Author's Note: All right, everyone, here's chapter two. Sorry it took so long, but these courtroom scenes are so difficult to write, especially in single-issue divorce cases like this one. I'm not really all that good at it, so if there are any problems, please let me know in your reviews, and I'll fix it promptly.
Disclaimer: I don't own C.O.P.S. or any of its characters. Only Valerie and her family, and the people mentioned in this chapter (ie: Dr. Grenoble, Janet Lisbon, Robert St. George) are mine, as well as the plot of the story. Forgot to mention that last part last time.
Chapter 2
The weeks that followed were expressively busy for Valerie. She had been making great advances at Lancer and Sussex, the medium-sized advertising agency she worked for. She felt she had to; she announced to the entire firm she had filed for divorce. In fact, she worked so hard, her boss wanted to transfer her to their branch in Empire City with a higher salary when the divorce was finalized.
Her work obligations and finances wouldn't allow her to divide her time between Parrish and Empire City. She called her other sister, Rhonda, a real estate agent, for booklets on available small houses and two-bedroom apartments. When she received them, she would circle anything that looked good to her and ask Rhonda to put it on hold.
The day her divorce trial began, she came face to face with Tom. She had been over to her former home to get the rest of hers and Jeremy's things, but she hadn't seen her husband in a month. He was angry over Jeremy, Valerie guessed. What makes you think you're the better parent? she thought. As he entered the courtroom, he mouthed, "Manipulative bitch," to her. It didn't upset her. She knew Tom wouldn't ever get custody. He wouldn't even get visitation rights.
Yet, it all turned shaky for her when proceedings began. Her husband's lawyer, Robert St. George, gave a dramatic opening statement. "Your honor," he said, "my client is aware that his ten-year-old son is disabled, but knows these children are especially able to misbehave. Despite Jeremy's learning problems, he can learn the difference between wrong and right. Mr. Boston also believes that the boy is capable of learning important school subjects like Math and Science, both of which Jeremy is currently failing. Mr. Boston's beliefs that Jeremy is acting like this out of spite are believable. He says that he only beats his son to keep him from becoming a spoiled brat, and it does not help that Mrs. Boston continually protects him like he's an infant.
"Part of being a parent is being supportive and unified as a couple in disciplinary decisions, which Mrs. Boston does not do with her husband. Seeing that this mother is the least deserving of her parental rights, I ask that you make the right decision and grant sole custody of Jeremy to Mr. Boston."
Both Valerie and Janet were unimpressed. When the judge called for Janet's opening statement, she rose and said boldly, "Your honor, you can hardly call what Mr. Boston does to Jeremy devotional parenting. In fact, from what my client has revealed, Mr. Boston is the most anti-child person she has ever met. It may interest you to know that Mr. Boston never wanted a child at all. He left his wife alone during most of her pregnancy, and has been torturing the child from day one. Mr. Boston even shook Jeremy repeatedly as an infant. This fact alone is a legitimate argument against deciding in Mr. Boston's favor. As anyone in the medical profession will tell you, shaking a baby even once can cause irreversible brain damage, most definitely if you shake it as often as Mr. Boston has. As a result, Jeremy cannot do Math or Science as fast or as well as normal children. It should be no surprise that he is failing." She gave his latest report card to the judge. "In fact, both his principal and their family doctor have told me that he will have to drop both in future grade levels. He is easily distracted in class, but all the teachers know that, in Jeremy's case, this can't be helped.
"Your honor, Jeremy Boston will never learn the difference between wrong and right, because of what happened to him in his early years. All the beatings his father gave will do nothing to improve him. If anything, it will cause him to withdraw from others, question their trust, and push him to the point where he is afraid to go into the outside world. Clearly, Mrs. Boston is the better candidate to award sole custody."
Valerie took the witness stand first. Janet went up to her and asked, "Mrs. Boston, how would your describe the first years of your marriage?"
"They were very good," Valerie answered, smiling casually. "We met in college and married a couple years after we graduated. He was passionate about his family's recreation store, and wanted to just concentrate on that. I'd just started my career, too, but I really wanted a family as well."
