Teen Dad

Twenty

My foot tapped the wooden floor, every passing second making my nerves build up more and more. I could hear the whispering of the few people behind me, but couldn't make out what they were saying. I wasn't focusing on them anyways. I could only thing negative things. The thought of losing Anna freaked me out. In fact, I was so freaked out and so lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize David and his attorney were talking to the judge until they were finished.

"Thank you, David, Mr. Watson, you may sit down." David and Mr. Watson took their seats and the judge wrote some stuff down on a piece of paper. "Does anyone else have anything to say?" Nobody said anything. "Okay, well if you give me a few minutes to look things over and think out who should get Anna, I will be right back with your answer. You may move around and talk, but please leave it at a minimal level. Now if you'll excuse me," the judge got up and began walking away.

Right when he was about to walk into another room, my attorney, Tom, quickly stood up and shouted, "Wait!" The judge turned around and stared at Tom. "U-uh, I'm sorry, your honor, but I have one more thing to add to your notes before you make your decision."

The judge sat back down in his seat and said, "Continue."

"I, uh, need one other person to help me." The judge nodded in approval, making Tom turn around and look at the few people seated behind us. "Will Elizabeth Jones please come forward?"

I watched as David's eyes widened as looked back to where Tom was facing. Liz stood up from her seat near the back. She was wearing all black, a pair of sunglasses, and a black hat in order to somewhat hide her from David. When she sat down next to the judge she removed her had and sunglasses, and this is when I really noticed the fear in David's eyes. 

"Miss, will you please introduce yourself and your relationship with Anna and these two men?" Tom asked her.

"Yes sir," Liz said, a smirk showing on her face. "My name is Elizabeth Jone, I'm 22-years-old, I'm David's ex, a friend of Michael, and Annabelle's biological mother." A couple sat behind David let out a gasp and began whispering. I assumed they were his parents and that they knew something they didn't want others to know. 

Tom and Liz both noticed their reaction, and Tom gave me a slight nod, notifying me that they were beginning the plan. "So Miss Jones, may I call you Elizabeth?"

She nodded, "You may."

Tom began pacing back and forth in front of us before asking more questions. "You said you are 22, am I correct?" Liz nodded. "But you are Anna's mother?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"So if my math is correct, you were 16 when you became pregnant."

"You are correct," Liz said, glaring slightly in David's direction.

"That would make David around, 19 or 20. Elizabeth, did you know that David was this age?"

"Not until I was already three and a half months pregnant."

This got the judges attention, causing him to sit up and lean forward in his chair. "But, that's illegal," Tom said. "Unless, of course, your parent knew and agreed you two could be together. Did you have their consent when you two began dating?"

"No, no we didn't, and technically we weren't even dating," Liz stated.

Tom stopped walking and leaned against our table, "Please explain to me what you mean."

Liz stared at David for a moment, and you can see his staring back with a blank face, but his eyes showed terror. "It was supposed to be a one-night thing, but after my parents kicked me out when I told them I was pregnant, we ran into each other and he let me crash with him. That's when we actually started dating."