And You Call Yourself A Christian (12 page)

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Authors: E. N. Joy

BOOK: And You Call Yourself A Christian
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Chapter Twenty-one
“I'm glad you changed your mind and decided to trust me on this,” Unique's attorney said as they stood side-by-side in the courtroom. “I really believe God is going to work in your favor on this one, Unique. I'm not a churchgoing woman, but I know God when I see Him. And believe you me, honey, He's showed up in this courtroom aplenty of times. And if He did it for some of the heathens I've had to deal with,” Unique's attorney looked her square in the eyes and meant every word she was about to say, “I know He will do it for you, woman of God.”
The court hearing hadn't even gotten started and already Unique was emotional. She was scared and nervous. She prayed she was doing the right thing. She had been so adamant about taking a plea, but that one thing her attorney said to her changed her mind instantly.
“And you call yourself a Christian.”
Yes, Unique did call herself a Christian, and as a Christian, she was supposed to have faith in God. Taking a plea, in her case, would have been almost like lying. She wasn't a liar. She was a Christian ... with faith.
“You okay?” her attorney asked her.
“Yes, it's just that from where I come from, from where I've been, I've been called a lot of things. Not once, though, not ever have I been called a woman of God, and by someone who doesn't really know me.”
“Humph. That's sad,” her attorney shrugged. “If any person can look at you and not see God, then they must be blind. Look how well you're holding up. With all you've been through, that is nothing but God.”
“I don't know about all that. I mean, you should have seen the way I was carrying on the other day after I talked to my sister on the phone. God wasn't anywhere to be found up in that mess. I could feel the Holy Spirit leave my body and run for cover,” Unique joked, wiping a tear before it fell.
“Well, what's that thing about people falling short of the glory?” Unique's attorney reminded her.
“Oh yeah. Thanks for reminding me about that.” Unique shook her head. “It's funny, I call myself a Christian, but yet, here you are the one who keeps having to remind me of it.”
Her attorney smiled. “Trust me, Unique, by the time this case is over, I'm sure I'm going to be a full-fledged believer.”
“All rise!” a voice ricocheting across the courtroom said, interrupting Unique and her attorney's conversation. “The Honorable Judge Peaks has now entered the courtroom.” The bailiff continued his spiel before turning the court over to the judge after saying, “Court, you may be seated.”
“Mrs. Martinez,” the judge looked directly at Unique's attorney, “as you know, your client is being charged with several counts. But I see that you have petitioned the court to separate her charges concerning drug possession with those concerning the death of her children.”
“Yes, Judge Peaks,” Mrs. Jawan Martinez stood and said. Her medium-length, locked hair reminded Unique of Sister Deborah's from church before she cut all her hair off.
They were in the tiniest and neatest little locks Unique had ever seen. They weren't the traditional locks referred to by some as dreadlocks. Unique could tell they were Sis-terlocks because they were exactly like Sister Deborah's had been. With her brown skin, dark brown eyes, and not to mention her hair, it was obvious that even though her last name was Hispanic, she was not. Her husband was though. Unique, never one to bite her tongue, had come right out and asked her attorney, “What's a sista doing with a name like Martinez? Is that your real name, or do you use it to trick people so that they don't think you are just some janky black attorney?”
Thank goodness Unique's lawyer had a sense of humor and had not taken offense to her blunt statement. She just let out a chuckle and shook her head at Unique, informing her that her husband was Puerto Rican. Right now, though, as she stood before the judge, Unique's attorney was in serious mode.
“Well, Mrs. Martinez, I also see that you've agreed to allow the same judge to hear both cases.”
“Yes, that is correct, Your Honor,” Jawan confirmed. “I trust you to be a fair judge, and you will not hold anything against the defendant from one case to the other.”
“Mrs. Martinez, you didn't have to indirectly remind me of my instructions and duties as a judge.” The judge scanned over some paperwork that rested before her.
“Yes, Your Honor. Sorry, Your Honor.”
“I see from the notes of the defense attorney before you that Ms. Gray wished to waive her rights to a jury. Is that still the case?”
“It is, Your Honor. Once again, Judge Peaks, I trust that you will—”
“Once again, Mrs. Martinez, don't push it.”
Jawan slightly lowered her head. “Thank you, Your Honor.”
Rustling the papers into a nice, neat pile, Judge Peaks spoke. “And this morning, is your client ready to enter a plea concerning her charges for drug possession?”
