We sat down in court the next day, prepared to fight for my custody. I was in my best black dress and Stanley sat beside me in his suit. He leaned over.

"Last time I was in court, I was on trial." I laughed softly but stopped when I saw "her" walk in.

"Look who decided to show up." I shot a vile look at her as she sat down at her table with her lawyer.

The judge walked in and read one of the papers on his desk. He addressed the woman.

"Lorene Pendanski?" She stood up.

"Yes your honor?"

"This case is to decide whether you have any legal rights to your daughter, Deyna Pendanski." I winced.

"No, I'm not her daughter." I whispered. My lawyer heard and stood up.

"Objection, my client's mother died 14 years ago." The judge acknowledged him and pounded on his desk with his mallet.

"Objection sustained, sit down." I shot an "I won" look at Lorene and she growled. Her lawyer stood up.

"May I call Deyna Pendanski to the stand?" He got permission and motioned me to stand up. I felt Stanley grab my hand and squeeze it, then I went to the stand.

"Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"I swear." 'Duh! Do you want me to say that I won't?' I couldn't help but think that. I sat down and Lorene's lawyer looked at me funny.

"Tell me something about your father. Was he nice to you when you were growing up?"

"Yes, no one could love me more than my daddy." I glanced at Stanley. Well, almost no one.

"So he told you about your mother, about how she had left him?"

"No, my father told me that my mother had died when I was 4."

"Do you remember what she looked like?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"So, after your mother, "died", shall we say, did your father make you resent her for leaving?" I felt like screaming at him so I turned to the Judge.

"Can I object to him?" He almost looked amused.

"Of course, what's wrong?"

"He's contradicting me. He's acting like I'm lying." The judge grew serious.

"Objection sustained. Continue." The lawyer looked at me like bloody murder.

"As I was saying, how did your father describe your mother?" I shut my eyes and remembered the picture that he had drawn me with his words.

"She was very beautiful. 5 feet tall with dark skin; brown hair, like myself." I opened my eyes and saw the judge eyeing Lorene. She was plain, 6 feet tall and had red hair.

"So, what else happened in your childhood?"

"My father helped run Camp Green Lake, the juvenile prison camp for boys."

"And where were you at the time?"

"I was there with him." The lawyer looked up and found something that he could pick at.

"Your father put you in a camp with boys your age that could've taken advantage of you?"

"I was disguised as a boy myself. They didn't know that I was a girl."

"If your father loved you then why did he make you go through that?"

"I chose to be there, he tried to get me to stay with my grandparents but after my mother died, he had never been away from me. I still needed him."

"Who did you meet at the camp?"

"I met Stanley, Hector, Alan, Theodore, Rex, Jose, and Ricky." I saw each of them wince as I said their names.

"Where are they now? Still in the camp?" I stared hard at him. He wasn't asking these questions to get answers, he already knew the answers.

"They're right here, in the courtroom." He turned as they stood up to acknowledge themselves.

"I see, so where's your father? Is he here too?"

"No, after the camp was closed, he went to jail."

"So you're wanting me to believe the tales of a man who is in jail?" I wanted to burst out at him but I kept my cool. When I didn't answer, he acted like he had won the argument. "Your honor, I suggest that we adjourn for now until we can get the testimony of Mr. Pendanski. Maybe he can tell us what is true," he looked straight at me, "and what is not." He strutted back over to his seat. "No further questions."

"Very well, meeting adjourned until Mr. Pendanski is brought out." He pounded with the mallet and left the room. I sat still in the stand. If I got up, I knew that I would strangle Lorene's lawyer. Stanley walked over to me with my lawyer and everyone else.

"You okay, Deyna?" Stanley's mother asked me. To answer, I kicked the judge's desk next to me, hard.

"I want to see Dad before we come back."

"Of course." Stanley held out his hand for me and we all left the building.

"Cheer up, Deyna. Things can't get any worse." But Stanley was wrong. (dun, dun, dun!)