Wednesday morning came way too soon for me; If you
can imagine the nerve-wracking feeling of waiting outside the principal's office,
just knowing you're doomed, but uncertain of the punishment.

Quadruple that feeling and you will start to
understand my condition. Benny,
Dad and me were facing the biggest principal of all, Los Angeles County
District Judge Inez and my nerves were approaching a full-blown breakdown.
"I think you should wear the blue one,"
Benny advised me while we waited for Dad's driver. "I've seen you look pretty messed up but never this
bad."
He was right.
I hadn't planned to wear any part of the necklace to the hearing. I didn't want any unexplainable
outbursts that might convict me.
Of all colors though, I could count on the blue to keep me calm and in
control. So I took Benny's advice
and just like before, my heart stopped surfing around in my gut. By the time
the car came, I was ready to set the record straight.
The car was no car at all. Instead Dad's driver picked us up in a huge black
S.U.V. I felt like I was entering
a part of the Presidential motorcade.
Had I not been calmed down I'd have never felt so cool and
important. We all fit comfortably,
Mom, Benny, Dad and me. Sam was
going to drive Dad's Mercedes ahead of us as a decoy for the photographers. He made arrangements for us to go the
delivery entrance at the back of the courthouse. Once inside, it was no big deal; the halls were almost like a
library, only noisy. Business
people hustled everywhere, like ants on a march, each one with a briefcase or
file in their hands.
"Courtroom seven is this way," Dad
directed (obviously he knew his way around)
We all followed like he was giving us a guided tour
at the most boring museum in Southern California. I'm sure the four of us were the only ones with nothing
important to carry. Our hands and
arms hung by our sides and for that reason we stuck out in the crowd. Half way to courtroom seven, the
rushing crowd began to slow and watch us.
Dad had been made. It
wasn't long before the swarm of ants became a gawking mess.
"R. J., would you care to comment on why you're
in court today?" some blonde asked, shoving a microphone in Dad's
face. Sam was coming at us fast
and pushed her away. He shielded
Benny and me with his briefcase in one hand and a file in the other. Dad put his arm around Mom and we
all rushed into courtroom seven.
Once inside, it no longer looked like a library. Long dark wooden benches lined the path
from the door to the where the judge's seat was. I'd seen similar rooms in movies a billion times but when
you're actually in one of these rooms you feel the authority seep into your
skin along with the smell of Lemon Pledge. Most of the benches were empty except for a few on both
sides up front. Sam ushered us to
our seats behind a big table on the left of the aisle. Four men in suits already took the
table to the right. I didn't
recognize any of them. I was half expecting to see Connor. When I glanced behind us I saw the kid
from the copy center with a couple of other guys in suits.
"Which one is Mr. Faldrane?" I whispered
to Dad while everyone got settled.
"Second one in on this side," he whispered
back.
I was trying to secretly check him out when I was
commanded to attention by the cop in front of us. "All rise…"
"Mr. Faldrane," after about an hour of
listening to Sam and another guy tell each side's story Judge Inez spoke to
Connor's dad. "Why are you
suing Mr. Robert O'Shea? The only
connection he has to this story is that he's the father of one of the
creators."
"Judge," Faldrane's lawyer stood up. "If I may answer that
question?"
"No, if I wanted you to answer Mr. Cochran, I
would have asked you."
Mr. Faldrane stood up. He was much shorter than I expected. In fact he looked pretty funny, like a
carnival's ringmaster. I think he may have been nervous at the thought of
having to speak for himself because his cheeks were pepperoni red and so was
the tip of his
ski slope nose. I had to stop
myself from giggling when I noticed
three hairs sprouting from the tip of his chili-pepper honker.
"Judge sir, I have reason to believe that the
boy's father is behind this." Mr. Faldrane answered and began to sit back
down when the judge spoke again.