POV ANSLEY
I enter the court room with Sam by my side and Gracie sitting in the first row. I pull my shirt down. It was the nicest I could find. Sammy's wearing some business looking outfit and wearing her glasses. She looks mature.
"Are all accounted for?" The judge asks as she sits down.
"Yes your honor." Our assigned attorney answers.
"Let the case of Ansley Berrodo's and Sammy Clark's Guardian Custody Case now begin." The Judge bangs her mallet on the table, "I have other cases that need attending to as well so if we could get this done speedily that would be marvelous."
"Miss Berrodo," the state attory says, "will you please step up to the stand, we have a few questions to ask before we call Miss Clark up."
I stand and walk up to the podium and get ready to take the oath.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, or help me God?" the balliif asks me as I place my hand on the Bible.
"Yes sir," I answer. "I do."
Miss Berrodo, or Ansley if I may," My attorney asks and I nod my head, "how do you feel about Miss Clark?"
"I love her," I say, "shes one if the best people you could ever meet."
"And have you enjoyed living with her the past few weeks?"
"Yes sir."
"Would you say that Miss Clark is around a lot?"
"Yes sir. She is always home unless she has a job to do."
The attorney looks at me puzzled, "Ansley, you say 'home' like you already are under her custody as a family, why is that?"
"Because," I smile, "we are a family whether you guys give her legal custody or not."
The attorney smiles back and looks at the judge, "No further questions your honor. Ansley you may sit back down."
"Miss Clark," the states attorney says as he stands to his feet, "if you would approach the stand."
Sammy silently stands and walks up to the stand as the bailiff pulls out a bible and she places her hand on it. She looks at our attorney and then looks at me.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, or help me God?"
"I do."
"Now Miss Clark," the state attorney begins, "would you say that Ansley is safe with you and that you can provide financial and emotional support to her, if so why?"
Sammy looks around, "Yes sir. She is safe with me. I can provide both financial and emotional support for her. In fact, I already do."
"And do you have proof of employment?"
"I do." Sammy pulls out some documents and the bailiff retrieves them and brings them to the judges stand.
The judge looks over them for a moment.
"You make $17 dollars an hour?" The judge asks.
"That's correct, mam. I know it isn't a lot but it is plenty to get us by."
The state attorney continues with his questions.
"I understand that you are a manger at a gas station? That's an awful lot of pay for such a low job."
Sammy shakes her head, "I don't appreciate your judgement, sir. If you don't mind me saying, I work hard for my money and there is no need to down grade my job. I work a lot of different positions and hours so that is why my job pays $17 dollars an hour but yes. I am a manger."
"Is that so? So you have enough income to feed an extra mouth, keep power on, and afford any extra expenses?"
Yes sir. I have been taking care of her. I don't see why it would be any different now."
"Mhm, now when you and Ansley were called into the station it was said, in order for you to obtain legal custody of Ansley that you must first turn the power on in your house, have you done that?"
"No sir," Sammy answers, "I called them and they said they would be out in a day or two to turn it on though."
"I see, and did you provide legal documents to prove this?" The judge asks.
"Yes," our attorney stands, "We have them here."
"Bring them up. Continue."
The state attorney paces around searching for a weak link to attack, "Miss Clark, would you say you have the maturity, being only of the age of 18, to be her legal guardian?"
"Yes sir," Sammy nods, "that I do."
"Emotionally," the attorney adds, "could you handle it?"
"Of course."
"I realize that at a very young age you were left by your parents, correct? They simply abandon you without a care in the world. Now, say you were to follow in your families footsteps... if you were to find Ansley to be a 'waste of time' such as how your family thought of you, would you leave her the same way?"
Sammy grimaces and let's a tear roll down her face. This is something even I didn't know about. It is also completely unnecessary.
The attorney walks up to the stand beside Sammy, "Are you going to answer Miss Clark? I'll repeat, would you leave Ansley just as your parents left you?"
"Objection! Your honor this is irrelevant!" Our attorney stands.
"Sustained." The judge says, "Get where your going or drop it Mr. James."
"Yes your honor. I need the defendant to answer first."
"Miss Clark, do you have an answer?" The judge asks nicely.
"Yes, your honor, "the answer is no. I could never leave her. Not only would I be her legal guardian but she is my best friend as well. Almost like a sister to me. No. She is a sister to me. In fact, that experience only makes me more of a woman to be able to take responsibility for her. See, I have been through that and because of that experience I would NEVER put anyone else in that position."
"That's very kind and a very intelligent answer," the judge replies, "See Mr. James, if you had been more polite she might have answered the first time. Continue."
".....your honor, i'd like to strike the next question." The attorney hesitates.
The judge nods, "I'm sure you would."
"Now Miss Clark, you seem to be a sweet young lady and I'm sure you are an intelligent and honest woman--"
"Thank you sir. If I weren't under oath, I might return the compliment." Sammy snaps.
She's definitely getting irritated.
"Your honor," our attorney stands, "this is getting ridiculous. Can we please get to the end of this? My client has proven herself perfectly capable of handling custody if Miss Berrodo. Not only emotionally, but financially."
The judges sits quitely for a moment and doesn't say a word as she looks around at the court room.
She stands up from her podium with the mallet in her hand, "I agree. I call for a 15 minute recess and I will have the results of this case when we return."
She bangs the mallet on her podium and everyone stands up and exits the room. I walk over to Sammy and hug her as Gracie comes up and stands with us.
"What do you think?" Gracie asks, "You think we won?"
Sammy nods her head, "Yeah, that attorney was an idiot."
We walk out of the court room and pour ourselves some water from the water jug. I take a gulp and lick my lips. I just hope that we pulled it off.
As we finally enter the court room again and I watch anxiously as the judge returns to the podium.
"Everyone rise." The bailiff says.
"The case is now back in order." The judge slams her mallet down again.
She pulls out a sheet of paper and quickly looks over it then looks at us.
"The results of the legal guardian case between Sammy Clark and Ansley Berrodo verses the state are in my hands. The jury finds Miss Clark..... Capable of being Miss Berrodo's legal guardian. So therefore, in the name if Court house 111, district 7 of Alabama, and through the power of the United States Judaical System I grant that Ansley Berrodo's legal guardian is now Miss Sammy Clark. This case is now closed."
She slams the mallet down again and steps away from the podium and pats me on the back as she begins to walk out.
"Congratulations girls." The judge says.
Gracie and Sammy run over to me and we squeal. I hug them both as tight as I can as the biggest smile comes across my face.