by Annie Jocoby
“Well, I had on a disguise,” I said. “I wore these enormous glasses, had a fake beard and moustache and wore a hat.”
“Oh, well, there’s that. At least you did that much.” He shook his head and chuckled. “And here I was imagining that you went on in there as easy as you please, with no disguise at all.”
I felt embarrassed that James thought of me as so callow. But, then again, I was callow. I felt that way sometimes, even though Serena insisted that I was an old soul who had lived many lives.
“So,” I said, “you’re going to get in touch with the prosecutor and see if the charges can be reduced?”
“Yeah, I’m going to do that right now, if you don’t mind. Let me scan in this statement, and I can email it to Jamal. I know that he’s not in the office the entire day because of tomorrow being New Year’s Eve and all, and I also know that you probably have zero desire to have this hanging over your head during your holiday. What are you doing for New Year’s, incidentally?” he asked, as he scanned in Mikael’s statement.
I thought about Dalilah, and how bad she was feeling. “I don’t know. Dalilah doesn’t seem to be doing so good these days. We might just stay in and order take-out, like we did for my birthday.”
He nodded his head. “Sometimes that’s more fun than fighting the crowds, anyhow. I did Times Square one year, and I swore, never again,” he said with a smile. “Now, let me call Jamal.”
I held my breath, praying that Jamal was actually in the office.
“Hey, Jamal,” James said. “I need to talk to you about a case you have. A Luke Roberts....yes, well, apparently your victim went to a BDSM club on the night that he went to the ER and got himself beat up there, and tried to frame my client for the serious injuries...emailing you the statement right now,” he said, as he clicked his mouse.
James mouthed to me “he’s looking for your file now.” He swiveled around in his chair while holding the phone, and hummed lightly. “On hold,” he said. “Man, they need to update their hold music.”
I smiled. I could relate to that. Everybody could, really.
“So,” James said, his phone to his ear as he addressed me. “You’re staying out of trouble this New Year’s. I’m probably going to end up looking for trouble myself.” Then he smiled. “Not really, just kidding.” He shook his head. “Boy, when you told me about how you obtained that statement I...”
Then he turned his attention to the phone. “Yes, Jamal. You got the statement and you have the file....oh, come on, give the kid a break. It’s his first offense, and he was standing up for his girlfriend. He just turned 21....come on, you don’t have to go through all that trouble, subpoenaing those records. The statement was authenticated...okay, that’s probably going to be great. But I’ll call you back and let you know...you have a good New Year’s, too, and I’ll talk to you soon.”
At that, he got off the phone and smiled at me broadly. “Am I a miracle worker, or what? Jamal will drop the burglary charge and reduce both of your assault charges to misdemeanors. He was going to do some independent investigation, but he’s pretty swamped, and, quite frankly, he’s happy to have one less major case to worry about.”
My heart did somersaults. “Really? Misdemeanors and no burglary? Really?”
“Really. If you want to take that deal, we can set it up on the docket for tomorrow morning. The court is taking pleas for half the day tomorrow before knocking off for the holiday.”
“Oh, hell to the yeah,” I blurted out, wishing that I had Dalilah next to me to share in my joy. “Call him back, let’s set up a plea.”
At that, James called Jamal back, and gave me the thumb’s up. He got off the phone. “Tomorrow morning, 9 AM. You know where the courthouse is, right? Meet me there at Division 28, and don’t be late.”
I nodded my head rapidly, wanting to hug James. “Tomorrow at 9. Tomorrow at 9. I’ll see you then.”
As I left his office, I thought things are finally looking up for sure. It’s going to be a great New Year’s after all.
I excitedly went home to Dalilah, and burst through the door.
But, to my surprise, she wasn’t alone. A handsome man, about 50 years old, was sitting on my couch with her. I didn’t recognize him at all, and I was momentarily jealous. Dalilah, however, didn’t seem to jump when I came home, so I assumed that I had nothing to worry about.
