Page 78 of Baby Blue
“Because one of them brats what lives next to him threw a paper cup in my yard!” Galloway bellowed.
“So you saw them throw it?”
“No.”
“And when Mr. Wallace threatened you, what were you doing?”
“I was yelling at that girl to pick up her mess!” Galloway shouted.
“Didn’t Mr.Wallace tell you that he probably accidentally ran over the cup with the mower, that he was sorry, and he’d pick it up?” Galloway opened his mouth to speak, but Glen said, “And didn’t you tell him no, that you’d have him charged with trespassing if he picked it up?” When Galloway tried again, Glen asked, “And didn’t you threaten the child?”
“Objection, YourHonor. Leading the witness,” Casey called out.
Galloway was so furious that everyone in the courtroom could see him trembling. “The hell you say! He ain’t leading me nowhere. I told that kid if she ever threw anything else in my yard, I’d whup her. And Wallace told me he’d kick my ass if I ever talked to her like that again!” Galloway said.
Blue could’ve sworn he heard the judge snicker.
“Thank you. That’s all,” Glen said and sat down.
“You may go, Mr.Galloway,” JudgeHargrove told the old man, and he climbed down out of the witness box and stormed out of the courtroom. As he disappeared out the doorway, the judge said, “The court calls DavidTurner.”
Blue almost groaned out load. As Turdbucket passed him, the man leered at Blue. Once he was sworn in, Casey started his questions. He had Turner state his name, how he knew Blue, and how long Blue had worked for him. Turner answered his questions and told them Blue had been a horrible employee, had wanted off all the time, and was totally unreliable before he was fired.
Then it was Glen’s turn to question him. “So if I understand correctly, you fired Mr.Wallace because he had to meet with a social worker.”
“Yeah. Shouldn’t have been involved with raising a kid anyway. He knows nothing about kids.”
“Most new parents don’t either the first time around. And wasn’t there a day when you made him take an entire day off without pay when you could’ve just let him leave early to take the baby to the pediatrician?”
“Yeah. What of it?”
“How much was Mr.Wallace making at the time of his release?”
“Nine dollars an hour.” Hearing that announced out loud humiliated Blue.
“And no vacation days or sick days, am I correct?”
“No. I don’t have the luxury of letting people do nothing and paying them for it.”
“Insurance?” When Turner gave him a quizzical look, Glen said, “You didn’t provide insurance for him, did you?”
“No. I can’t afford that either.”
“Just wanted to be clear on that. No more questions, YourHonor.”
“Thank you, Mr.Turner. You may leave.” Turner didn’t even look at Blue as he walked past the table where the younger man sat. The judge looked at the sheet of paper he had in front of him and said, “The court calls VeronicaStanley.”
A young woman Blue had never seen before sashayed up the aisle and into the witness box. She testified that Cindy was a wonderful person, loved her baby, and had never done anything she wasn’t supposed to. When Casey was finished, the judge looked at Glen. He just shrugged and said, “I have no questions for Ms.Stanley, your honor.” When Blue glanced at him, Glen leaned in and whispered, “Her testimony did nothing. Don’t worry about it,” so Blue nodded and sat there, waiting.
The judge looked at the sheet he held and said, “Okay. Fifteen-minute break. And I’d like to see the attorneys in chambers for the first five.”
Blue turned to Glen, but the attorney just shrugged and whispered, “Stay away from her. Don’t talk to her. Go in the men’s room and wait until I come for you.”
“Okay.” Blue couldn’t imagine what was up.
The restroom in the courthouse had a small lounge area with a bench, so Blue sat and thought. He knew Anne was out front, and he desperately wanted to go out and sit with her, hold her hand, and have her tell him everything would be okay, but that wasn’t allowed. He’d been sitting there, trying to keep from shaking, when Glen stepped in. Blue looked up in curiosity as the lawyer sat down beside him. “JudgeHargrove was worried about you. He said he thought there were a couple of times in there when you weren’t breathing. You’ve got to try to calm down.”
“Calm down?” Blue whispered hoarsely. “There are people in there who don’t know me or Indigo, and they’re deciding her fate! And I’m supposed to calm down? I wouldn’t know how to even begin to do that.”
