Trial By Jury

         A woman looks down at the crumpled suit she’s wearing, its faded patches at the knee.  She knows that this was better than nothing but still, maybe no one will see the small stain on the collar.  This will be the final day, all the weeks of preparation are about to come into effect or they will have been for nothing.  Being the Plaintiff of a custody hearing everything had to be displayed a certain way.  If there was any doubt, she would never get to see her children again.  This is exactly what he wanted, and tried to accomplish that when he moved out of state without giving her a forwarding address. 



         The courtroom opens and the previous case leaves.  The crowd mulls out following a crying woman and her teenage daughter trying to console her.  There was no victory in her case, only the loss of her family member to the state.  The woman makes eye contact with the other woman in the suit and gives her a look compared to losing a child before leaving the hallway.



         Sweat begins to form in her palms.  Even more anxious now, she wipes her palms on the faded knees.  Could the previous owner have had the same nervous tendencies and that was why they were faded?  She takes a few nervous breathes and stands.  A look of determination enters her eyes and she tugs at the suit before quickly entering the court room. 



         The judge watches this woman enter his courtroom.  His previous case had been one of neglect and despite the pleas of the mother; the child could not stay in a place that dangerous.  He looks down at the next file.  The case wasn’t to start for another twenty minutes, but there she was sitting at the Plaintiff’s area.  Her face looks pinched but when eye contact is made, she makes a slight smile before looking at her pile of papers.  The judge goes back to the file.  This child was under partial custody of both parents and the father, after getting a new wife, had decided to leave the state and start a new life, without giving the mother so much as a forwarding address.  The child obviously had a more provided for lifestyle in the father’s house, but the mother had never shown any signs of being an unfit parent.  The mother should still get partial custody as long as she pays child support, but she was filing for complete custody.  If she could show that she had everything in place for the child, she might just get this.  But who knows how the jurors’ feel on this subject.  They might just leave custody with the father because he has a definite advantage in the income category; after all he has never had any signs of being unfit as well.



         The clock showed five minutes until the start of the case.  One by one, people filled the seats.  About two minutes before the case was to begin, the father sauntered into the room in an obviously new suit.  He looked over at the Plaintiff and an obvious shock went through her system which afterwards she slumped down into her chair.  The Bailiff shut the door and went to retrieve the jurors’ to receive the verdict.  The head juror hands the judge the paper and then watches the two parents.  The mother begins hyperventilating, and the father begins to let the worry show on his face.  The judge looks down at the paper and realizes that this case will probably continue after the verdict is given.  The judge clears his throat and begins, “The jury has found the case made by the Plaintiff  to be suitable and custody will temporarily be given to the Plaintiff with periodic visits from the court to ensure the child is in the correct environment.”