"How did your husband react when you first mentioned having a baby?" Janet asked.
"He refused." Valerie wasn't smiling nearly as much now. "He told me his dreams to take his business nationwide. He said that fatherhood would get in the way of all that, and he didn't want to spend any more money on another person. I went along with it for the first three years or so. But after that, I started getting a little desperate. So I went off the pill and stopped with the condoms. I didn't tell him I wanted a baby then, because I was scared about how he'd react. I really was hoping he'd change his mind about it."
"And, of course, he didn't. Tell the court how he reacted when you told him you were pregnant."
Valerie started to get angry and upset, visualizing the past again. She ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. "He angrily told me to get an abortion," she said, "but I just couldn't go through with it. Tom didn't say anything, he just packed as much stuff to last him nine months, and left. I didn't know where he was, he never contacted me. If it weren't for my mother and sister flying in from Empire City, I would've never lasted."
"And when did your husband start acting cruel toward the baby?"
"Immediately after he came back home." Valerie started telling Janet about their first fight about Jeremy, when Tom threw him down on the floor, and again back in his crib, and the repeated shaking that followed after. "He was obviously too pig-headed and ignorant to do anything about the nightly crying!" she cried out. She started to cry now, and said through her wailings, "And I, as his mother, was forced to stand by and watch! Tom wouldn't let me do anything to save Jeremy!"
The judge handed her some tissues, and asked if she would like to take a recess. She shook her head and looked up at Tom. He was shaking his head, like he'd never seen a divorcing woman cry on the witness stand before. Janet waited until she was calm to ask her next question. "Mrs. Boston, please tell the court how the abuse worsened as Jeremy grew older."
"Jeremy would be wandering around the house, touching things and looking at them," Valerie explained. "But every time Tom caught him, he would put whatever he had back, then drag him to some corner in the house and teach him a lesson through either his hand, his fist, or his belt. Lessons that Jeremy would never ever learn thanks to what Tom did. He was often drunk when he was beating. I'd hear Jeremy screaming and crying, and Tom yelling at him to be quiet. I'd run to them, horrified by what was happening. Whenever I would save him, Tom would get mad at me. He'd say that I wanted to spoil him, and encourage him to murder. Sometimes, he would go further, doing to me what he did to him."
"And how often did you collide with Social Services over the beatings?"
"Very often. In total, we had about twelve warnings and six removals since Jeremy was three years old. Tom fought – often defied – the courts to get him back. But the beatings would just continue from there."
She could probably tell what Janet was going to ask next, so she immediately added, "I would've gotten out years ago, except I've seen what happens to young boys and teenagers who grow in homes without fathers, and stepfathers they have trouble adjusting to. There's no respect in the homes, and the boys turn to drugs and crime and drinking. I saw that from friends and co-workers. I didn't want that for Jeremy, so I stayed. I'd hoped Tom would adjust to fatherhood. I was disappointed by how wrong I was." She feared Janet would put some guilt upon her if she asked.
"Can you tell the court how your husband reacts to Jeremy's academic performance?"
"Whenever he brought home poorly-graded tests, Tom would beat him for not applying himself, drunk or sober," Valerie told her. "Jeremy could never concentrate on his studies very well. I knew this wasn't really all his fault. It's his brain damage that prevents him from concentrating like normal children do. His teachers have told us this repeatedly, but Tom didn't want to hear it. He would say that we were just using it to make excuses, and we weren't pushing him hard enough. I won't tell you what he said to me, but he was very quick to criticize my parenting techniques."
She almost started crying again, but controlled herself. "I don't know how many times I've asked Tom to get counseling for his anger and drinking problems. He always refused. He said he was just doing his job as a father, exercising authority or our son." She took a deep breath to keep from crying. "But I know of no father who would go this far."
"Thank you, Mrs. Boston," Janet said. She turned to the judge. "No further questions."
When St. George cross-examined her, he approached the stand slowly, not looking into Valerie's eyes. "Mrs. Boston, what motivated you to have a baby when your husband didn't want one?" he asked.
