Life Has its Moments

Arrivals, Rivals and Trial

There was a loud rap on the door that woke Mike from his sleep. He looked at his phone and realized it was 4:56am. He had to wonder who it was at that hour and why the hell people forget to use the bell by the door-side, it wasn't really that small. Then he remembered that he practically hammered down the switch in front of the house when the nosy old woman came ringing and banging at his door at night. He actually opened the door, smashed the bell and then asked her what she wanted.

The rapping continued and he slipped out of bed in his boxer shorts not caring who was at the door. "God, I'm COMING!" he shouted from the stairs. Despite that, the banging still continued. Unbolting the door, he flung it open and saw the last person he expected to see.

"Arnold! What the hell are you doing here?"

His brother stood there in a fixed position with a huge smile plastered on his face and his hands opened as if he had just demonstrated a magical act. 

Then the next shock came when his mother slowly appeared from behind the wall also with a huge grin on her face. "Michael Anthony Dawson, come and give Mummy a hug!" she laughed opening her arm for him to move in. But he just stood there waiting for his father to slowly appear too. Or his older brother. But there was no one.

"Come on Michael, give mommy a hug, will ya?"

"Muuuum," he said in a whiny tone. Arnold moved past him and into the house carrying a samll bag. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked his mom. But she didn't answer and walked past him. He gave a huge sigh and closed the door.

His brother got to the kitchen immediately but his mom sat on the couch in the living room. He, on the other hand didn't feel like going back to sleep at all.

"Can you please tell me what is going on? Why are you here?"

"We miss you too, Michael," she answered in a sarcastic tone. "Where is she?" 

"Who, Imogen?" And at that moment something fell in the kitchen, clattering on the floor. 

"I got it!" Arnold shouted from the kitchen, which he clearly didn't.

Mike went back to talking. "Of course she isn't here not until I'm declared her legal father. Is that what you came for? The court trial?"

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world. But your dad is too weak to be here and sends his regards to you."

"Yeah," he answered quietly although he knew it probably wasnt true. His father was just mad at him because he still was the only child who wasn't married. "But what about Nigel," he inquired about his older brother who was happily married with 3 kids. And even crazy Arnold was married with a daughter.

"Oh, he has gone away for the summer with his family and Arnold's wife has taken them to her folks."

Minutes later, Arnold came back in with a plate of sandwhich. "Really Arnold, at this minute?"

"Hey the food on the plane was traumatising," he answered defensively. 

Later in the morning, his attorney, Mr Towner, his attorney came to go over some of the questions and how he would answer. What to say and what not to just to give him more chances of winning. 

Winning? Mike thought, Is this a game? 

At 12pm, he slipped into a navy blue suit all the while, continuing to tolerate his mother's whines from somewhere below. The court timing was set for exactly 2pm, so he sat there in the like a suited fool.