Baby Love Lite (32 page)

I hadn’t worn a coat because the weather was
so pleasant. Trey took his suit jacket off and left it folded on
the seat next to me. “I’m going out in the hall with my laptop.
I’ll be back before court convenes,” he whispered.

“
Why are we whispering like
we’re in church?” I asked him.

“
Courtroom protocol,” was
his response.

Trey returned about thirty minutes later and
took his seat next to me. The courtroom had filled up
significantly. I was glad I'd persuaded Trey to get here early. I
couldn’t imagine it was easy getting up and arguing something in
front of a panel of judges. Trey said there was a twenty-minute
limit and that equal portions of that time had to be divided up
between all parties.

“
Did you put your cell phone
on vibrate?” he whispered to me.

“
Yes. Did you?”

He rolled his eyes at me smiling, putting his
suit jacket back on just as the bailiff came out instructing
everyone to rise.

The seven federal judges garbed in long,
black robes filed out of a side door near the front and took their
seats at the bench. Each judge had a nameplate in front of their
seat. I quickly saw Judge Tylar. His seat was the third from the
left.

I nudged Trey and nodded toward Judge Tylar
as he took his place by his chair. Once all of the judges were
seated the judge that was the chairman told everyone to be
seated.

I saw the light that Trey had told me about.
It was exactly like a traffic signal having a green, yellow and red
light. Trey had explained that when the yellow light illuminated it
meant there were thirty seconds left on the clock and the attorney
speaking needed to wrap it up.

We spent the next two-and-a-half hours
listening to various oral arguments on cases involving anti-trust
issues, conspiracy to commit treason; there was one Title VII class
action case that involved a third-party administrator over employee
health insurance for several major U.S. companies whose plaintiffs
spanned seventeen states.

Occasionally, one or two of the judges on the
panel would ask questions of the attorney presenting. So far, Judge
Tylar had remained quiet. He seemed bored with the whole thing.

The oral argument taking place right now was
boring the hell out of me. Something to do with a monopoly that
involved aluminum recycling equipment.

Trey’s docket number illuminated on the
schedule board that was located on each wall of the courtroom. He'd
be next up after this long-winded attorney speaking now finished. I
could tell this lawyer was going to ride out his full twenty
minutes. He'd yet to pause to take a breath. I watched as several
minutes later the traffic light finally went to yellow.

Thank God! Only thirty seconds more of this
wind-bag, I thought to myself. The case totally sucked anyway.
Opposing counsel on his case had waived appearance on oral
argument. He or she probably figured they wouldn’t have gotten a
word in edgewise.

The light flashed to red and the attorney was
still going strong. I looked over at Trey who was poised to rise
from his seat as soon as the windbag finished. He looked over at me
shrugging his shoulders. Finally, Judge Tylar used his gavel to rap
on the bench. It did no good.

“
Mr. Louderdick, you've
exceeded the maximum time allotted. This isn’t a filibuster,” Judge
Tylar said firmly.

“
If the court permits,”
Louderdick said unruffled, “There's much more to consider in my
oral argument today than what time would allow, Your
Honor.”

The judge was obviously not happy glaring at
the attorney.

“
I ask the court’s
indulgence in allowing me a bit more time to outline the particular
complexities on this matter, which very well might set legal
precedent if remanded to the Ninth District--”

“
Bailiff,” Judge Tylar
called out, “Please escort Mr. Louderdick from this court room
immediately.”

Oh my God! This is so cool.

Mr. Louderdick was still not getting the
message even when approached by the bailiff that he needed to shut
the hell up!

“
Your Honor, all I'm asking
---”

I saw the disbelief on Judge Tylar’s face as
he bellowed out to Louderdick once again. “One more word counselor
and you'll be found in contempt of this court!”

He slammed his gavel down and the courtroom
was immediately hushed with total silence with the exception of the
very loud, unfortunate giggle that escaped from me.

Holy shit!

Trey’s head snapped around to look at me in
shock and disbelief. I put my hand up to cover my mouth in
embarrassment lowering my gaze from Trey. I felt him leave our pew
to approach the bench. I looked up and saw Judge Tylar studying me.
I felt my cheeks flush warm with embarrassment. What if he
instructed the bailiff to remove the ‘giggling idiot’ from the
court room? He continued to stare at me but his stern expression
had softened somewhat.

The bailiff read Trey’s case number and the
parties involved. It was noted that opposing counsel had waived
appearance for oral argument but had filed papers stating their
opposing position. Trey was instructed that he could use the full
twenty minutes for his argument if he chose.

“
If it pleases the court, I
won’t take the full twenty minutes in light of the over-run on the
last argument,” Trey said to the panel.

Several of the judges smiled at him,
including Judge Tylar.

“
The court appreciates your
sensitivity, Mr. Sinclair,” Judge Tylar responded. “You may begin
your argument now to the issue.”

I listened intently as Trey argued the merits
of his Motion to the panel in his smooth and silky voice. He
briefly summarized the fine points covered in his Memorandum in
Support of his motion to consolidate the case to the Eleventh
District Court for the purposes of pre-trial management.

My eyes were glued on him as he spoke to the
panel and made his argument interesting and factual citing a couple
of case references.

I continued to notice that Judge Tylar
glanced at me several times throughout the ten minutes that Trey
was on the floor. He wrapped it up and the next case was called to
the floor. He took his seat next to me and I didn’t dare look at
him acting as if I was totally enthralled with the next case
up.

I felt his hand on mine and looked over. He
wasn’t angry with me. I saw a hint of amusement in his eyes as he
squeezed my hand in his. At the conclusion of the last oral
argument the bailiff announced that the panel would break for lunch
and oral arguments would resume at 12:30 p.m. Everyone was
instructed to rise as the seven judges filed out the side door.

