Egos

Chapter Seven

"True confessions are written as tears only, but my tears would drown the world, as my inner fire would reduce it to ashes."

-Emil Cioran

"Ava! She is fine. Danielle loves Mrs. Mayberry, she loves daycare! She's well-taken care of, and well-fed, for an obnoxiously low price. Now get your ass ready!" Sarah, tired of Ava's constant worrying on such an important day, snapped at her daughter.
"But-"

"The only butt that needs to be mentioned is your undressed one. If you want your daughter to stay, you get ready, you get to court. Let's go!"

"I'm just worried-"

"About being late to court, losing your daughter indefinitely, and taking her from daycare where she's safe and happy? Yeah, me too."

Ava had been worried all morning, unsure about whether Dani should stay in daycare. Ava was her mother, after all. Did she not have a responsibility to protect her child? To raise her baby girl?

Despite Dani's screams of excitement and tiny footsteps taking her running into Lori's arms on a daily basis, was it right for her to be at the mercy of another woman? Ava knew Dani loved daycare but hated how little she got to see her daughter now that she worked full-time. The mother couldn't quit, although it had been considered. Even with a job, the bills weren't getting paid, Ava was working three jobs to meet the bank halfway.

"Mama just listen to me!" Ava said finally, frustrated with Sarah's assertive nature and unwillingness to let Ava talk through her concerns.

"I'm not going to listen to you talk yourself out of the best possible case scenario. Let's go to court, Ava. Now."

"For your murder?" Ava growled, anger at Charles, his parents, and her inability to be the mother she desired boiling over at Sarah.

"Hahaha, you wish little girl. It's not my damn fault, get over it." All anger aside, Sarah wrapped Ava in her arms. "There's light at the end of the tunnel, baby. It's all going to be okay."

"I sure hope so," Ava said thoughtfully, her mind wandering through all that had happened the past four months. Was it really going to be okay, after all this long? How was she to go back to normal, after everything?

"Tomorrow's problems, one day at a time," Ava reminded herself internally. A tactic she had learned from Mak, Ava took a deep breath, focused on the moment, and began to prepare herself for the moments that were to come.

As Ava walked into the courtroom, one separate from where Charles had experienced his first trial, she paused. This time, Ava veered to the left, approaching defendant's bench. To her right, Lily and James Johnson shot her death glares.

"Just as Onyx had predicted," she thought. Ava's lawyer had told her the other party would attempt to paint her an evil liar, not only guilty of raising a child poorly but also guilty of forcing their son into his illegal activities.

Because she'd predicted the ever-present hatred from her in-laws, Ava waved at the accusing party, then turned and gave her mother a large hug. A show, perhaps, but at least Ava wasn't the bad guy. "In fact, as long as I keep from being the bad guy, I'll never be guilty like Charles," Ava thought.

The mother daughter duo sat, Ava once again squeezing Sarah's hand with a grip that turned it white.

Before long, Onyx Smith strode into the courtroom, as power radiated from her body, and a mere nod to the judge showed who would run this trial. "You ready, Ava?"