“Luke,” Dalilah said, as the man got up off the couch. “I’d like you to meet my father’s oldest friend, Nick.”
Chapter 52
Dalilah
Once Luke left, I knew that I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit around, worrying. Yet I didn’t have the energy to get off of the couch and go into the city and see a lawyer. So, I did the next best thing – I called Nick.
“Dalilah,” he said, his voice friendly. “Long time, no hear.”
I started to talk into the phone, but nothing but a sob came out at first. “Uncle Nick, I need to talk to you. I need your advice so bad right now.”
“I’ll be right there. Where are you?”
I gave him the address. “You’re not working right now?”
“Nothing important. It’s almost New Year’s. Everybody’s in down mode right now. Give me forty-five minutes and I’ll be there. I’ll get Charlie to drive me.”
So, Nick appeared at my place within the hour. “So,” he said. “What’s the emergency?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know who else to call,” I said, feeling guilty that I didn’t want to call Alaina for this. I loved Alaina, and she and I were trying to mend fences, but, for this dilemma, I needed somebody with experience and a sure hand.
“Okay,” he said. “By the way, I love you, but you look like hell. Have you been sick?”
“No. Not sick. Just pregnant.”
Nick looked at me quizzically. “Well, I can certainly see where that would be unwelcome news at your age and your...” And then it seemed to dawn on him. “Oh, shit. It’s not-“
“I don’t think so. I honestly think that it’s Luke’s. The timing makes me think that, plus I just have an intuition about it. But that doesn’t matter. Nottingham is going to have claims to the baby, just because I’m still married to him. He’s the presumed father under the law.”
“A rebuttable presumption. Don’t forget that. A DNA test can clear all that up.”
I shook my head. “No. Not if the judge decides that’s not in the best interest of the child. I mean, I could get a private DNA test, sure, but the judge has discretion on whether to allow that. And you know that Nottingham will get the best attorney in the city to fight it. You know that. He hates me. He hates Luke. He wants to destroy both of us, and this baby will be the perfect opportunity to do so.”
“I have no doubt on what you’re saying. But what are your options here? Your plans?”
I took a deep breath. “Do you think that I should terminate?” And, at that, I just started bawling. Nick wrapped his arms around me, and held me as I cried. “Oh, god, I haven’t said that word aloud to anyone yet. I can’t do it. I just can’t do it. This is Luke’s child, I know it. I know it. I can feel it. What am I going to do?”
“Shhhh, Dalilah. You can’t look at this emotionally. I suppose that’s why you called me. I can objectively assess the situation.”
“Of course. Of course. But I can’t not look at this emotionally. This could be the perfect situation if Nottingham weren’t involved. I mean, yeah, Luke and I are young, but we’re also very much in love. And he gets me. He wants to give me the world, and he’ll be a great dad. He’s so even-tempered and level-headed.” Well, except for the fact that he punched Nottingham, but no need to go into that.
“I hate to even ask this, but, I hope that you weren’t careless enough to not use protection while you’re still married to Nottingham.”
“Of course I wasn’t careless. I’ve been on the pill for quite awhile. Been taking it faithfully, every single night before bed. So, I don’t know what happened, except t
hat I apparently am one of the unlucky ones who got pregnant anyhow. There’s like a 1% failure rate, and I’m apparently in that 1%.”
Nick nodded. “Not that it would have made a difference if you were being careless, but glad to know that you weren’t.”
“Okay, so what do I do? Have the baby and gamble that the judge won’t let Nottingham have rights? Or do I do the unthinkable without telling Luke? That would certainly be cleaner. I would be able to divorce Nottingham and have no ties to him, and move on with my life with Luke. That’s all I want, Uncle Nick, is to move on with my life. Start fresh with Luke. Leave this whole sorry chapter behind me, and just look ahead to a bright future.”
I put my head in my hands. “Oh, but that sounds so selfish and cold. What am I saying? I’m going to abort Luke’s child so that I can get away from Nottingham cleanly? Really? Is that the person that I’ve become?”
