M A R C H 1 7 | T H U R S D A Y
"You all may be seated."
The six people in the civil courtroom sat down. Toni, dressed in her lace popover dress, took her seat after stealing a quick peek behind at her best friend, Christina. Chrissy beamed with a hopeful smile and a thumbs-up. Toni appreciated the support.
As Judge Hamilton, the petite, fleshly little woman who'd presided over the Jaletta case for the past three years, sifted through documents in front of her, Toni concentrated on exhaling her static nerves.
Her mother, Yolanda sat to her right and gripped Toni's hand in her lap. She too had gotten dolled up for the occasion, wearing a V-neck cut blouse and pinstriped pants that Toni helped her choose from the mall earlier that month. With a light application of makeup and a few glittering pieces of her old but timeless gold jewelry, she was proud to have her gorgeous mother beside her.
"Miss Jaletta, how are you today?" The judge greeted, tucking her salt and pepper bob behind her ears.
"I'm fine, and you?"
"I'm well, thank you. So. Here we are at the end of the road."
"Yes," Toni smiled with a sigh of anticipation. "It's been a long time."
"Well due to a couple of violations, and your disposition being re-sentenced, this was intended to happen," Hamilton chuckled lightly, continuing in a steady, clear voice. "But good for you, you've been adhering to the terms of your probation, consistently, for the last sixteen months. Good Time."
Toni nodded, then verbalized a "Yes, your honor" after a remindful tap from her probation officer to her left.
The judge lifted the papers in front of her, then slid on her dainty little reading glasses. "All right, let's start here. First things first, you have completed the five hundred hours of community service, and the anger management course."
"That is correct, your honor."
"And, although your employment's been spotty for the first couple years, for eight months now you've been stable at The Quarter bar in Willingboro, New Jersey. According to your timesheets, you're working an average of 35 hours per week. Correct?"
"Yes. Well...more than that. I've been teaching at the recreational center where I did my community service," she added. "I apologize, my boss wasn't able to complete the form. But I can get that to you for validation within a week."
The Judge nodded as she read through the submitted paperwork. The courtroom was tensely quiet with only the sounds of the court reporter typing away and the soft rustling of the judge flipping through pages. Though Toni wasn't necessarily comfortable, she was confident. Her mother was rather relaxed as well, sitting up straight and nodding along in agreement as Toni and the Judge conversed.
"Okay. And are you employed? Misses Jaletta, I mean?" The judge inquired, shifting her gentle yet pointed stare towards Yolanda.
"N-no, Ma'am. Not at the moment. It's been hard finding a job due to my...medical history."
Judge Hamilton read from a paper, "Yes, the mental disabilities."
"Mhm. I mean yes. Y-yes your honor, that and I've been caring for my mother. Her health has declined within the past months."
"Mmm, still?"
"Yes," both Toni and Yolanda confirmed together.
"Her insurance cut back," Toni detailed. "So it's been difficult maintaining her care out of pocket."
YOU ARE READING
BLACKBiiRDS
General Fiction"I call this one pain. And this lil one right here under his wing is suffering." "No offense, but...who the hell would wanna be reminded of pain and Suffering? If I was going to get something etched into my skin forever, I'd want something that woul...
