Like Gold Refined (13 page)

But Jonathan did not back down. “I’ll fight you on this, Jenny,” he said, and his voice made Virginia feel a chill all down her spine. “If I have to sell every horse on the farm. The farm itself. I’ll fight you on it. I won’t see Mindy torn from the only family she knows. She belongs here.”

Virginia’s knees nearly gave out on her. It was all she could do to make it back to the table and lower herself to a chair. Jonathan crossed to her and knelt by her side, putting his arms around her waist. “We’ll never let her go,” he said, his voice low and deliberate. “You don’t think I’d let them take her—do you?”

“She is Jenny’s child.” Virginia’s voice trembled. “Not anymore. She is our child.”

“But—”

“No buts. She’s ours—and I aim to keep her. Until she no longer wants to be with us—she stays here.”

“But … but surely … not at the … the … ” Virginia’s eyes sought out Jonathan’s. A court battle would be costly in far more ways than merely dollars and cents.

“I don’t expect things to go that far,” he said to her unspoken fear. “But if they do … then, yes, we will have to weather the storm—together.”

Virginia shivered.

“Why don’t you lie down? Try to get some rest. Jenny is gone now—things will be back to normal again.”

Virginia wondered if life could be normal again. Ever.

Jonathan stood up. “I’ll be back after a while,” he said. Virginia supposed he was going out to the barn, but when he reached the door he turned once more. “I’m going over to the school. I’ll wait around until Mindy is dismissed and bring her home.”

His words constricted Virginia’s heart with new fear. Surely it hadn’t come to this. Surely they wouldn’t need to spend every waking hour on guard for Mindy’s safety. Was that the way they were going to have to live?

All she could do was nod her throbbing head. She just wanted the nightmare over. This horrible, horrible nightmare. She just wanted to crawl away somewhere and be claimed by dreamless sleep.

The door clicked shut. Jonathan was gone. She was alone. She would collapse if she could manage to make it to her bed.

And then the phone rang. Insistent. Making her already taut nerves jerk her body in response. She had to answer it. She pulled herself from the chair and crossed the room. “Hello,” she managed, and Clara’s voice came over the wire.

“Virginia, is that you? You sound so far away. I can hardly hear you. You’ll never guess what just happened. Troy came home with a new motorcar. He’s just dying to try it out—show it off. Is it okay if we come out tonight after supper?”

Virginia scrambled for concentration. “We … we need to pick up the children. They are at Mama’s. We’ll be driving in to get them later. I don’t know—”

“Great. Call us when you get to town. We can just pop over there. We can show the folks at the same time.”

“Yes … yes … I guess that … that will be fine,” Virginia stumbled along.

She had just replaced the receiver when the phone rang again. It was her mother inviting them for supper. Virginia wasn’t sure if she had said yes or no when she turned away after hanging up. She hoped she had said yes. The distraction would be good for all of them.

CHAPTER 13

I
am so worn out and confused it gives me a headache,” Virginia confessed. The supper dishes had been done and Clara and Troy, with their excited family, had driven away after showing off the new car. Mindy had the little ones in tow in a back bedroom where Grandma Belinda stowed some toys. Now the four adults sat in the family living room. Virginia could feel her mother’s eyes searching her face with concern.

Jonathan must have decided on the direct approach. “Jenny has demanded that she have Mindy back.”

Virginia’s eyes were on her father, the lawyer, who dropped his gaze as though to hide any message his eyes might give. Virginia thought she could see the legal wheels turning in his mind.

“Can she do it, Papa?”

Drew hesitated for a moment, then shifted in his chair. “She has the right to try.”

The words further frightened Virginia.

“What would it mean?” asked Jonathan solemnly.

Drew did not take long for his answer. “A fight. Perhaps a long, costly one.” He did then pause a moment before he added, “And probably an acrimonious one.”

Jonathan nodded. “I guessed as much.”

“Are you prepared for that?” asked Drew quietly.

Jonathan shifted in his chair. The muscles along his jaw line moved. “If that’s what it takes,” he answered, and his words sounded as determined as they had when he said as much to Jenny.

