I don’t agree.
And I’m sure Veronica will make the judge see things the same way, or at least plant some doubts in his mind now that it’s her turn to question Barbara.
“Mrs. Keating, you stated that one of the reasons you think the child should end up with you is because you’re married, right?”
“Yes,” Barbara answers.
“You mean to say you’re blissfully married, right?”
Barbara gives a sheepish grin. “Well, I wouldn’t say blissfully. No one is these days.”
“But you’d say you’re happily married?”
“Yes.”
“Even though you barely see each other because of your jobs?” Veronica asks.
“Well, we spend time when we can, and like I said, I’d gladly give up my job for Shanna.”
“And what would your husband give up? Does he support your decision to adopt your niece?”
“Completely,” Barbara answers.
Veronica looks around. “Yet I don’t see him here.”
“He – ”
“You don’t have kids, right, Mrs. Keating?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t.”
“So you’re pretty much clueless about how to raise a kid, right?”
“Objection.” Barbara’s lawyer gets on her feet.
“I’ll allow it,” the judge says.
Veronica looks at Barbara. “Mrs. Keating?”
“I have friends who have kids. They come over every now and then. Also, plenty of families stay at the hotel. I pick up things from watching the parents.”
“Same as you would from watching a YouTube video on parenting,” Veronica says.
Barbara’s lawyer stands up again. “Objection.”
“Was there a question there, counsel?” Judge Stanley asks.
“I’ll ask something else,” Veronica answers. “Mrs. Keating, you claim to have the finances to support Shanna’s future, right?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Please stick to ‘yes’ or ‘no’,” Veronica tells her. “So your husband does not have any gambling problems? You don’t have any debts?”
“Objection,” Barbara’s lawyer protests. “My client has already established that she and her husband are financially secure.”
“And I’m just asking if she’s sure,” Veronica says.
“Counsel, move on,” Judge Stanley tells her.
Veronica smooths the front of her jacket. “I have just two more questions. Mrs. Keating, you believed my client was doing a good job of taking care of Shanna, right? Based on how you’d seen them together?”
“Yes.”
“And then you changed your mind when you heard a lot of awful things? That is, you changed your mind based on what you’d heard or read, which may or may not have been true?”
“Well, I – ”
“Yes or no, Mrs. Keating,” Veronica reminds her.
“Yes.”
Veronica puts her hands up. “No further questions, Your Honor.”
She goes back to the table with a big grin. I feel like sporting one myself. Just as I thought, she did great. We won that round. Now for round two.
~
“Ms. Holt, can you state your relationship to the child?” Veronica asks Jenna after Jenna takes the stand.
“I am her aunt. Sarah was my sister. Well, I recently found out we weren’t biological sisters, but that’s how we treated each other.”
“You’re not biologically related to Sarah Holt?”
“No.”
“So you’re not biologically related to Shanna Holt?”
“Not biologically, no.”
I frown. I didn’t think it was good to divulge the fact that Shanna and Jenna aren’t related by blood, much less highlight it. I wouldn’t have. But Veronica said it would be better for her to bring it up than for the other side to bring it up. She also said she could make it sound like a good thing. I trust her.
“So you have no obligation towards Shanna and yet you want to keep taking care of her?” Veronica asks.
“Absolutely. My bond with her is as strong as the bond I had with her mother, if not stronger.”
“How so?”
Jenna draws a breath. “When Shanna first came into my care, I didn’t want her. I was still in school. I’d just lost my mother and my sister. I knew nothing about babies. I didn’t want to take care of her, but I had no choice. So I gave up school and all the dreams I had and I did my best. It was a struggle, and I admit there were times when Shanna and I seemed like we were fighting with each other, but we worked through those. Before I knew it, I was enjoying taking care of her. Not just that. I’d fallen in love with her. And I chose then to keep taking care of her. I promised myself I’d always be there for her.”
“So you’re saying your bond is strong because it was forged through various experiences and choices?”
“Yes.”
I grin. I would say such a bond is stronger than that of mere blood.
Veronica pauses to look at her notes. I know it’s just a ploy, though. She knows exactly what to say.
“Let’s go back to when Shanna was born. You were there?”
Jenna nods. “Yes.”
I hear the sadness in her voice. She’s probably remembering her sister’s death.
“Before she died, did your sister ask you anything?” Veronica asks.
“She looked like she wanted to ask me something, but she couldn’t.”
“At any time, did she tell you that if ever something happened to her, she wanted you to take care of her child?”