Jade (Wildflowers 3)

"'What I want to do today is make you aware of what is going to happen and what you will be asked to do,' he said. 'The judge is going to have a psychologist evaluate your family situation to produce a custodial assessment. We have learned today that Dr. Thelma Morton will perform the evaluation. I am familiar with her. She is a very competent and fair-minded person and I think you will like her. Besides her testimony, there will be testimony from some of your mother's friends and someone from your school.'

"'Who?' I demanded.

"He looked at his folder for a moment.

"'Your guidance counselor, a Miss Bickerstaff,' he said.

"'Why her?' I asked. I didn't particularly like her. I thought she was cold and officious and I had always suspected that she didn't really like being around young people.

"'She and I have met on two occasions for parent- teacher conferences,' my mother explained. 'Your father couldn't be there either time even though they were both very important meetings, remember?'

"Neither she nor my father had been to the last meeting, the one where colleges were being discussed, I thought.

"'So we have your school officials, family and friends, and Dr. Morton,' Mr. Fishman catalogued. 'They will be the witnesses in the courtroom. The judge relies on their testimony a great deal, and of course, on what you will say to him

"'I can tell you right now,' he said, 'because of your age, he'll most assuredly ask you which of your parents you prefer to have custody and why. Most likely,' he added, seeing the look on my face, 'this will occur in camera, which means privately, usually with a court reporter present. It's rare for a child, even a teenager, to testify at trial,' he said flashing that cold grin at me.

"'You can't be pressured,' my mother commented, obviously referring to the fact that my father would not be present during the interview with the judge.

"Is she for real? I thought. What is all this if not pressure?"

"I'm glad I didn't have to do that," Misty said.

"I'm not. If a judge had asked me, I would have told him I didn't want either one of my parents to have custody," Star said.

Cat's eyes flashed in silent agreement.

"'Do you unders

tand everything so far?' Mr. Fishman asked me.

"I shrugged. It wasn't calculus. What was there to understand? I knew what he wanted me to do and I didn't like it.

"'In all my custody cases, and I have had a number, actually more than ever recently,' he added, nodding at my mother, 'Hike to meet like this in a casual way with the child or children,' he explained, sitting back and pressing his long fingers into a cathedral.

"Casual? I thought looking around at his impressive office, the walls covered in books and plaques with framed degrees. Hardly casual.

"'What I'd really appreciate hearing are your concerns,' he said.

"I simply stared at him coldly. He looked to my mother.

"'Maybe you'd feel more comfortable speaking if it were just you and I,' he said, swinging his eyes conspiratorially to my mother and then back to me.

"'Actually, I'd feel less comfortable,' I told him. That icy smile returned, stiffer, colder.

"'I appreciate how difficult this is for you,' he said. 'Let me assure you it's not our intention to drive your father completely out of your life. Your mother has no opposition to reasonable visitations, trips, vacations.

"'What we want to do,' he continued, 'is maintain as much normalcy in your life as possible under these trying circumstances. You're comfortable in your home, comfortable with your world as it is right now, correct?'

"'Hardly,' I told him.

"'I don't mean the confrontational atmosphere. I'd like you to stop for a moment and try to separate yourself from that and ask yourself how can you best keep the good things about your life, your world? Just think about that, okay? And when you are asked questions by others, think how your answers will support that, okay?'

"I looked at my mother.

" I'm not losing the house,' she said firmly. 'No matter what he and Arnold say.'

"'You won't,' Mr. Fishman assured her.