Virginia felt the tears sting her eyes. She agreed with her husband, but the entire prospect chilled her soul. She had lived in the home of a lawyer all her growing-up years, and though her father had never discussed his cases with the family, neighbors and others did. She knew of court cases that dragged on and on, year after year—totally destroying families, sucking up every? thing they had in the process. And still without the intended results. Could they endure that? Should they even try?

Then there was the other side. Jenny had given birth to Mindy. Virginia’s mother-heart constricted at the idea of keeping a mother and child apart. Was it morally right? And yet it was Jenny who had brought Mindy to them. … She debated with her conscience, not knowing what was the weightier truth. Eventually her troubled thoughts brought her back to Mindy herself—what she honestly felt was best for the child. She knew that Jonathan was right. This could destroy the little girl.

Oh, if only there was some other way. …
Virginia reached a hand to her aching head. She felt warm and feverish. “Jonathan,” she said, her voice unsteady, “we must get the children home. It is already past their bedtime. I imagine … Mindy—” her voice caught—“has entertained them as long as possible.”

Jonathan rose, nodding his agreement. “Can I drop in and talk with you tomorrow?” he asked his father-in-law.

“If … if this thing goes to court … you might need a lawyer with more experience in such cases,” answered Drew solemnly.

“Well, at least I’d like your advice on some preliminaries—more as a father than a lawyer.”

Drew nodded. “How about around eleven?”

It’s already started
, Virginia groaned inwardly, her head throbbing in pain.
Oh, God—where will it end?

They managed to change the tone of their conversation before collecting the children for the ride home. James was already sleeping, curled up on a pillow in a corner. Olivia was stacking blocks while Martha, tongue protruded slightly, concentrated on a new picture for Grandma Belinda. Mindy finally had been able to curl up in a chair with a book.

Virginia could not wait to get home to her own bed—hopefully to sleep. “Here,” her mother the nurse said as she slipped a small packet into Virginia’s hand. “These tablets are very mild, but they will help you sleep.”

“My head aches so I can’t—”

“They’ll help that, too.”

And then they were all tucked in the car and on their way home through the night. Virginia looked around at the sleepy little ensemble. She was thankful they were all together—with Mindy. She had not known that morning if … But she shook the thought from her mind.

Oh, God
, she prayed silently,
make Jenny change her mind. Please—don’t let her go through with this. She’ll destroy us all
.

The next weeks were miserable and emotionally wrenching. Virginia felt hopeful one day and despairing the next. No word had come from Jenny. Virginia dared to hope that she had indeed decided not to go through with her threat, but Jonathan cautioned her that things moved slowly through the court system. Silence did not necessarily mean they were now safe.

Virginia woke each morning, the tension of the previous day leaving her weary and strung out. Jonathan was being very wary. She could see it in his face, feel it in his body. Each day he delivered Mindy to school and picked her up at day’s end. The teacher was surprised but did not ask questions when she was instructed that no one else was ever to pick up the child. Not even her grandfather Woods.

Virginia wondered if Mr. Woods was aware of Jenny’s plans. His manner toward them had not seemed to change when they met in church on Sundays. But perhaps he was adept at hiding his feelings. She could not be sure, and she found herself always on guard—looking for little things that might give some awareness of Jenny’s intentions.

Because they did not want to chance any word getting back to Mindy, they did not let anyone else know except for Belinda and Drew. This put further strain on Virginia, who felt she always had to carefully guard her words when talking to Clara or Francine, or when writing to her brothers.

It seemed the whole world had changed. Instead of living in a relaxed, warm world of caring family and friends, Virginia now resided in some dark pit of frightening doubts and suspicions. She watched, she listened, she suspected evil to come from any direction at any moment. The whole situation left her strained and pale.

She tried, she desperately tried, to leave it all with the Lord. To pray for peace and confidence that His will be done. She would struggle through until she came to some kind of settlement on the issue, then something new would happen and she would find herself almost paralyzed with fear again. She scolded herself over and over for her lack of faith—and that only worsened her plight. The guilt added to the tension that characterized her days.

