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Her attorney slammed the legal pad on the table.
They’d hinged their entire case on the juvenile charges. When it was Avery’s turn to question me, she asked how Corey was doing since he moved in with me.
I took a deep breath before I started. “Corey started a new school. I had him helping me in the evenings with the garage. It was a huge adjustment. He wanted to go back to Texas, but Tiffany said no.”
“You asked Tiffany if she’d take him back?” the judge asked.
I startled, not expecting the judge to ask me a question. “Yes. At the time, Corey wanted to go back. He missed his school and friends. But Tiffany said she wasn’t in a place to take him then.”
The judge nodded, and I felt the tension coming from Tiffany’s trial table, but the attorney didn’t object. Maybe the judge had leeway to ask questions for clarification.
Avery gestured for me to continue.
“Corey started getting into some trouble. Poor grades, skipping school, and we found out later, he’d graffitied some buildings.”
“What happened after that?” Avery asked.
“I sat him down, and we talked about everything that was going on. Then I called the school to see what they could do to help. They placed him in a homework program after school, where a teacher helps him with his work. He volunteered to help with a town fundraiser, where he met Reid Everson, who suggested he play football.”
The judge leaned over the bench. “Did you say he met Reid Everson?”
“That’s right. He was involved in the town event where Corey was volunteering. They played a pick-up game, and Reid saw some talent in him. He suggested he play football for his rec team. Reid’s taken him under his wing where he joined the football team.”
“Is his sports complex Rebel Sports?” the judge asked.
“That’s the one. Corey’s on the football team and part of a nutrition and weight-lifting program there. Reid personally oversees his progress and checks in from time to time.”
“Hmm,” the judge said.
I turned toward the courtroom to continue. “He has to have good grades to stay on the team. Since he joined these programs, his grades have improved, and he hasn’t gotten into any trouble inside or outside of school.”
“Is Corey here?” the judge asked.
Avery stood. “Your Honor, we didn’t want to take him out of school, but we could bring him to the courthouse when school is released for the day.”
The judge nodded. “Let’s do that. I want to talk to him.”
I hoped that was a good sign.
“Is there anything else you’d like to add?” Avery asked.
“When Tiffany got pregnant, I followed her wherever she wanted to live. I was happy to do that because I wanted to be near my son, and I wanted to support them both. Recently, I had an opportunity to open my own business here in Annapolis, Harbor Garage & Service Repair Center,with a friend.”
“I’ve heard of it,” Judge Miller said.
“I wanted to return to the place where both my family, and Tiffany’s, live. Since Corey came to live with me, I’ve been his full-time parent. He helps at the garage, and he’s been volunteering at Hailey Stockton’s Spice & Tea Shoppe. He’s matured since he’s moved here, and I think he’s benefited from a closer relationship with me.”
“You want Corey to continue to reside with you?”
“I’d be open to sharing custody if Tiffany moved back to Maryland, but I don’t want to disrupt his life by moving him back to Texas or forcing him to fly there for visitation every other weekend during the school year.”
Judge Miller rubbed his chin. “It would be hard to be on a football team if he was traveling so much.”
“That’s true, and he loves playing,” I said to him. I hoped his remarks meant he was sympathetic to my concerns.
Tiffany’s attorney took over questioning. Thankfully, Avery had done a great job preparing me. I just kept coming back to my desire to let Tiffany take the lead when Corey was little but that he was doing so well now and was exactly where he needed to be.
Corey was thriving with me. I let the energy of that statement infuse my words.