“Yes, she is, Your Honor.”
“And what might that be?”
Jawan looked at Unique, signaling with her eyes for Unique to enter her plea.
“Not guilty!” Unique said. “Not guilty, Your Honor.”
Judge Peaks stared at Unique. This made Unique feel as though she were being judged right then and there. It was as if the judge were making a split-second decision about Unique based on that very moment; how she looked, what she said, etc.
“Okay, and so it is entered,” the judge replied. “I'll have my bailiff check my calendar and the court docket and get this on the calendar.”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” Jawan said.
“And now, for the charges of child endangerment and involuntary manslaughter,” the judge continued.
There was a gasp in the courtroom. It sounded like someone trying to hold back tears. Unique and her attorney looked behind them to see Lorain trying to maintain her composure.
The judge also noticed too. She shook her head at Lorain as if warning her that she'd put her out of the courtroom before she'd let her have a breakdown in it. Judge Peaks was known to show very little emotion and didn't want that of someone else influencing her own.
Fortunately, Unique's pastor and a couple of other New Day Temple of Faith church members were there to comfort Lorain and help calm her down. Unique didn't see Eleanor, her biological grandmother. She figured that she was needed to stay home and sit with the twins.
The twins,
Unique thought about them, and rightfully so, considering her mind, her heart, body, and soul had been so consumed with the loss of her boys, that she never thought about checking on them—asking about them—not even once. The boys had been her life though. No one could blame her.
“What does your client plead on those charges, Mrs. Martinez?” Judge Peaks asked.
Jawan turned and looked at Unique. Unique returned the action. For about five seconds the two women just stood there staring at each other. Finally, Jawan nodded for Unique to go ahead and enter her plea.
“Mrs. Martinez, what does your client plead on the charges of child endangerment and involuntary manslaughter?” the judge repeated with an agitated tone.
“No contest,” Unique pleaded, still looking at her attorney. She needed yet more confirmation from her attorney that for now, pleading no contest was the wisest thing to do. Her attorney had assured her this was the right thing to do pending the outcome of the drug charges.
Unique had feared entering such a plea. She felt that people would automatically assume there was a chance she was responsible. If not, why not just plead “not guilty”? But she'd prayed on it, and it felt right in her spirit. She hadn't talked to any of her family about the plea because she didn't want their opinions to persuade her one way or the other. This was too serious of a matter. The only advice she needed right now was that of God and her lawyer, and thus far, everything her lawyer had suggested lined up with what God put in Unique's spirit. Her family would just have to trust her on this, and she, no matter what it looked like, would have to keep trusting in God.
Chapter Twenty-two
“So how did things go in court?” Eleanor asked as she and Lorain packed up the twins' things so Lorain could take them home.
“Not like I expected,” Lorain replied.
“Is that good or bad?” Eleanor was concerned. She'd only known Unique to be her granddaughter for almost two years, but she loved her like she'd always been a part of her life. She didn't want to see anyone, especially her blood, in such a predicament.
“I don't know. I mean, she pleaded not guilty for the drug charges, but then when she had to enter a plea for the charges about the boys, she entered no contest.”
“What the ... no contest,” Eleanor spat, hands on hips and a scrunched-up face.
“I know, right?”
“Heck, she might as well have gone ahead and pleaded guilty. What's this no contest stuff? Either she did or she didn't do it.” Eleanor shook her head. “My God, what is the jury going to think about that?”
“Well, she's waiving her rights to a jury trial as well.”
“Holy!” Eleanor threw down the baby blanket she was folding. “What kind of lawyer did the church go out and get to represent the poor girl? She might be better off defending herself.”
“Jawan Martinez is supposedly one of the best. We just have to hope that there is a method to this madness, that she knows exactly what she's doing.”
“Let's do more than hope. Let's pray, and with a little faith behind it.”
“Yeah, that's really all we can do.” Lorain looked so weak and hopeless, as if she was just going to break down and fall over at any minute.
“Oh, baby.” Eleanor took her daughter into her arms. “It's going to be all right, sugar. We just have to trust in the Lord.”
“I know, Ma, it's just that ... When God brought Unique back into my life, I had no idea it would be only for a season.”
“Hush your mouth. You're acting like the judge done already convicted her, locked her up, and threw away the key. This thing is just getting started, which means we have plenty of time to pray, fast, and hold steadfast that God is going to show up and show out in this situation. That His will will be done.”
