We stood around in a long hallway waiting our turn, and my heart leapt when the doors to the courtroom opened. It felt surreal after all these weeks of discussing, planning, and anticipation. After we were shown into the courtroom, I handed Owen to Lucky, and my boyfriend smiled at me and said, “You have absolutely nothing to worry about.” I tried to draw strength from his confidence.
He stayed in the gallery with my family, while I took a seat at one of two tables in front of the judge’s bench. Padma and Charles sat on either side of me, and the Wilsons took a seat with their attorney at the other table. The fact that their lawyer looked nervous and kept whispering to them was definitely reassuring.
The judge strode into her courtroom on the hour. She was a Black woman of about sixty with short hair, glasses, and a deeply etched scowl that seemed permanent. After a few formalities handled by the bailiff, the judge called, “Both parties and their counsel, approach the bench.”
Padma and Charles exchanged looks, which told me something out of the ordinary was happening. Once we were standing in front of her, the judge snapped, “Are you kidding me with this?”
My chest tightened in fear, but then she turned to the Wilsons and held up a piece of paper. Their lawyer muttered, “I told you not to include that letter in your documentation.”
“I’m glad you did,” the judge said. “It saves us a lot of time. Now let’s see. On one hand, we have glowing letters in support of the child’s father, Mr. Genardi, from business owners, his professors at UCLA, and others. We also have a signed and notarized document from the child’s mother, indicating her very strong preference that custody remains with Mr. Genardi.” She pinned Mr. Wilson with a sharp glare and waved the sheet of paper. “On the other hand, we have a letter from you, stating the child should be removed from his home because his father lives with, and I quote, ‘homosexuals and other questionable individuals who might exert a bad influence on him.’ Now that’s interesting, because according to your own daughter, you’re the bad influence. Based on this letter, I’m inclined to agree with that assessment.”
Mr. Wilson sputtered and tried to talk his way out of the corner he’d painted himself into, but the judge was having none of it. She snapped, “After a thorough review of the documentation entered on behalf of both parties, I’m ready to make my ruling. Unless you have anything further to add, Mr. Wilson?”
He growled, “That boy can’t raise a child! He’s an unemployed college drop-out, and—”
“On the contrary,” Padma cut in. “As the documentation we’ve included clearly indicates, Mr. Genardi is employed as an IT consultant by Suarez Global Enterprises, which is a Fortune 500 company. He’s also enrolled at UCLA and close to finishing his degree, after taking a brief leave of absence to care for his son.”
The judge hit the Wilsons and their lawyer with another hard glare. “Unless you have anything to add, I fail to see why you’re wasting the court’s time with this pointless attempt at separating a child from his father.”
The Wilsons conferred with their lawyer, who then mumbled, “No, Your Honor, we have nothing further.”
That was all the judge needed to hear. She called out, “Full custody is granted to Logan Genardi.” Then she shouted to the bailiff, “Next case!”
The courtroom was buzzing as I turned to my lawyers and asked, “Is that it?” Padma smiled at me and nodded.
I felt dazed as I thanked her and Charles and shook their hands. Then I ran to Lucky and Owen and grabbed them both in an embrace as I exclaimed, “We won!”
Lucky said, “I never had any doubt.”
He handed me my son, and I gave Owen a hug and told him, “Let’s go home, buddy. We need to celebrate!”
There were a lot more hugs and congratulations when I joined my family, and then we all returned to the waiting town cars and drove straight to the airport. This time, the mood was lively and upbeat, and Owen beamed at us as everyone spoke excitedly.
The return trip to San Francisco passed in a blur, and before long we were back home. Kel put on some music, and Yolanda popped the bottles of champagne she’d bought in anticipation of our victory.
I treated my son to a popsicle and held him on my hip so he could dance with Lucky and me. As my boyfriend rested his forehead against mine, I whispered, “I don’t even know how I can begin to thank you. If it wasn’t for your help, that might have gone very differently.”
“You still would have gotten custody because you’re a wonderful dad,” he said. “But I’m glad I could make the process a little bit smoother for you.”
“You did so much more than that, and not just by hiring those terrific lawyers. You were there for me when I needed you most. You calmed me down and comforted me when I started to panic. You let me rant when I needed to blow off steam. You listened, and you held my hand, and you were the most amazing partner in every sense of the word. It’s no wonder I adore you, Elian.”
He held me close as he whispered, “I adore you too, mi amor.”
* * *
The party went on well into the evening. Lark and Dylan ordered dinner, and we feasted and celebrated and danced until we dropped. This was a victory for all of us, our whole family, so it was only right that we celebrated together.
More than anything though, it was a victory for Owen. It was true that it took a village to raise a child, and his village was truly something special. He was going to grow up surrounded by wonderful people and so much love, and that made me incredibly happy.
With all the day’s excitement, he started to nod off a little early so I carried him upstairs and got him ready for bed. Once he was in his crib, I kissed his forehead and whispered, “I love you, kiddo.” My heart felt so full as I watched him fall asleep, peaceful and content and right where he belonged.
I picked up the baby monitor and went downstairs, where I discovered something was up. My boyfriend and my brother met me at the foot of the stairs, and Lucky said, “There’s something I want to show you. Are you up for a very short walk?”
“Sure. Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Lark obviously was in on whatever was happening, because he looked like he was about to burst with excitement. He plucked the baby monitor from my hand and told me, “Say yes. That’s all I’m going to say. For the love of god, say yes.”