"You mean besides my mother egging me on, and fact that both of my sisters were already mothers?" Valerie was laughing suddenly, then stopped. "Actually, I thought a baby would bring us closer, and motivate me to work harder at my career."
"Your thoughts," St. George said. "What about your husband's thoughts? That a baby would cause him to make sacrifices he couldn't afford to make for his career ambitions?"
"He wanted us to be the typical yuppie couple," Valerie said. "Working hard all day at our jobs, shunning children as an inconvenience, and not caring what other parents think. But I thought it would be a waste of our love. I believed that, deep down, he would see how stupid he was about it and change his mind."
"Ah, so you wanted desperately to be a good mother, and create a happy, healthy family unit," St. George said. "Funny, since you have no problem with letting Jeremy do whatever he wants, whenever. According to your husband, you tend to act as if Jeremy is incapable of committing sin."
"He is incapable of learning the difference between wrong and right," she blasted. But he doesn't want to be spoiled. He doesn't ask for anything but love from both his parents."
"C'mon, Mrs. Boston!" he retorted. "All children push their parents for things out of want. Jeremy isn't any different. And do you call disobeying his father and bringing home bad grades 'good behavior?' You seem to defend him a lot on these issues."
"He's never going to know any better. That's one of the consequences when you've been shaken a lot as a baby."
"Is that true? Or are you just making excuses now, to express your fears of giving him a good spanking once in a while?"
"Objection, your honor!" Janet declared. "He's badgering the witness."
"I'll allow the question," the judge replied, and looked at Valerie for her answer.
"It's the truth," Valerie answered defiantly. "Look, I don't have to bring up the effects of shaken baby syndrome, now do I? I'll leave that to my doctor. My point is, Jeremy will never learn wrong from right because of what Tom did. How many times do I have to say that to people before they understand? But all Tom wants to think about is the money he could've had if we never had Jeremy. Business and money, that's all he ever cared about – certainly not what I might want."
St. George turned to the judge. "No further questions." Valerie was allowed to step down, and she did. She noticed Tom glaring very hard at her. She had made him look awful. He deserved it, too, she knew.
When Tom took the stand, he told St. George about Jeremy's behavioural problems at home. "He rarely does what he's told," he said, "he doesn't mind his own business, and he doesn't understand anything the first time I tell him. He never listens to me and completely defies my authority. And speaking of which, it would sure help if Valerie had some of her own."
"Do you believe that Mrs. Boston is spineless when it comes to her son?" St. George asked.
"Spineless?" Tom repeated exasperatedly. "That's not even the word for it! She's so irresponsible when it comes to Jeremy. She always feels the need to stay patient with him whenever he acts out. We have other people in the neighborhood who are strict disciplinarians, all saying Valerie is a horrible mother. I mean, Jesus, the boy's got that woman wrapped around his goddamn finger. She's so fucking clueless!"
"Mr. Boston, will you please watch language in my courtroom!" the judge barked.
"Sorry, your honor," Tom replied. "I'll try not to let it happen again."
Meanwhile, Valerie and Janet were disgusted. They huddled together, and Valerie whispered, "Do you believe what that bastard is saying?"
"Absolutely not," Janet whispered back. "He shows no remorse for his actions and doesn't care about Jeremy's fragility. He's digging himself a deeper hole here."
Valerie agreed. If Tom was defending his actions as means of exercising authority, then she could only conclude that authority was dangerous. She decided to not listen to the rest of the interrogation between him and St. George. She thought about living in Empire City instead. Despite her transfer, would she be able to raise him on her own? She could live with her mother, but what if something happened to her? And both Rhonda and Karen had their own kids to raise.
She'd have to get a man, eventually. Someone who could love both her and her son. Someone who wouldn't be afraid of Jeremy's conditions, and accept him for who and what he is. Someone who would want to be a part of their family. But who?
Valerie stopped thinking about it when Janet cross-examined Tom. This'll be good, Tom being put in his place, she thought. She listened intently.
"Mr. Boston, how do you even justify leaving your wife when she was pregnant? And all because you didn't want a baby?" Janet asked. Her tone was forceful, angered.