“That's just it, I don't want to pray about God's will. I don't care about God's will. I want my daughter out of jail whether it's His will or not.” Lorain broke down crying as the twins sat buckled in their little pumpkin seats that doubled as car seats once secured in the base.
“I understand, because I'd probably feel the same way had that been you.” Eleanor patted Lorain's back.
“I'm trying to be there for Unique, but my babies need me too.” Lorain pulled herself away from her mother, and then wiped her tears. “Then, of course, there's this thing with Nicholas.”
“Oh my.” Eleanor put her hand to her mouth. “I can't apologize enough for blabbing my big mouth off to him. It's just that you never told me you didn't get a chance to let him know you were going to marry him. I'd just assumed ...” Eleanor's words trailed off. “Well, I guess that's what they mean when they say you should never assume anything.”
“It's not your fault, Ma. I've been stringing that man along long enough. It served me right that he'd demand his ring back from me and leave me standing in my living room looking like a stupid fool. Because I am a stupid fool.”
“You are not. Now, enough is enough.” Eleanor was putting her foot down. “God says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are His works. Now if the twins come home from school one day with something they made you in art class, they give it to you, but then you turn around and talk about how stupid looking it is—how do you think it would make the twins feel?”
Lorain looked down at the girls, who were now starting to doze off. She shrugged. “I don't know. Not so good, I guess.”
“It would tear up their heart, that's what it would do. Something they made and you sit there and talk about it so negatively.” Eleanor took her hands and gently turned Lorain's face to face hers. “Well, that's exactly how God feels when you talk about something He created, and baby, He created you.” Eleanor paused for a moment. “You went to the hospital to see Nicholas that day with good intentions. No one could have ever imagined something like this would have happened. But in all honesty—and I'm only saying this because you are my child and I want to see you happy—what is going on right now with Unique doesn't have anything to do with you marrying Nicholas. And I'm sure that's what is truly angering him.”
“I want to say you're right, Mom, because most of the time you are.”
“Most of the time?” Eleanor said with a furrowed eyebrow.
Lorain cracked a light smile, and then got serious again. “Okay, pretty much all of the time. But there's just too much going on right now. When I become Nicholas's wife, I don't want to have issues, and right now, that's all I have.”
“Oh well, in that case, I'm wasting my breath. You should have told me that in the jump.” Eleanor wiped her hands clean, which confused Lorain. Why was her mother giving up on the situation so easily? What had she said to make her do that?
“What? Why do you say that?” Lorain asked.
“Because if you're looking to go into a marriage and not have issues, then you've got another think coming. A marriage without issues doesn't exist; therefore, you and them twins better get mighty close, because those two are all you're going to have for the rest of your life. Sure, you have me, but even though it's hard to tell with how good I look, I'm getting up there in age. I won't be around forever. But not to worry, you'll have your kids. You won't have a husband, but you'll have kids.”
“Hold up. I didn't say all that. I'm not saying that I'm never going to get married—”
“That's exactly what you said,” Eleanor interrupted, “because like I said, a marriage without issues does not exist. So if that's the excuse you want to use for not marrying Nicholas, so be it.”
“God, now you're sounding like him.” Lorain was frustrated. “I'm not making excuses.”
“Sure, you are. But eventually you'll run out. And maybe when you do, Nicholas will still be hanging around waiting for you. I mean, it's not like there aren't other women out there who'd want to pursue a well educated doctor who gives God all the honor and the glory. Oh no. In two or three years when you come around, maybe when you don't have any more issues, he'll still be sitting there waiting for you.”
Lorain thought for a minute. “Hmmm. Do you really think so, Ma?”
“Nope,” Eleanor said. “Not at all, but obviously you do.”
Lorain cut her eyes at her mother who waltzed off to go gather the rest of the twins' things. This moment alone gave Lorain time to really think about whether she should just let things die down between her and Nicholas or if she should go after him. What seemed like an obvious decision wasn't. Here Unique had just come back into her life, and now she had the twins in her life as well. Unique was going through such a tragic situation that Lorain knew she needed to be there for her daughter. If not, Korica would be. Lorain couldn't let that happen. She just couldn't. So her decision had been made. She looked down at the twins and said, “Well, girls, it looks like it's just me and you ... forever.”

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