“
Let’s go, Chuckles,” Trey
said, as he took my arm and guided me out into the
aisle.

Once we got into the large hallway, I turned
to him. “Trey, I'm so sorry,” I said apologetically. “I don’t know
what got into me in there.”

He continued to stare at me and I couldn’t
tell if he was angry with me or not. I continued on a roll.

“
I think it was the way
Judge Tylar was talking to that windbag attorney and his name being
‘Louderdick’ and all, it just struck me funny all of a sudden and
it was out before I realized -- “

“
Tylar, hush,” Trey said
softly leaning down to give me a kiss. “It’s okay.”

“
So, you’re not mad at
me?”

“
No, I'm not mad at you. I
found it kind of comical as well. I have to admit that it was a
first for me.”

“
You mean an attorney being
escorted out by the bailiff?”

“
No, the first time that
somebody laughed out loud in a hushed courtroom with seven federal
judges in attendance.” I smiled back at him giving him a
hug.

“
So, when will you find out
how the panel rules on your case?”

“
It usually takes about six
or eight weeks for them to rule.”

“
What now?” I
asked.

“
Well, how about you and I
go and get some lunch and then head back to our hotel for a nice
nap before we have to check out and get to the airport?”

“
I like the way you think,
counselor,” I answered him smiling. “I need to use the restroom
first, though.”

I found the ladies restroom in the courthouse
and Trey said he was going to find the men’s room and to meet him
back near the staircase. The hallways in this old courthouse seemed
to wind around like a maze.

After I'd finished up in the restroom, I
headed back down the hallway. When I turned the corner to where the
hallway opened up to the area outside the courtrooms on the third
floor, I realized that it wasn't the same hallway as before. I'd
taken the wrong turn somewhere. I turned around and headed back the
other way. As I approached the corner of the hall where it turned
to go back to where the restrooms were, I collided with a man
coming around the corner from the opposite direction.

“
I’m sorry,” I said looking
up at him.

He wasn’t wearing his robe, but I recognized
Judge Tylar immediately. “Are you alright?” he asked studying my
face.

I nodded affirmatively. He had the same
amber-colored eyes that I did. His eyes dropped to my earrings and
then to my necklace.

“
Marley?” he said, his gaze
locking with mine.

“
Pardon?” I
asked.

“
I’m sorry,” he said,
shaking his head. “I thought for a moment you were someone that I'd
known a long time ago, which is quite impossible. Please excuse
me.”

He walked past me down the long corridor his
footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.

Trey was waiting for me by the stairwell. He
must've been worried because I saw a hint of relief on his face
when he spotted me.

“
Ready?” he
asked.

“
Trey,” I said, “You aren’t
going to believe me but I know that in some way I'm related to
Judge Tylar.”

After I verbalized what I'd felt from the
first time I'd seen the man’s name in print at the firm, to the
collision that had just taken place in the hall, the tears rolled
down my cheeks.

Trey and I arrived back at the apartment by
9:30 p.m. that night. Jean said that Preston had been perfect for
her. She'd put her to bed about forty-five minutes prior to our
getting home. Trey was going to drive Jean home since it was so
late.

After they left, I went to the bedroom and
changed into a pair of my silk pajamas. I then went into the
nursery and pulled Preston out of her crib. She yawned and
stretched in my arms before her eyes fluttered opened and she saw
me. I was immediately rewarded with a dimpled grin.

“
Hi sweetie,” I cooed to her
hugging her close. I took her into our bedroom and pulled the
covers back on our bed climbing into it. I grabbed the remote
turning the flat screen on and settled in with the pillows propped
behind me. I cuddled her against me as we snuggled down together in
the bed.

My cell phone chimed from the nightstand. It
was Gina. “Hey, girlfriend, where are you?” she asked. I could tell
by the background noise she was at the club.

“
We just got in a little
while ago. Trey's taking Jean home. I’m cuddling with
Preston.”

“
Preston's up this
late?”

“
Well - I kind of woke her
up.”

“
You did? Why?”

“
I don't know, I just missed
her, I guess."

“
So how'd things go down
there?”

“
Gina, I'm so positive that
Judge Tylar's related to me in some way; it's possible he could be
my father.”

I provided her the details of the day in
court and then literally running in to him in the hallway and what
he'd called me.

“
Wow,” she said, “What
now?”

“
I think it’s time I pay
Maggie a visit in jail.”

“
Are you
serious?”

“
Yes I am. I need some
answers. She's nothing to lose by giving them to me
now.”

“
If you trust a sociopath I
suppose,” she replied.

“
Hey, not to change the
subject, but Tristan called today and he'll be back in Atlanta for
Thanksgiving.”

“
Really?”

“
Yep. He liked what he saw
on the financials, I guess.”

“
Apparently so,” I replied,
silently smirking.

“
Was Preston a good girl for
Aunt Gina?”

“
Except for the green shit
explosion, she was great.”

“
The what?”

I sat up straighter in bed, disturbing
Preston who had dozed back off. I was awaiting Gina’s
explanation.

“
I think it's all those
pureed green beans. She may not be ready for that particular
vegetable just yet.”

“
Gina! You fed her a whole
flippin’ jar of them at one sitting.”

“
Got to go; my break's over.
See you tomorrow.”

Gina clicked her cell phone off not wanting
to deal with me. I had to smile at the thought of her having to
clean the mess up. Served her right.

I gazed down at my beautiful daughter
wondering if the judge that I'd seen today knew he was a grandpa. I
didn’t care if Trey was skeptical about the connection. It was
similar to what Nigel had told Tess; the heart knows what the heart
knows. In my heart I knew that Judge Preston James Tylar was my
father.