“I hate to say it, Dalilah, but I think that you’ve made your decision. It sounds that way, anyhow.”
“What would you do? April comes to you with a problem like this. What would you advise?”
“I’m the wrong person to ask about this. I’ve lost a child. Not the same thing, of course, not the same thing at all. But, take it from me, it’s one of the most devastating things in the world.”
I nodded my head, trying to tamp down my nauseated feeling in my gut. I had no idea if that nauseated feeling came from being pregnant or from being in this awful dilemma. I rubbed my stomach, but it did no good. “Excuse me,” I said. “I’ll be right back.” And, at that, I ran to the bathroom and puked. I shook my head. It’s starting this soon, the morning sickness? It’s going to be a long nine months.
I came back and sat on the couch. “Why can’t things just go smoothly? What’s wrong with me?”
“Well, you got involved with the wrong guy. You got involved with a devious, manipulative and callous man. It’s not really your fault, Dalilah. You’re young. You’re probably the most intelligent person I know, book-smart wise, but you still have lots to learn about the world and about human nature. It just goes to show that a psychopath can suck just about anybody into his web.”
I nodded my head. Once again, I was uncertain. Nick was right. Nottingham was a psychopath. Did I want to take the chance that a man like that would have rights to this kid? How would that be fair to the child, bringing him or her into the world, only to lose the child to Nottingham’s manipulations and games?
I was in an impossible situation, no doubt about it. And, surprisingly, Nick was of no help. I thought that he could help me bring clarity to the situation, but he really wasn’t able to. Still, it was good to talk to somebody about it. Get the words out in the open, even if Nick had no good advice about what to do.
“Well, Luke will be home any minute. Whatever happens, I can’t talk to him until I make a decision. I hate to say it, but, if I decide to, you know, I probably will never tell him that I was ever pregnant. That’s shitty of me, though, isn’t it? I just think that some things are better off not being known, though.”
“It’s up to you, Dalilah. But, just remember, it was keeping secrets from Luke that got you into this whole mess in the first place. You have a good guy, there. I’m quite sure that he’ll be more than willing to be by your side, whatever you do.”
I shook my head. “Not with this. I can’t see how he would ever forgive me if he knew the truth. That is, if I decide to terminate. How could we possibly move forward? The whole point of doing something like that would be so that Luke and I could move forward together, cleanly, without any Damocles swords hanging over our heads. No, I’ll make that decision on my own. Of course, if I decide to keep the baby, then Luke will be a part of the team. We’ll fight this thing together. I hope that you and dad will also be, of course.”
“Goes without saying.”
I shivered. “Dad will want to kill me, though. He was so against the whole Nottingham marriage to begin with. I’m quite certain that he’ll be thinking that I brought all of this on myself. And he wouldn’t be far wrong.”
“Don’t forget your mother.”
“Oh, I know. I know. She’s at her wits end with me, though. Mom and I have never seen eye to eye, I’m sorry to say. God love her, but she doesn’t understand me, and I think, sometimes, I drive her up a tree.”
Nick smiled. “That’s what you’re supposed to do. Drive your mom and dad up a tree. Make them worry every minute of every day about how you’re fucking up your life. Just remember that they went through their fair share of mis-steps, to say the least, so I’m quite sure that they relate more than you know.”
“Yeah. Well, mom never considered aborting me. I mean, she was afraid and alone and didn’t really know who my father was while she was pregnant with me. But she stuck it out. She was strong.” I shook my head. “Maybe I need to be strong, too. Maybe that’s just what I need to do.”
I got up and paced. “God, this is an impossible situation. It is.”
Nick patted the couch. “Sit down, Dalilah. Sit down, and let’s think this whole thing through.”
But, just then, Luke came through the door.
I made the introductions, and Luke was friendly with Nick, and Nick was the same with Luke. Then Luke said to me “Dalilah, uh, can I talk to you? In the kitchen?”
“Sure,” I said. I turned to Nick, and he waved at me as if to say don’t mind me. Pretend I’m not here.