"Well, obviously, you're not aware of how much it costs to raise a kid to college age!" Tom remarked. "All the money my father and I have been investing in our family business, now put towards another mouth and body. Do you have any idea how upset Dad was when I told him Valerie was pregnant? All his dreams of franchises all over the country, up in smoke. We were going to be featured on the covers of entrepreneurial magazines, but Valerie ruined it all."
"And for that reason, you feel you must take it out on your own child!"
"Why not? When I decided to take over Dad's business, I had all the expansions mapped out in my mind. Expansions like the ones I was planning don't come cheap. And neither does child-raising. So I decided that I didn't want that getting in the way."
Janet was very annoyed. "Mr. Boston, we're talking about a child that you spent ten years abusing! What were you thinking when you were shaking him?"
"How I never wanted him!" he blasted back. "How I'll forever be known as a one-store proprietor in the small city of Parrish because of my loving wife's selfishness."
"No!" Janet remarked, "You're the one who's selfish! Mrs. Boston's descriptions of you were true. All you think about is money, business, material wealth and greed. You make Scrooge look like Santa Claus."
She'd wanted to ask Tom about his cruel treatment toward Jeremy concerning his education, but decided not to. "I take school and education very seriously," he'd told St. George. "Valerie obviously doesn't, or else she'd back me up in pushing him to do his best. Instead, she uses his mental disabilities as an excuse to let him fail. Just like she always does." Janet believed she'd get more arrogance from him. She turned to the judge and declared, "No further questions."
The judge told Tom to step down. Valerie studied the judge's face. It looked so cold and bitter toward Tom. She took this as another sign of her impending victory.
As the trial went on, many more people who knew of Jeremy's problems testified, including Susan Grenoble, the Boston's family doctor and specialist; and Mrs. Claire Florence, the principal at Jeremy's school, Rysher Elementary and Middle School.
Dr. Grenoble testified first. Janet asked her, "Besides brain damage and learning disabilities, what other symptoms of shaken baby syndrome does Jeremy Boston have?"
"Not very much," Dr. Grenoble answered. "Working with Jeremy, I discovered that he tends to speak very slowly, although he speaks perfectly good English. He's only partially blind; he's been wearing glasses since the age of four. He has hearing loss in one ear, although he can understand what Mrs. Boston tells him. He also tends to move his head around quite a bit, due to really weak neck muscles. As well, he has an infrequent saliva problem."
"Anything else? How would you rate his coordination?"
"Mrs. Boston said he couldn't walk without falling down a lot at first," Dr. Grenoble said. "But I see that has improved over the years. In my opinion, Jeremy Boston is a miracle child."
"How would rate Mr. Boston as a parent?"
"Very low, I'm afraid. As you established earlier, it was him that made Jeremy this way to begin with. Mrs. Boston has said it was purely intentional. It doesn't help that Mr. Boston smacks the boy around whenever the mood strikes him. I've told him about special child-rearing techniques with Jeremy, and to support Mrs. Boston's methods. But he doesn't want to hear this. I've heard him make the old, 'you're just making excuses' accusation more times than I care to hear."
"What do you think would happen if Jeremy stayed with his father?"
"He probably won't live to see his twelfth birthday. I think it would be in his best interest if he was with his mother."
When St. George cross-examined her, he asked, "Dr. Grenoble, what is your take on proper discipline measures when it comes to special needs children?"
"We like to encourage parents to stay calm and avoid frustrations when it comes to raising children like Jeremy," Dr. Grenoble answered. "We especially discourage using corporal punishment, such as spanking. Studies have shown that such measures can build stress upon them. The same is true of children with Tourette's Syndrome."
"So what you're saying is that you encourage everyone to put special needs children above normal children," St. George assumed. "To make them feel as if they're more special than they really are, is that true?"
"Well, raising a child with disabilities isn't like raising a normal, healthy child," Dr. Grenoble explained. "Having worked with these kinds of families in my career, I can tell you they are willing to do very unpredictable things at unpredictable times. Even when they try to be polite, they're very prone to misbehavior, especially when they're scared, excited or angry."
