me. "Let's go home, Corky."
    "I suggest we go to my place tonight," I say to him.
   "As long as I'm inside you tonight, your place is just fine," he replies. "I'll meet you there." I get into my car and drive towards my house. When I arrive, I see a car parked in the driveway. "Oh no, what now?"
    I step out of my car and walk towards the front of the hood when I see Izabella running towards me. "Hey kiddo, what's going on? I thought you were staying another night with your grandparents?"
   "I didn't want to leave you alone anymore," she tells me. I pull her aside and take a good look at her. "What happened, Bella?"
   "I don't want to talk about it right now. Can we please just go inside?"
  "Yes, kiddo, you and Dean go inside. I'm going to talk to your grandmother for a minute." Bella tries to protest at first.
   "It's okay, Bella. Go inside, I'll be just a minute." Once Bella and Dean are inside, I walk over to the car and lean into the window. "What happened? Why did she want to come home so soon?"
    The grandmother gives me an evil look before speaking. "She overheard us talking about getting another lawyer to bring her home with us. She doesn't belong to you," she spits at me.
    I give her a confident smile and look her straight in the eye. "Bring it on. We all know where Bella wants to be, and she will fight you to the end. If you really wanted that child, you would have taken her when she was offered to you. Now I suggest you leave my driveway." I spit back at her, and she backs out of the driveway and heads back to her fancy home.
    I walk into the house and find Dean and Bella sitting at the bar, drinking hot chocolate. "Do you want to talk about it, kiddo?" I ask her.
  "No, because they will never get me," she replies. I nod and sit down next to Dean.
  

@crystal steadman 2023