Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Court was the most frightening thing I have ever done. It was this terrible task I had to complete, and I desperately didn’t think I could. We got to the courthouse and were eventually led into a waiting room.

There we met Timos’ auntie for the first time. She had eyes only for Timos. It was clear how much she loved him. But to this tiny four-year-old, this was the woman who had given him away to be beaten and terribly abused. He was so overwhelmed that he fell asleep in Garen’s arms.

He could do that, fall asleep in a moment when overcome with anxiety or the strangeness of his new life. It was an escape and we just held him and whispered in his tiny ears how much we loved him and how everything was going to be okay.

We waited in a tiny room with hard wooden benches for over two hours. Then the clerk came in and announced that the judge decided to leave. Our appointment would be rescheduled. WHAT? How is this even something that happens? Our lawyer simply shrugged, said it happened all the time and she left.

Discouraged we limped back to our hotel and spent the afternoon swimming, but numb.

About a week later we had a second court date. We were shown into the same waiting room, but this time there were no wooden benches. It was a completely empty room, so we sat on the floor in our dress clothes and leaned against the wall. After a few hours we were told the judge decided to leave again.

A few days later our driver told us to hurry. He was coming to get us and take us to court. We rushed to get dressed up in our court clothes and the look on his face when he pulled up to get us was priceless. He was incredibly confused that we would go to the zoo so dressed up. Garen had misunderstood him. So we went back to the room, put our court clothes away AGAIN and spent the day at the strangest zoo.

We had mentioned, days before, we were excited to see lions. Our driver decided to take us to the zoo so we could see one. We just stood at the railing of the lion enclosure, staring at the tombstone to the zoo’s only lion. At least we assumed it was the only lion. We certainly didn’t see any others. We were holding each other’s hand, squeezing tightly to keep ourselves from laughing. They were very proud of that lion. I must have looked like I was paying my respects properly with the tears in my eyes. They were actually from the strain of not being able to laugh, but no one except Garen knew. He would look at me and quickly look away so he wouldn’t break out laughing too. It was beyond ridiculous. We thought we were going to court and instead got to see the headstone of a dead lion.

We finally got to see the judge on our third trip to court. We had been prepped by our lawyer to say nothing unless spoken to specifically. The judge was gruff and didn’t even bother to look up when we entered his chambers. We took our seats and sat still. And then, I burst out with, “Oli Otya, Ssebo.” Our lawyers head dropped, and she sighed. The judge’s head jerked up and he looked at me for a long moment before asking how it was I spoke Lugandan. I told him that if my son was going to be an American then we were going to be Ugandan. He looked at me another long moment before telling me that was very good. He then signed the papers and handed them to our lawyer. All other questions unasked. Done. An appointment that should have been at least forty-five minutes was over in under five. We were officially Timos’ guardians, and we had permission to take him out of the country for the purpose of adoption. He could no longer be taken away from us. No one would ever threaten my son again in my presence.

The relief that flooded through me that afternoon was powerful. I walked with my head up. I looked people in the eyes. I had the power of the court behind me now. Yes, stuff could still happen. But we had protection now. Garen and I alone were in charge of Timos now. When a soldier came towards us, I could pull Timos behind me and look the soldier in the eyes. I was never disrespectful, but I certainly was no longer cowed by the fear that my son could be taken away. If someone was going to lay hands on my son, they would have to lay hands on me first.