Chapter 30
There were a lot of people at the door. The car rolled up and Mackenzie walked as his dad got out of it. The door opened and he was forced to be put through the massing people. It was his parents' divorce again. They called his name and his dad's and every other word in the English language was tossed around, he took his father's hand. His dad looked down and smiled a bit. Mackenzie smiled back. The crowd was pushed back and finally they were inside.
In the room there were a dozen chairs. Exactly the same. Rian was there, sitting down, his hand on Mackenzie's mum. His mum looked stressed; she didn't look up when they entered. The lawyers came in, one for dad, one for mum, and one for no-one. Mackenzie sat down, felling suddenly nervous. Not the same. "Shall we begin?" The first lawyer asked picking up a pile of papers.
"The law have decided to approve your request for a restraining order, this is effective until you view Mr Mackenzie Hawthorne as no longer a hostile force or when he turns eighteen, were upon you may ask for the law to renew the case against Mr Hawthorne." The middle lawyer said, the no-one lawyer, he looked sickly. "Mr Hawthorne do you understand your new restrictions? If so please sign here at the end of the session." Mackenzie shook his head and muttered a whisper, "Don' want to."
"Mackenzie, you have to." His dad whispered, patting his head. "It'll be alright, trust me." Mackenzie nodded and the lawyer moved on. "Now that this restriction on the child is involved the custody of him has become an issue." His mother sobbed. Rian took hold of her and touched her growing tummy. "The child, named Mackenzie Hawthorne, has previously been legally the protective custody of both parents, now that one of these parents has been remarried and the man who is step-father has filed a restraining order on the child, these incurs the inevitable position that is that one parent is no longer able to care for the child if the step-father wishes to live in the same house." The middle lawyer finished and his father's lawyer started.
"My client has requested, under the situations, a full custody of the child in question. This will mean that he is responsible of the child following all rules that the law has bound him. Do you clients agree to these measures?" The first lawyer took a pile of papers from the third and read through it slowly. Then he pulled up a page and they discussed the minor points for almost half an hour. "My clients agree to these terms.' The first lawyer finally said.
Mackenzie was given almost twenty pages to sign, his parents more and finally the dreaded cream paper was passed to him. He picked it up and pretended to read the thing like the lawyers making appropriate noises. His dad tapped him on the back. "Come on Mackenzie, the faster we're out of here the quicker we can go to the night lights." Mackenzie looked up at his dad and tried to express everything he was feeling to his dad with no words.
His dad only smiled. Mackenzie nodded. He risked a glance at his mum. She caught his eye and stood hurrying out of the room, Rian not far behind. Mackenzie stared at the door. Something in his heart broke off. He picked up the pen and signed the final page. The middle lawyer picked it up. "Thank you for your time. I wouldn't remind you that you must leave as soon as possible. Thank you again for your time." His dad shook all of their hands, and Mackenzie shook his dad's lawyer's hand because he only liked that man.
When they were out his dad picked him up and tickled him. He squealed in surprise. Then his dad st him down and looked him in the eyes with a serious expression. "Mackenzie you may not fully understand what's happening right now, and if it you don't I want you to now, I am your dad. I'll always be here for you." Mackenzie smiled and nodded with seriousness. "I know, daddy, I know."