Luke and I got to the kitchen. “What is it?” I asked him.
“I’m pleading tomorrow to a misdemeanor assault. Two misdemeanor assaults. I’m not sure what the judge will do with that, but I’ll probably pay a fine and be done. Isn’t that fantastic?”
My heart leaped with joy for Luke, and, for a brief moment, my awful dilemma was forgotten. “Oh, that’s great, Luke. I knew it. I knew that you could get out of it.” I kissed him on his cheek. “That’s like the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”
“I know. I can’t believe our little plan worked. I have to call Serena to tell her the good news. I honestly don’t think that I could have done it without her.”
“You do that,” I said. And, at that, Luke dialed the phone and talked to his sister. I went back to the couch and sat next to Nick, who was busy trying to look like he was not listening to a word that Luke and I were saying.
Luke got off the phone, and Nick said “well, Dalilah, I probably should be going. I’ll be in contact with you, okay?”
“Yes, thanks, Nick.” I gave him a hug, and he left.
Luke looked at me questioningly. “Nice guy, at least he seems like it,” was all he said. I knew that he wanted to question me on why Nick was here, but he didn’t. And I didn’t volunteer the information, either, as I honestly had no idea what to tell him.
“He is. So, tomorrow. I hope that I’m feeling up to going to court with you. I’d really like to support you.”
Luke tousled my hair, and brought my head onto his chest. As always, I smelled his cologne and felt his hard pecs, and I was instantly comforted. Luke just had a way of calming me down, no matter what kind of circumstances were facing us. “I brought you some chicken soup,” he said, bringing out a sack and a little cardboard cup with a lid. He got up and got a regular bowl, and poured the soup into it. “It should still be hot,” he said, bringing it over to me on the couch.
I was touched by his gesture, really, even though I thought that the soup probably wouldn’t help. “Thanks, Luke, that’s very sweet of you.”
“Well, I have to take care of my girl.”
God, I hate having secrets from him again. I swore, the last time, that I would no longer keep secrets from him.
But I had to keep this secret, at least until I figured out which route to take.
Chapter 53
Luke
The next day, I went with Dalilah down to the courthouse, an enormous art deco structure in Midtown. We went to the division where I was supposed to plea, and realized that there were hundreds of others who w
ere in his same position. Luckily, James was there, waiting for me. “Don’t be intimidated by this big crowd,” he said. “We’re fifth on the docket, so we won’t be here long.”
I nodded and squeezed Dalilah’s hand. “What do you think is going to happen? What will this judge give me, as far as a sentence goes?”
“Jamal is recommending one year probation, no fines. Basically, as long as you keep your nose clean for a year, you’ll be okay. If something happens during that year, though, and you get into trouble, then you will not only be facing some kind of jail time for this offense, but you also will be facing the penalties for your new one. So, please, Luke, don’t get into trouble for that one year.”
“I won’t,” I said. “I’m generally not a trouble-maker. This was the exception.”
“Of course,” he said. “I know you’re clean, which is why I was able to work this deal for you. I’m a little surprised that Jamal agreed to the deal so easily, but, then again, not really. He’s dealing with people who have a rap sheet a mile long, so, as I said, he had no love for this case and was happy to see it gone.”
Holding Dalilah’s hand, we went inside the courtroom and had a seat. As we waited for the judge to appear, we sat, silently. Finally, the judge did appear and began the docket. He called several cases, and each person went up and pled guilty, and the judge pronounced their sentences. My name was called, and I went up to the bench with James.
“Luke Roberts, you have been charged by the State of New York with two counts of misdemeanor assault. How do you plead?”
“Guilty, your honor.”
The judge nodded his head. “Upon recommendation of the prosecutor’s office, you will serve one year in the county jail. Your sentence will be suspended, contingent upon completing one year of probation. The conditions of your probation are that you will complete an anger management course and you will obey all laws of the State of New York. And good luck to you.” At that, I walked away from the bench and followed James outside of the courtroom.
