Salvation | King Von

sixteen

i was not about to write out an authentic/real custody hearing situation, so just vibe.

|Nivea|

The court date seemed so far away to me; I made sure I looked professional for the day, not wanting to give them anything else to try to use against me. Dayvon wasn't allowed to come inside due to some rule, but I knew he was waiting outside for me.

Mason was there, staring a hole in the side of my face, but I refused to acknowledge him in any way. I was hoping to see Kieran, but once the judge entered he still wasn't here.

"Alright Mason Abrams vs. Nivea Holmes, both requesting full custody of Kieran Krew Holmes. Mr. Abrams you may begin arguing your case." The judge stated and Mason cleared his throat standing up.

"Well your honor, Ms. Holmes here is unfit to be a mother in several ways. She's never given me a proper chance at being a father, not even giving my son my last name. I was working to provide for our family and one day I get off work to see she'd emptied out my savings account and fled the state. It took me months to locate her and my son, and when I did they were living in the projects of Chicago. She was leaving him with her neighbor and a well-known gangbanger, while she was out working in an adult nightclub. I have written witness statements certifying that they saw her arguing with a woman in front of my son, and later going on to beat the woman unconscious while he was just a few feet away from her. She clearly has no clue how to be a mother to him and protect him from the evils of the world. He'd be better off with me, a hardworking man with a safe home, able to provide him with the love and stability he deserves. Thank you." Mason finished, giving me a look before sitting down.

I was trying to control my breathing; I had gotten angrier with every word he'd said. The judge jotted down some notes before turning his attention to me. "Your rebuttal Ms. Holmes."

I cleared my throat, standing up,

"Your honor, everything Mr. Abrams just said to you is a manipulated version of the truth. In actuality your honor I got pregnant during my senior year in high school, giving birth to my son shortly after we both graduated. Mr. Abrams promised me he'd take care of us, and his parents were kind enough to allow us to stay in one of their rental homes, meaning all Mr. Abrams was really doing every month was putting food on the table and giving his parents no more than $50 a month. My son has my last name because Mr. Abrams did not bother to show up to his birth. I was home alone with him for almost 2 years, and whenever Mr. Abrams was there he would be verbally and physically abusive to me. As a mother I endured that pain in order to protect my son until one night where Mr. Abrams beat me near the verge of death." I spoke, my voice breaking slightly.

"Excuse me." I said and the judge gave me a sympathetic nod, "Take your time Ms. Holmes."

"After that incident I knew I would be no good to my son dead, so for both our sakes I packed up and left in secret. The money I took was actually from my savings account that he'd locked me out of during our relationship. It was only enough to do so much so yes I did move into a low-income apartment complex. My neighbor is an elderly woman by the name of Ms. Yvette who actually is a retired daycare owner, and I took as much time as I possibly could to get to know her before I allowed her to watch my son without me present. I was working two jobs, one as a hairstylist and then working the bar of a nightclub. I was in a tight pinch but doing what I had to do to make the most out of my son and I's situation. The "gangbanger" he's referring to started off as a friend of mine and during that time I've never seen him do any illegal activity and he's been nothing short of amazing to Kieran. If my son was here right now he'd tell you all about how Dayvon is his best friend. I have not argued with anyone in front of my son, have I demanded they respect me in front of him? Yes. And when I found myself in an altercation with the woman who helped my abusive ex-boyfriend locate me, my son was being shielded from the incident by Dayvon. I have always done everything in my power and more to be an amazing mother to my son and protect him from all evils of the world. It's sad yet true that the greatest evil I've ever had to protect him from is his own father. I have multiple written testimonies from witnesses and family members of mine along with photo evidence to support everything I've just said. And if that's not enough your honor I recommend you speak with my son yourself, he will happily tell you that he wants to live with his mommy. Thank you."

I concluded my speech and sat back in my seat. The judge jotted down some notes, reviewing the evidence I'd just submitted.

"Taking everything from today into consideration. Ms. Holmes I am more than happy to grant you full custody of Kieran. But, I must say your living arrangements are not ideal. That is an area with a very high crime rate. Once you've done that and an inspection is completed. We'll meet again to declare the official statement. Understand?" the judge explained, "Yes sir." I said unable to hide my smile.

"Court is adjourned."

I looked over at Mason for the first time seeing he was gritting his teeth in anger. I smiled at him as I gathered my things and rushed out to the car. I'd never seen Dayvon looking as anxious as he was.

"Damn bout time, what they say?" he asked as soon as I got in the passenger side.

"I can get him back, just got to move somewhere safer." I said with a small smile. "Bet, we gone take care of that."

I had a lot of money saved up from working, but after everything with court I definitely didn't have enough to just buy a house. I just had to focus on the fact that I was getting him back and not so much on how long it'd take me.