Suzie’s House 110: Where the Apple Falls

Dad stood up fast. He had the guilty look to him, the way he swung his head around looking at the floor like he forgot something. The only thing Ben could think was that he’d been the one to cut Mom’s lawyer’s break lines.

A cold shiver went down Ben’s back. Until this moment a part of him still believed Dad wouldn’t really hurt him. He wanted to hurt Mom, sure, but to go out of his way to hurt Ben… but if the lawyer had awarded him custody, he’d have had Ben put away in the funny farm for sure. There was nothing good about Ben’s dad.

Thank God the judge had believed Ben. For a while there, when he was talking about the red headed men who kept kidnapping him, and Mrs. D and the conspiracy to lock him and Gene away, he hadn’t been sure. But it was all right now, wasn’t it?

Every time he thought it was all right, something went wrong. He couldn’t stand it. He wanted to live with Mom and Drew, and hang out with Gene, and never have to take a class with Mrs. D again. Why couldn’t that happen?

“I have evidence,” Mom’s lawyer said. He was still standing in the doorway of the courtroom, looking all beat up and pissed. “My next door neighbor recorded the whole thing. Arrest that man.” He pointed at Dad.

“What are you talking about? Arrest me? Ridiculous!” Dad puffed up, looking red in the face.

Could it really be? Could he end up in jail? If he did, then there was no chance he’d be bothering Mom again. No chance at all.

“Bailif,” The judge said, looking like the Vice Principal does when he catches a kid he doesn’t like doing something he isn’t supposed to. But the guy who had been standing in the door way was in the hall talking to someone.

Dad jerked, all surprised like, then started to run. Mom’s lawyer tried to stop him, but only got in the way. Ben jumped up. If no one else was going to stop Dad, he’d do it. Mom yanked him into his seat.

“Mom!”

That’s when Drew tackled Dad. He took him down. Really. The two of them hit the floor, rolled a couple times, then ended up with Dad on his stomach with his arms pulled behind his back and Drew pulling handcuffs out of his pocket. It was totally cool.

“Wow!” Ben wasn’t the only one who said it either.

Drew started saying that “right to remain silent” business, but the bailiff guy finally noticed what was going on and took over.

Drew looked all wild, though he was trying not to be, when he came back to the table where Ben and Mom sat. Finally, Mom let him stand up, but mostly because she was standing too. But instead of coming up and squeezing Mom’s hand like Ben expected, Drew put an arm over Ben’s shoulder and squeezed real quick, all manly and everything.

“I wish you were my dad,” Ben said to himself, but Mom and Drew heard.

“Really? Good. Because someday I might be.”

Ben’s stomach felt funny, like on a roller coaster. Mom and Drew? Married? Well, he’d known they might for a while, but now it sounded more serious and Ben didn’t know whether to grin or be scared.

Mostly he just wished Drew was his real dad, and not the guy getting dragged off in handcuffs right now.

The judge lady came up to him. She held her hand out for a handshake, holding it out to Ben. He couldn’t believe it at first. A grown up like her shaking his hand? But he got the idea quick enough so he didn’t look like a total idiot while he shook her hand.

“Young man, I want you to know how much I admire you. I’m sure you’ve suffered a great deal in the few months. You stood up to it in spite of what others might think. Well done.”

“It’s nothing much.” Ben shrugged. “Not like what Gene puts up with.”

“Well, we might be able to do something about that. I’ll get the ball rolling on my end. Then it will be up to him. I’m sure with a friend like you standing by him he’ll be able to settle things in the best way possible.”

“Huh?”

She smiled like she knew something but wasn’t gunna tell, shook hands with Mom and Drew, then walked off. Ben hated it when grown ups did that.

Mom talked to her lawyer for a few minutes. He waited with her while Drew and everyone else went off to wherever they were going. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, how cool Drew looked taking Dad down. Ben wanted to be just like that. Thing was, how could he?

“Come on, Ben. Let’s go home.” Mom tried to hold his hand, but he wasn’t gonna. She didn’t try to make him. “I’m so glad that is over! Finally, I know for sure that you will be all right.”

“I will?”

“Of course you will. You have me, don’t you?”

“I know, but there’s one thing that bothers me about Dad and all. If I have his genes, could I end up that messed up?”

“Oh, Honey. No. No chance at all. You’re already better than he ever was.”

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