"I see. And what if a special needs child has normal and healthy siblings? Are the parents supposed to cast the healthy children aside to focus solely on the special needs one?"
Janet rose and called, "Objection, your honor! That question about healthy siblings is completely irrelevant, especially since Mr. and Mrs. Boston have no other children!"
"Your honor, I'm merely making a point that it's wrong for special needs children to be treated differently from others," St. George replied.
"The objection is overruled," the judge declared.
Dr. Grenoble answered, "Favoritism is discouraged in these families. We like to think of caring for a special needs child as a family-oriented task, especially if the children have older siblings who are normal. We encourage the normal siblings to do things like read to the special needs children, and play educational games like flash cards."
"Fine," St. George replied. "And are you aware that special needs children are prone to the same rules and laws as normal children, and must face the same consequences when breaking them?"
"Of course," Dr. Grenoble replied. "I've heard of some special needs children who, in fact, know the law very well. They watch commercials on TV about smoking, drinking and committing crimes, they see the consequences, they understand what to do when they're pressured, and they know not to do those things. Normal children usually need to be told what to do by others. Jeremy understands some things, but I'm afraid that as he grows up, he won't be able to understand the law as much, especially when new things arise, and be confused should he be charged with a crime."
"If Jeremy is unable to understand the law as he gets older, it will be due to a lack of parental guidance on Mrs. Boston's part!" And before Dr. Grenoble could respond, St. George declared, "Nothing further, your honor!"
Valerie was horrified. St. George made her feel like a negligent parent. Damn that Tom! she thought. He must have put him up to say that. Fucking bastard!
When Mrs. Florence testified, she talked about Jeremy's performance in school.
"Mrs. Florence," Janet began, "how long have you been active at Rysher Elementary and Middle School?"
"Since it first opened thirty years ago," Mrs. Florence answered. "I was a teacher for fifteen of those years, then a counselor for another twelve. I've been principal since Jeremy was in Grade Three, if that's where you're getting at."
"When Jeremy was first starting school," Janet said, "did you receive anything informing you about his disabilities? A letter from Mr. or Mrs. Boston, perhaps?"
"I did," Mrs. Florence said. "During registration week the year Jeremy started kindergarten, Mrs. Boston sent us a letter informing us of his shaking syndrome." She reached into her sport jacket and showed the letter. Janet gave it to the judge. "We've kept it in his file all this time. In it, she informed us that he may have trouble with things like arithmetic and sciences, as well as some physical attributes, like running. She advised us to be as patient with him as possible."
"And what have you discovered about Jeremy throughout his time at school?" Janet asked.
"Well, his Physical Education teacher has said he trots like a horse when he runs, and can't climb the rope due an excessive fear of heights," Mrs. Florence explained. "And his balancing skills are horrible. He kept falling off the balance beam when he was on. But he likes to play sports like badminton and floor hockey."
"How about academically, Mrs. Florence?"
"He's a very bright student, but has a lot of trouble applying himself. In second grade, when his class was tackling carrying when subtracting, his teacher revealed he was having serious troubles, so we had him take home practice worksheets for a month. He started to get the hang of it after two weeks. He can do simple multiplication and division, but can't solve harder problems like 76,893 divided by 401.
"His attention span for Social Studies is a little higher than that for Science. Science has been hard for him lately. The only time he got high marks was when his class was studying animals last year. Sadly, his performance in that subject has declined, and I'm afraid it won't recover much. As for Social Studies, he's good at things like geography and cultural studies – he's very interested in those things – but I'm afraid he can't do history.
"However, he's a very avid reader. He likes to read the books assigned to him. Last year, he enjoyed The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, answering many of the questions correctly. His class was assigned an analysis project, and his teacher thought it would be too complex for him. So he did a creative writing project centered around the book instead, which earned him an A. He's a very gifted person, I'd say."
"How did you first react when you learned that Jeremy had been shaken as a baby?" Janet asked.
