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Elsa nods. Damian turns his face toward his sister and won’t answer. I have to fight back tears when Elsa puts her arm around him. “It’s OK, Damian.”
Mabel gives them another kind smile. “You live with your mom at the moment, is that right?”
Elsa nods.
“And I bet she takes good care of you.”
“She does. She’s a great mom.”
Kalli nudges me and I brush a tear from my cheek.
“They’re doing so great,” my sister whispers.
“Now, how often would you say you see your dad?” Mabel continues.
Elsa is quiet for a while. Damian lifts his head and, surprising me, he speaks up. “He doesn’t come anymore. He used to come, but now he’s always busy.”
Mabel nods and looks to Elsa.
“That’s true,” Elsa says. “We used to see him every other weekend, but then he kept being busy, and then it just sort of stopped.”
“And when you do get to see him, what’s it like? What sort of things does he do with you?”
Elsa shrugs. “Not much really. A couple of times he took us out and we went to the movies and had ice cream and that was great. But last time, we only went to his house and he ignored us the whole time, and Damian had an accident.”
“The toilet was yucky,” Damian wails.
Mabel nods and makes a note on a piece of paper. “And what’s his house like?”
Elsa scowls. “There aren’t even any toys. It’s no fun at all. Not like Jarra’s house. Did you know that he got us floaties to wear in his pool, and he always makes sure we get our favorite flavor of ice cream.”
I put my hand over my reddening face. Now the magistrate is going to think we’re bribing the kids to like us better or something.
Mabel only smiles. “That sounds great. Is Jarra your mom’s new partner?”
Elsa nods. “They’re getting married, and it’s going to be just like Anna and Kristoff. Not in the first movie, though. In the first movie, they fight all the time, but Mom and Jarra aren’t like that. Mom tells him what to do and he does everything she says.”
Unexpectedly, Mabel’s face splits in a big grin. “Well, he sounds like a great partner.” She leans in close but the audio catches her whispered words. “I wish my mate did that a bit more often.” Then she straightens. “Now, Elsa and Damian, I need to ask you a very important question, and I want you to think about it carefully before you answer. Can you do that?”
They both nod.
“Where do you want to live? Do you want to live with your mom or your dad?”
“Mom.” Elsa answers straightaway and Damian nods. “We want to live with Mom and Jarra, and if Dad promises to be nice, I will visit him at Christmas and maybe his birthday. But if he’s not nice, I won’t visit at all. I don’t like it when he’s not nice.”
Kalli gives me another nudge and I turn to bury my face in her shoulder. I’m not crying. Not yet. But if I keep looking at Elsa and Damian and their brave little faces, I will. Mabel asks them a few more questions, and then the interview is over, and my kids come rushing out of the interview room and into my arms.
“We told her, Mom. We said we want to live with you and Jarra. Is it done now? Is that the end?”
I nod and brush her hair back from her face and hug Damian with my other arm. “You did so well, baby. And you, my big boy. Well done. Ms. O’Connor still has to make her decision, but I think we get to go home now.”
I look around at my lawyer and she gives me a little nod. “I will wait for Ms. O’Connor to make her ruling, and I’ll be in touch with the final paperwork.”
I thank her, then Kalli and I herd the kids out the door and down the big steps back to the car Rin has waiting for us. We slide into the luxurious seats and Damian climbs into my lap.
“Where would you like to go now?” Kalli asks me. “Do you want to come back to my place for a while? Do you want to be by yourselves? How are you feeling?”
Damian twists to look up at me. “Can we go see Jarra? I want to tell him all about court.”
