Like Mother Like Daughter

Chapter 38

Courtney

We were a week into the trial, getting absolutely nowhere. All we've established is that my parents lied and Amelia was somehow caught with drugs in her presence.

"The prosecution calls Ms. Courtney Stern to the stand," oh joy.

"You'll do great, you'll do great," Ashlyn kept whispering to me. I sighed, walked up to the stand, and sat down.

"Ms. Stern, can you recollect how you discovered the existence of Ms. Pond?" Shagra asked me.

"That's a long story," I replied.

"We have time," Geez.

"God, uh-I had finished a written report for Mr. Proxmeyer's history class and I needed an old photograph. So I went into the attic to find something and I stumbled upon a file that listed all the information for a surrogate arrangement," I explained.

"And what exactly drove you to drive into a city that you have never been to before, probably never even heard of just to find this one woman? I mean, what drove your hopes so high, even though considering the fact that she may've been married and have children of her own?" she asked.

"Well yeah but-"

"How were you even certain that she wanted to see you? Maybe you were just a thing of her past that she tried so hard to forget to she grow a new reputation?"

"Objection! Speculation!" Ms. Julian exclaimed.

"Sustained, carry on Ms. Benghal," Judge Pratt said.

"Thank you your honor. Ms. Stern, could you describe your relationship with Tess Valdini?" she asked.

"Uh-she's my mom, or I thought she was," I replied.

"You thought she was your mother. The woman who had been taking care of you for the past eighteen years? She has worked her butt of to put clothes on your back and food in your stomach, and yet you still run away from her to some stranger!"

"I was only going to stay for one night." I protested.

"Obviously not, because if you had only stayed for one night, then left the next day, we wouldn't be here," she replied. My guilty conscious was growing and growing, and Shagra wasn't making me feel any better.

"Are you done yet?" I asked.

"Watch your manners young lady!" Judge Pratt scolded.

"It's alright your honor, I just have a few more questions for you Courtney. Why did you insist on seeing Amelia in the first place?" Shagra asked. I could explain the answer to you, but I think the jury would like to hear the overall truth.

"Because I needed to see if it was real. When I came face-to-face with Amelia, my dreams had become reality. Over the months I've grown to love her like a real mother. Amelia has given me the experiences Tess would never allow. Amelia is my real mother, and taking her away from me is like destroying a promise that you never made, like the king fisher's wound. It never heals," I replied, proud of my response. Amelia smiled at me, with tears glistening in her eyes. She loved me; that was all that mattered in my case.