"I was shocked, horrified," Mrs. Florence said. "I'd dealt with children who were differently-abled before, but they all had Tourette's Syndrome and cerebral palsy. I've even had children with polio. But Jeremy was the first Shaken Baby Syndrome case. Even more shocking was that his father caused it. I know I should be seeing where he's coming from with his frustrations, but he's much too selfish a person."
St. George cross-examined her. "Mrs. Florence," he said, "have any of the schoolteachers reported any behavioral problems with Jeremy."
"He's known for nodding off whenever he thinks the class is 'too boring,'" she answered. "He also turns his head around at the most inopportune times, and has an occasional sudden outburst. He's spits on students sometimes, but I'm convinced that part of the saliva problem Dr. Grenoble mentioned. But these are very common in differently-abled children like him. He's not all that difficult a child."
"Really?" St. George asked. "Has he ever been physically violent with classmates?"
"Certainly not," Mrs. Florence replied, looking surprised he'd even asked that. "Older students will attack him at times, and sometimes even younger children tease him. But he doesn't retaliate that much. Sure, he'll scream and curse at the younger ones to frighten them away, but I've never heard anything of him hitting them. He can't defend himself that way."
"What do you do when he has to go to your office after being in trouble?"
"All I do is give him a lecture that what he did was wrong, and make him promise to never do it again. It works about eighty percent of the time. I know that sounds unusual coming from a principal, but Mrs. Boston insists that I remain calm with him. Usually, I request that teachers place him up front so they keep watch over him."
"A simple lecture. No paddle or whip? Don't the teachers criticize you for that?"
"No. They understand that I'm just following the Mrs. Boston's wishes. Some of the stricter teachers have criticized her for this, but they seem to trust her more than they do her husband."
"That sounds very contradictory, Mrs. Florence."
"Excuse me, Mr. St. George, but the teachers have reported that Jeremy comes to school with bruises on his arms and legs, belt marks on his face, and the like. I've seen these firsthand, too, and I can't tell you how sickened I am. I believe Jeremy when he tells me his father does it. The problem is whenever I bring it up with Mrs. Boston, she says she can't leave him because Jeremy needs a father.
"Now there's talk that Jeremy may have to move away soon. It will be very sad to lose him, but I'm happy that Mrs. Boston is taking these necessary steps to get away from that abusive, horrible man!" She was glaring directly at Tom.
Valerie had been sitting quietly. She smiled, but Mrs. Florence was too focused on Tom to notice her. She admired her for presenting the truth.
Several of Jeremy's former homeroom teachers have supported Mrs. Florence's testimony. "I don't know how many times Jeremy has 'mooned' himself to my class," said Ms. Louise Milian, his second-grade homeroom teacher. "But every time, I see his butt cheeks look like tomatoes, bleeding sometimes. Lashes on his chest on stomach, and bruises the size of ink blots on his arms and legs. Thank God Mr. Boston doesn't smoke, I just couldn't picture the cigarette burns. I was afraid to even yell at Jeremy because of this."
But it was the testimony of Mrs. Laura Pershing, Jeremy's current homeroom teacher, that was the most powerful. When she took the witness stand, Janet asked her, "Mrs. Pershing, can you describe what Jeremy is like in your classroom?"
"He can be a handful at times, but then again, so were a lot of the children I've had," Mrs. Pershing said. "He doesn't pay attention at times. He can't seem to keep his desk neat; he thinks nothing of stuffing papers and other things in there. He causes sudden disruptions sometimes, like he has Tourette's. But other than that, he's wonderfully well-behaved."
"How was he doing in your class prior to his latest report card?" Janet asked.
"Objection!" St. George called. "Irrelevant!"
"Your honor, this information will help decide if Mr. Boston's methods are as justified as they claim," Janet explained. She looked at Valerie, who was angry at the objection. She knew Tom's beatings were linked to his bad grades. She wanted that proven.
