2015 Prompt Responses - 6. Prompt 392 - The Minor Part 5

“What the hell are you watching?” My cellmate looked at me like I was nuts.

“There’s an ant trying to carry a crumb that’s like ten times its size.” I was watching it struggle with carrying its burden across the floor of the jail cell. I sympathized with the overburdened creature.

“What are you in for?”

I looked at the man I was currently sharing space with. I had a feeling this wasn’t his first time in this situation. It was my first time.

“I beat up my brother,” I mumbled.

“Damn…your own brother?”

“Well, he deserved it.”

“It looks like he got in some pretty good hits, too.”

I raised my hand to my cheek. I knew there was a bruise there and I probably had a black eye, too.

“So why did you beat him up?”

“He took his son away from me.”

“Wait a minute…you beat up your brother for taking away his own son? That’s fucked up.” He shook his head.

“What’s fucked up is that he had washed his hands of Jonathan, then comes to my house after not speaking to me for fifteen years, spouting his hatred and being an asshole and expected to be welcomed? I was just defending my home and family!”

“Whoa, fella! Don’t take it out on me!”

I scowled at him. “Just leave me alone.”

“Nathaniel Johnson?” A police officer walked over to the cell.

I stood up. “That’s me.”

“You’re free to go. Your bail has been posted.”

I sighed in relief. My troubles were far from over, but at least now I could face them from outside a jail cell. Ray’s father was waiting for me in the station. After signing a bunch of paperwork, he drove me home.

“We’re here for you, Nate. Whatever you need, all you have to do is ask.” He squeezed my shoulder briefly.

“Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

“I have a friend who’s a lawyer. I filled him in on what happened and he’s willing to take Jonathan’s case.”

“I appreciate that. I guess saving for a house was good for something. At least I have money to pay the lawyer.”

“Don’t worry about the money. I’ll help out in whatever way I can, but George said he’s going to represent Jonathan pro-bono.”

“Wow…that’s great!”

Ray’s father stopped the car in front of my apartment. “I mean it, Nate. Jonathan’s a special boy and you already know how we feel about you. Whatever you need…it’s yours.”

I embraced him silently, nodding. I didn’t trust myself to speak.

I entered the apartment and Ray’s mother immediately walked up to me, swatting me on the arm. “What on earth were you thinking?”

I cringed. “I’m sorry ma, but he deserved it.”

“He may have deserved it, but you need to think of Jonathan! This isn’t going to help your custody case!”

She embraced me, then held me at arm’s length. “Behave yourself from now on. That boy needs you now more than ever.” She kissed my cheek and left.

Ray was still in bed, so I headed to our bedroom. I needed his comfort desperately. He was sleeping so I stripped down to my boxers and slid into bed next to him. He stretched and looked at me blearily.

“Hey...so dad managed to spring you, huh?”

I nodded as I wrapped my arms around him, burrowing into his chest. I tried to hold back, but the pain and frustration of the past twenty-four hours came out in a series of choking gasps as I dissolved into sobs. Ray wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight and rubbing circles on my back.

“It’ll be ok. Dad told me George is going to help you guys. He’s great and I’m sure he’ll do a good job.”

“He made an appointment for this afternoon. I’m going to meet with him and my lawyer. Hopefully they’ll have some answers for us.”

“I wish I could go with you.”

“I do, too. But you need to concentrate on getting better. I need you, Ray. I love you so much. Please know that I want us to work. I don’t want you to leave me because I’m fighting for Jonathan. I can take care of you, too. I promise.”

“Shh…I understand, Nate. I’m not going anywhere. Now I bet you didn’t get much sleep last night. Why don’t you take a nap before your appointment?”

I nodded. It felt so nice to be in Ray arms. I missed him terribly while he had been staying at his parents. I fell asleep almost immediately.

*****

“I think we have a good case to terminate Mr. and Mrs. Johnson’s parental rights based on the tape that Mr. Barrett played for me and Jonathan’s wishes,” said George.

I sighed in relief. “That’s great news. So Jonathan would be able to stay with me and Ray?”

“We would prefer that this not go to court. We are working on scheduling a meeting with the Johnsons and their lawyer. I’m guessing they would prefer to not have that tape or their plans for Jonathan made public.”

“We’re hoping that once he realizes we recorded the initial conversation we had with him, including all the homophobic slurs, that he will agree to the custody arrangement that’s already been proposed,” said my lawyer.

“Is there any way we can get him emancipated? I don’t care about the child support payments. I just want Jonathan safe with me and Ray.”

“We’ll have to go to court for that. I think our best bet is to get a custody agreement in place first, then see what we can do about terminating the Johnson’s parental rights.”

“I’ll pull every favor I have in family court to make sure we get a judge who’ll be sympathetic to Jonathan’s plight. There’s enough evidence out there against the type of facility they want to send Jonathan to that I’m hoping the judge will be appropriately outraged. Especially given his reticence to attend such a place,” said George.

My blood boiled at the mention of Brad’s plans for my nephew. He wanted to enroll him in a “pray away the gay” type facility to “cure him of his disgusting disease”. It was why the police had to physically restrain me from beating my brother into a bloody stain on the carpet and why I ended up in jail overnight. The fucker actually had the nerve to press charges.

“So what’s the next step?” I asked.

“I’ll let you know once we have a meeting scheduled and we’ll go from there,” my lawyer said.

I stood and shook his, then George’s hands. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

George smiled and shook his head. “No thanks are necessary. It’s my pleasure. I can’t stand to see someone’s civil rights violated and this is a very egregious case.”

I nodded and drove home to Ray. I already missed Jonathan terribly.