The letter, delivered by the usual mail, was addressed to both her and Jonathan and was from a city lawyer, stating that they were to appear in court to hear a child-custody case against them. It had happened. Their worst nightmare had come true.

It meant a trip to the city. It meant making arrangements for the children. It meant train fare and hotel rooms and legal fees and all manner of unforeseen expenses. And it meant a terrible toll on mind and body.

Jonathan quickly sold one of the young brood mares to a farmer who had been anxious for some months to buy her. He did not get the price she was worth, but he hoped it would be enough to pay the initial expenses.

Belinda moved out to the farm to care for the children. The four were both excited and puzzled. Their folks had never left them and gone to the city before. To the smallest ones, “city” was a word they did not know or understand. Mindy, from her years of schooling, had some idea. “It’s like a big, big town,” she informed them, making their eyes grow wide.

“Can I go, too?” Martha asked.

Virginia informed her that she could not—not now. Maybe someday.

“Why are you going?” was the next inevitable question.

“We have some … some business.”

“What city are you going to?” asked Mindy.

Virginia had hoped this question would not be asked. But she named the city.

“That—isn’t that the city where Mama Jenny lives?”

“Yes … yes, it is,” Virginia admitted.

Mindy’s eyes lit up. She was still faithfully praying for Mama Jenny.

“Will you see her?”

“I … I think we likely will,” Virginia said, busying herself with something to avoid eye contact with the child.

“I’ll send her a little note,” said Mindy, running to get some paper and a pencil.

Oh, no
, thought Virginia.
This might not be good. If the judge thinks Mindy is attached, is in touch with Jenny, it might influence the decision
. Yet, could she turn Mindy down? Could she take the note and then “forget” to deliver it? No—she couldn’t be deceitful. Yet if Jenny ended up in court waving a note from her child, what would it mean?

“Why … why don’t you wait … with your note,” she said when Mindy reappeared. “You can write a much longer one—later—when you have more time. It’s time for you to be leaving for school soon.”

The note truly would have been rushed. Mindy nodded in agreement and went for her school bag.

Virginia felt like weeping. She had been so careful in all Mindy’s growing-up years to instill in the girl a respect for the mother she did not know. Now it seemed she was having to tear to shreds the very foundations of truth and genuine care she had worked so hard to build. It was true that Mindy, to date, knew nothing of the traumatic shift in relationship—but Virginia did. She felt she was betraying both Mindy and Jenny.

Drew traveled with them, and Virginia took comfort in having her father there. At least he knew about courts. At least he could give advice. But most importantly, he was her father and had been as much a grandparent to Mindy as to her other children. She felt some protection from what lay ahead just by his very presence.

It was all confusing and exhausting and foreign to Virginia. There were court appointments, delays, questions, and end? less probing. Jenny was there, sitting sullenly across the room. Virginia noticed she had used rouge on her sunken cheeks to try to hide her pallor, but she still looked peaked and drawn. Her lawyer drew his own interpretation of her physical state when he told the court the anguish that his client had been going through because of the severance from her child.

That’s not true
, Virginia wanted to explain, but a small nudge from Jonathan, who must have felt her tense, brought her back to her senses. One did not make such a scene in a courtroom. There were countless rules and regulations about what could be said and when.

Virginia looked across at Jenny. Truly she looked awful. Now and then spasms of coughing, which she fought to con? trol, shook her frail frame. It made Virginia’s heart ache just to watch her. Then a sudden thought brought her forward in her seat. Perhaps Jenny would die before the issue even went to trial, and they would be spared the whole ugly proceeding. Mindy would be theirs. Virginia shrank back in her place, shocked and shamed at such a thought. What a terrible thing to think. Her friend still did not know God. If she were to die now, neither Virginia’s nor Mindy’s prayers would have been answered—and certainly Virginia would wish death on no one in order to fulfill her own desires.

No, Jenny’s demise was not the answer to their problems. Reason. Justice. Mindy’s welfare. Those were the things that must guide the decision of the courts.

Virginia thought that this session would never end. She couldn’t follow all the legal jargon, but at long last her father was rising, and Jonathan was pulling her up to her feet beside him. The judge was exiting the room.