"Not all that well, I'm afraid," Mrs. Pershing replied. "He was absent from classes to see in-school specialists in the winter trimester. I often excluded him from assignments because of this. We've studied different kinds or rock and clouds in science, as well as electricity, and he just didn't understand it. Same with Social Studies. We're studying Europe, including the Renaissance Era. He understands the geographical parts, and certain European cultures, but when it comes to the Renaissance, it's like he's in a daze. I've come to expect that from him, though.
"This past trimester, he's found it very difficult to do math without a calculator. And he had to officially drop French this February because of his speaking skills. I know he's a very slow speaker, and his teacher complained that he couldn't get pronounce any words right. The only important subject he's doing well in is English. I gave them this assignment where I had a list of forty books, and told students to read fifteen of them. Then I had them do a least five assignments based on analysis, synthesis, synopsis, creativity, and so on. Jeremy could read the books, but I had to give him assignments I thought would come easy. Kids call him things like 'dumbo' and 'retarded.'"
"How does he react to your discipline style?"
Mrs. Pershing took a breath. "I am very strict with my students, and I'm not shy about yelling and punishment at all. Yet, I'm terrified to be overly strict with Jeremy because I know it only increases his stress level. In the morning, he comes to class all worked up, and I can tell what happened the night before. That's why I hate including him when I'm punishing the whole class. Not only does he not do things to deserve it, he also doesn't take it well."
Janet paused a minute and asked, "Now, Mrs. Pershing, I know this is going to seem touchy, but I need your professional opinion. Who do you think is better fit to raise Jeremy?"
"I really don't know," Mrs. Pershing sighed. "There are times I wish Valerie would come down a little harder on Jeremy. If only she'd stopped blaming his faults on his little syndrome – as true as it may be – his behavior could improve a little. She's very passive, and believes it's impossible to teach a child like Jeremy right from wrong when it's not. But Tom's no prize, either."
"Do explain," Janet urged.
"I can't ever talk to them about Jeremy," Mrs. Pershing explained. "Valerie naively protects Jeremy, and says that Tom doesn't understands the boy's mental problems, and is extremely too hard. Tom always says that she uses this to make excuses, and yells, curses and publicly humiliates her. It's always the same thing. I tell them they need to meet in the middle on this issue – Valerie needs to see Tom's side of things, and vice versa. But no, Tom's always right, and Valerie's always wrong."
Suddenly, Tom pounded his fist on the table and stood. "Of course Valerie's always wrong!" he yelled out. "She spoils Jeremy and treats him like a little prince!"
"Mr. Boston, please sit down and be quiet!" the judge ordered.
Before Janet could ask another question, Mrs. Pershing continued, "I mentioned earlier that I'm afraid to be too strict with Jeremy. I can't even yell at him. He cries very often whenever I yell at other students, and not because he's the one being yelled at! He knows that! He cries because I scared him! And that's how it is at home! Tom Boston yells at Jeremy too much at home, and it scares him! He scares him!"
"Scares him straight!" Tom yelled again. "I'm only trying to scare him straight! To put the fear of God into him!"
"Mr. Boston, sit down and calm yourself!" the judge boomed.
Mrs. Pershing stood and pointed at Tom. "That man is another major reason why Jeremy is failing at school, not just his disabilities! It's a proven fact that a child's home life reflects how he or she does at school! Jeremy's home life is a living hell! I see the bruises and marks all over his face, and I'm always hearing about it! No wonder Valerie thinks of 'tough love' as an oxymoron!"
"YOU FUCKING LITTLE BITCH!" Tom screamed at her. He quickly walked over to the witness stand and screamed into her face. "You're supposed to be one of the tougher teachers in that damn school, and you're siding with my fucking wife!"
"Mr. Boston, get back into your seat immediately!" the judge ordered.
"You're just like everyone else, using Jeremy's disabilities as an excuse to be soft on him!" Tom accused.
"There you go again!" Mrs. Pershing spat. "I swear I'm not–"
"And what was that shit about you not knowing who's better fit for him! You know fucking well Valerie's not fit to raise him properly!"
The judge started pounding his gavel. "Mr. Boston, I will hold you in contempt!"
