Page 50 of Second Chance for the Single Mom

I smiled to myself in the courtroom. No. Itdefinitelywasn’t a mistake.

“All rise for the honorable Judge Simmons!” the bailiff announced.

There was a reckless driving case ahead of mine, and the judge seemed like he was in a bad mood. But the defendant was a lazy looking slob in his twenties, so I hoped I would do better since I was wearing a pants suit.

“Next item on the docket! Case number 1062472, City of Vancouver versus Haley Mercer. Please step forward.”

I smoothed out my blazer and approached. “Good morning, Your Honor.”

The judge shuffled some papers around. “Ms. Mercer. You’ve been cited for leaving a vehicle illegally parked in a restricted zone.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” I said. My voice sounded so quiet in this room; the high ceilings and wood framework seemed to absorb sound. “The car battery died, and the wait for Triple-A was over an hour.”

Still staring at the papers in front of him, the judge said, “And you thought that was a valid excuse to leave your vehicle there?”

“I had my five-year-old son with me, Your Honor. It was after baseball practice, and I needed to get him home for dinner.”

“Your husband couldn’t wait for Triple-A?”

I cleared my throat. “I’m a single mother, Your Honor. Fortunately, my son’s baseball coach gave us a ride home. I don’t know if it’s in the report, but Triple-A didn’t arrive until several hours after I—”

“Ms. Mercer,” the judge interrupted, finally looking up from his papers. “I’m not interested in excuses. The law is clear, and you are not above them simply because you’re a single mother. The city of Vancouver does not care about your personal situation.”

“I understand, Your Honor, but—”

“You are responsible for ensuring your vehicle is parked legally at all times, no matter the circumstances,” he barked at me. “And rather than bearing that responsibility, you come into my courtroom, and waste everyone’s time, because you think you deserve special treatment. Is that right?”

This was going poorly. I could feel all hope slipping away.

A voice called out behind me. “Your Honor, my client is merely trying to show that she made every reasonable effortnotto leave her car parked there overnight.”

I did a double-take as a dark-haired man in a suit passed through the wooden barrier separating the viewing gallery from the front of the courtroom. “Shay?” I whispered. I almost didn’t recognize him dressed like this.

Or dressed at all.

“Mr. Laramie,” the judge said with familiarity. “I saw your name on the docket, but I thought it was for a different case.”

“It is, Your Honor. But I know this woman, and felt compelled to step forward.” He gently put a hand on my back. “I don’t believe Ms. Mercer was asking for special treatment over this parking citation. I think she was merely trying to convey the hopelessness of the situation. Unlike most parking violations that come across your bench, this woman wanted nothing more than to move her car from that spot. But she wasn’t able to.”

I stared at Shay with wonder as he made his argument to the judge.

“I’m familiar with the city ordinance that Ms. Mercer violated. It was passed four years ago with the intention of stopping unhoused people from camping overnight in city parks. I will argue the morality of the ordinance some other time, since we do not want to waste any more of the court’s precious time, but I think it’s important to note that she did not violate thespiritof the law.”

The judge narrowed his eyes while he considered this.

“Also,” Shay added, grabbing the documents from out of my hand and skimming them. “The timeline shows that the enforcement of the ordinance was not done in good faith. This receipt from Triple-A shows that the battery was jumped at 9:42 PM. The citation was given at 9:47 PM. Only five minutes later. Even if Ms. Mercer had been vigilant about returning to pick up her car, she couldn’t have returned to it in time. Simply put, there’s nothing my client could have done to avoid this besides sit inside her car forthree hourswhile waiting for Triple-A to arrive. At night. Alone.”

He glanced over at me with a sparkle in his dark eyes. Like a lion who had just cornered its victim.

“Now, I certainly don’t doubt Ms. Mercer’s ability to protect herself. But I would urge the court to imagine the position she was in. Choosing between her safety, and violating the law…” He spread his hands. “If there was ever a time for legal discretion, I believe this is it.”

I held my breath. The judge shuffled more papers, squinting down at something.

“Mr. Laramie makes a compelling argument,” he finally said. “After reviewing these circumstances, I am granting your request for dismissal. No penalties will be imposed. Please ensure, however, that you comply with all applicable parking regulations in the future, Ms. Mercer.”

“Of course, Your Honor!”

“You are dismissed.” The judge tapped his gavel, then turned his eyes away from me. “The court will take a brief recess and reconvene in ten minutes.”

---