Basketcase, chapter 17
A few days later I was over at Erin's, just talking. It was the day before the trials against her mom. I finally got a full story out of her. Her mother had been looking for her for years. It had finally spread that she had moved to California. Her mother had come and found out where she lived, after all these years of looking. She had gone and tried to take Erin, even after the courts decision of custody of her father. When Erin refused to go, she had fought her, Erin's father walked in at just the right moment, stopping her mother. Erin was told to leave when she ran to Mike's and woke me up.
"So what's going to happen?" I asked her. She shrugged and kept braiding her hair. I was waiting another few minutes for my die to set in. I was adding blonde highlights to my hair. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll win. I did and Michael's still locked up... Son-of-a-bitch." I assured her.
"I hope you're right." she sighed, tying off the end of her hair.
"I am, don't worry about it." I assured her, getting up to wash my hair out. Afterwards we laid down and talked before finally falling asleep. The next morning we woke up and got dressed. I could see that Erin was going through exactly what I went through before my trial. I watched her as she stood in front of the mirror to look at her new black pants and red button-up with a black coat. It's a wonder how good girls can look in suits. I had decided to wear my pinstripe slacks with a black pinstriped shirt, no jacket.
While I did Erin's make-up, I could see the worry in her eyes.
"Don't worry, she's not going to win this, I promise." I assured again. "The boys are going to be there too." She smiled slightly, the first smile of the day. The boys showed up at the house a few minutes later, and decided on rides to the court house.
Erin told her dad that she wanted to go with us, so we piled into the Mike's car. Erin sat up front, taking control of the stereo. She put in Queen, turning it to her favorite song.
"Pressure, pushing down on me,
Pressing down on you,
No man asked for."
She lightly sang along, staring out the window. I could see how scared she was by looking in her eyes, through the mirror. I reached between the seat and placed my hand on her shoulder, she put hers over it and tried to smile.
"It's the terror of knowing what this world is about,
Watching some good friends scream 'let me out! '"
I sighed and sang softly along.
"Turned away from it all like a blind man,
Sat on a fence, but it don't work" I saw a smile creep onto her face as Billie joined in.
Soon Bohemian Rhapsody began to play, I knew she couldn't help grinning as the whole car belted out the lyrics.
As soon as the song ended, the car was turned off. We stepped out and I watched as Tre helped Erin out of the car, like Billie did the day of my trial. We walked inside and sat down, I could see Erin talking to her father and her lawyer. Ashley walked in, minutes after us, taking a seat next to us. The room stood as the judge entered, the trial was much the same as the one I had been apart of. Same tension, same questions, same fear.
Her mother's story was a bunch of bull shit, there's just no other way of describing it, lies about how she was a great mother, and how Erin's father couldn't take care of her. Erin had no say in the trial, but her father tried his hardest to protect his rights of custody. We waited once again for the verdict. Trying to calm ourselves, we stepped back into the court room.
"We give the custody of Erin Steineckert, to..."
"So what's going to happen?" I asked her. She shrugged and kept braiding her hair. I was waiting another few minutes for my die to set in. I was adding blonde highlights to my hair. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll win. I did and Michael's still locked up... Son-of-a-bitch." I assured her.
"I hope you're right." she sighed, tying off the end of her hair.
"I am, don't worry about it." I assured her, getting up to wash my hair out. Afterwards we laid down and talked before finally falling asleep. The next morning we woke up and got dressed. I could see that Erin was going through exactly what I went through before my trial. I watched her as she stood in front of the mirror to look at her new black pants and red button-up with a black coat. It's a wonder how good girls can look in suits. I had decided to wear my pinstripe slacks with a black pinstriped shirt, no jacket.
While I did Erin's make-up, I could see the worry in her eyes.
"Don't worry, she's not going to win this, I promise." I assured again. "The boys are going to be there too." She smiled slightly, the first smile of the day. The boys showed up at the house a few minutes later, and decided on rides to the court house.
Erin told her dad that she wanted to go with us, so we piled into the Mike's car. Erin sat up front, taking control of the stereo. She put in Queen, turning it to her favorite song.
"Pressure, pushing down on me,
Pressing down on you,
No man asked for."
She lightly sang along, staring out the window. I could see how scared she was by looking in her eyes, through the mirror. I reached between the seat and placed my hand on her shoulder, she put hers over it and tried to smile.
"It's the terror of knowing what this world is about,
Watching some good friends scream 'let me out! '"
I sighed and sang softly along.
"Turned away from it all like a blind man,
Sat on a fence, but it don't work" I saw a smile creep onto her face as Billie joined in.
Soon Bohemian Rhapsody began to play, I knew she couldn't help grinning as the whole car belted out the lyrics.
As soon as the song ended, the car was turned off. We stepped out and I watched as Tre helped Erin out of the car, like Billie did the day of my trial. We walked inside and sat down, I could see Erin talking to her father and her lawyer. Ashley walked in, minutes after us, taking a seat next to us. The room stood as the judge entered, the trial was much the same as the one I had been apart of. Same tension, same questions, same fear.
Her mother's story was a bunch of bull shit, there's just no other way of describing it, lies about how she was a great mother, and how Erin's father couldn't take care of her. Erin had no say in the trial, but her father tried his hardest to protect his rights of custody. We waited once again for the verdict. Trying to calm ourselves, we stepped back into the court room.
"We give the custody of Erin Steineckert, to..."