But Tom soon turned his rage towards Valerie, and she became frightened. She wondered if he would hit her again. He screamed at her, "You fucking stupid little whore! You'll never see Jeremy again, I'll see to that! And I'll raise him however the fuck I see fit!"
The judge had finally had enough. "Bailiff!" he bellowed. "Remove this man from the courtroom immediately!"
The bailiff grabbed Tom's shoulders and dragged him out. As Tom was struggling himself free, he screamed, "I'm the one who provides for this goddamn family! I'm the one paying the bills, the mortgage! You would be out on the fucking streets, homeless if it weren't for me!"
When he was gone, Janet went back with Valerie, and the judge looked at St. George. "Cross-examination, Mr. St. George," he said.
"I have no questions," St. George said.
"Very well, then." The judge told Mrs. Pershing to step down. She did, and he began his ruling.
"Mr. Boston's behavior in this courtroom today has persuaded me to put everything aside, and get to the ruling now," he began. "Judging by the things that Mrs. Boston has said, and the comments given by young Jeremy's educators, it is clear that Mr. Boston is far too unstable to care for this boy. A father who thinks nothing of shaking his baby, simply because his career plans have been altered, and who insists on driving him into the ground like a stake is the lowest form of cowardice I've ever seen. And when he's popping off to a respected schoolteacher like Mrs. Pershing, it only forecasts what he will do to a child who can't defend himself. It would be a tragic mistake to release Jeremy into Mr. Boston's custody. I guarantee that in a short time, Jeremy would be dead, and Mr. Boston would be on trial for his murder. Therefore, I have no choice but to grant the divorce and award sole custody to Mrs. Boston, as well as one hundred percent of the martial assets.
"Mr. Boston will have no visitation rights, be stripped of his parental rights, and must stay at least one thousand feet away from Jeremy and his mother. However, he will be awarded the house." The judge looked at Valerie. "Mrs. Boston, you should be commended as the poster woman for special needs child care. I can only pray that you can raise Jeremy by yourself, or find a man who can show how a real father cares for someone like him. And I'd like to use this trial as a warning to parents who overuse strong disciplinary methods. It destroys that fine line between discipline and abuse. It is especially cruel to do this to special needs children like Jeremy, and dangerous to believe that this is how to teach them wrong from right. It's not for the child's well-being, and parents must learn there are dire consequences for this type of action. Mrs. Boston, I wish you and Jeremy the best of luck in your future. Court is adjourned."
Valerie and Janet waited until St. George left the courtroom to tell Tom. "We don't want any sudden attacks," Janet said. Valerie nodded, and soon they heard Tom screaming from outside. In the halls, they saw the bailiff grabbing Tom's shoulders tighter, as he was lunging towards Valerie.
"I'll get you for this, you bitch!" he yelled. "You'll never make it on your own with Jeremy! You can't provide for him like I can! You can't discipline him like I can! Just you wait, he'll be back with me! You know jack shit about good, effective parenting!"
"Why don't you repeat that last sentence next time you look in the mirror?" Valerie spat back. "Jeremy and I are moving to Empire City, where I'll likely have a higher salary with my advertising firm. Of course I can provide for MY son. And I'll see to it you never lay your eyes – or hands – on him ever again!" She left the courthouse, with Tom screaming behind her.
They spent the next few days packing up their things. Valerie called her family to inform them of the divorce outcome. Her mother was thrilled, telling her, "I always knew Tom would end up losing his family. He certainly isn't deserving of it."
She then reserved two places for the next flight to Empire City. The morning they left, a moving company helped with the boxed items, storing them in their truck, and following Valerie's station wagon to the airport in Indianapolis. There, she wrote down the license plate number of her car, and her sister Rhonda's address. She requested that her car be shipped to Empire City as she confirmed her tickets.
Forty-five minutes later, Valerie and Jeremy boarded a plane for Empire City.
A/N: Yeah, sorry if the C.O.P.S. aren't here yet, and this is starting to get way boring. Originally, this was going to be part of Chapter 1, but after realizing how long this was going to be, I changed my mind. (I'm so glad I did!) Anyway, don't forget to read and review, they're very important. See you in Chapter 3.