Safe Travels

Judge and Jury

I felt stiff and awkward in my pantsuit, but it was better than wearing a dress. I had worn it despite my grandmother saying it made me look like a dyke. I readjusted my blazer for the fifth time since I got in the car and stared out the window. Asking Alexandria was blasting in my ears, and I suddenly realized just how gloomy the situation seemed. I was on my way to court in the pouring rain to let a bunch of strangers decide where I would live. At least, that's how I imagined it would go.

We made it to the courthouse and suddenly my nerves had gone into overdrive. My grandmother led me past the mass of people that always seemed to be swarming around the courthouse and into a small office. There was a large desk with three chairs in front of it. Behind the desk was a heavyset man with greying hair and a soft, almost babyish face.

Sitting in one of the chairs was Thomas. He looked a little scared and his muscles were tense. He smiled when he saw me though, and seemed to visibly relax when I sat and took his hand. Grandmother scowled but sat next to me.

"Okay let's get this st-"

"I can't live with this woman any longer. What Thomas did is in the past. I can guarantee you I've never felt better than when I lived with him."

I felt a sharp sting on my left shoulder and looked over at my grandmother.

"You stupid girl! You don't know what you need! You don't need to be around that faggot!"

The judge watched my grandmother with detached interest then glanced at Thomas, who was sitting silently and probably formulating his words.

When he finally spoke, his tone was calm and even, yet probably the most powerful I'd ever heard. "I think that proves who Megan should live with."

The judge nodded thoughtfully and began scribbling notes down on a notepad. My eyes were transfixed on his hands, hoping that whatever words he was writing were going to turn out in my favor. He stopped writing and then began shuffling through drawers and pulled out a stack of legal documents.

"Okay Thomas. You get to keep the girl. Under the condition that a colleague of mine in England checks up on her every so often. Do we have a deal?"

Thomas was overjoyed and shook the man's hand with fervor. An hour later I was riding to the airport with Thomas.

We took the next available flight home, and found Alaine waiting for us at the airport.

"I knew it would work out." She said, smiling and kissing me gently.

It was very late, and I remember drifting off to sleep on the way to Thomas's apartment. I must've been out for a while. We were nearly at the building when I was jolted awake by a startling force on my right. I turned my head to see what was going on.

Everything happened in slow motion. The driver's side of Alaine's Cadillac was smashed into by a red blur. The blur hit us hard, and suddenly we were flipping. The sound of metal being crushed rang in my ears. There was a wet sticky substance dripping slowly down my head.

The world was dark again.