"Order, all rise! The honorable Judge Dianne McGillivray is presiding."

Sure enough, the day where I would learn of my fate in the foster-care system had finally arrived. And while Gianna and Jose were certain that I was going to find a nice and stable home to help me get on the road to recovery; my nerves were saying otherwise and the pessimist in me was ready to point out the negatives that were soon coming my way.

They'll only use you as a servant around the house.

They're only doing this for the money, bot because they want you to think that they care.

You shouldn't let anyone get too close to you, Demario. Your birth family and the relatives didn't bother wanting to take you in. So why should anything change?

Wouldn't it be best to finish your plan to end it all in the first place? Save the foster family some trouble and take the lethal and quick way out.

Ladies and gentlemen, my subconscious- all cynical and fatalistic no thanks to the words of my mother.

"You're going to do okay," my lawyer Ms. Burney, a statuesque blonde in her forties, told me reassuringly. "The judge and DA know what happened to you and your upbringing."

I only nodded, not feeling a bit confident despite her support as well as those from the Tuckers who decided to make an appearance alongside Gianna, Jose, and Dr. Nguyen.

"Please be seated," the judge, a plump, fiftyish-year-old woman commented as the spectators took their seats. "I assume this is about Mr. Bader and his status in being placed in the foster system."

"That is correct, Your Honor," commented the DA (a youthful and well-dressed man in his thirties) as he stood up and approached the center of the courtroom. "Your Honor, we have Mr. Demario Bader who hasn't had a pleasant upbringing thanks to an emotionally toxic household. His mother basically hated him while his father just let her do whatever she wanted as both of them played favorites with his siblings- the mother loving the older brothers while the father doted on the younger sisters. And when they died of a car wreck several days ago, Mrs. Bader dictated in her will that Demario was to be disowned and cut off from the family while the extended relatives wouldn't bother to take him into their homes. And that just propelled him to attempt to commit suicide."

"I see," Judge McGillivray hummed. "And I take it that the extended family members from both sides were known of what happened?"

"Yes, Your Honor," my lawyer replied. "Unfortunately, they never bothered to show up at the hospital and provide support. From what I heard from one of Mr. Bader's uncles, and I quote you, 'Everyone agrees that Demario should've shot himself and not let anyone stop him from killing himself."

There was a small murmuring from the crowd.

"Order," commanded the judge, banging her gavel. To the DA, "And none of the relatives are even here?"

The DA shook his head no. "I just got off the phone from one of the paternal aunts," he said tersely. "She said that as long as he's out of our lives, we don't even care."

The judge narrowed her eyes at the comment.

For the next hour or so, the judge interviewed Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, Dr. Nguyen, and even Gianna and Jose as they talked about my stay at St. Luke's and how I was recuperating. The judge was starting to grow more livid at my late mother when she learned that I wasn't being fed properly or given the same amount of attention and love like my brothers and sisters were given by Mom and Dad. "If it hadn't been for me and my wife making sure that Demario had some of the necessities, things might've been more tragic and Demario might have ended his life earlier," Mr. Tucker said morosely as he gave his testimony. "Demario is a good soul who got a raw end of the stick and was treated like old furniture for most of his life."

God bless that man and his family.

Finally, it was time for the judge to have her say. "I must say that what I have heard was purely distasteful," she began. "A young man who had to feed off from the scraps of leftover food was basically facing a dead end with no support other than the few people who showed him any kindness. I'm thankful that Mr. and Mrs. Bader aren't alive because they might've faced charges of child neglect and emotional abuse, more than likely being sentenced to prison for not treating their child as they did with his siblings."

To me, "Mr. Bader, you have my deepest sympathies. It's a wonder that you survived it all despite your failed suicide attempt. I may not fully relate to your story; but I can only tell you that you are a warrior with your life story."

I took a deep breath. "Thank you, Your Honor," I managed to breathe out. "If I may speak?"

"By all means."

I took a deep breath. "Your Honor, my life has been far from charmed. I was dealt with too many bad hands thanks to my domineering bully of a mother and my weak-minded father who agreed with her with everything she said and did towards me. While I didn't get physically abused, emotional and mental abuse was just as bad. I did everything that I could to appease her, but she wasn't truly happy with me being in her life. If I could bet billions to bagels, I would guess that things might've been different if my parents and sisters were alive and I was the one who died. And my relatives? They'd throw parties and parades for them all and would gladly throw my body in an unmarked grave located near a construction site or something.

"My attempt of committing suicide may have been a bit rash. I have no problems admitting it. But I was simply tired, Your Honor," I continued, my voice laced with conviction. "My mother's last recorded words to me? I wish for thunder and lightning to kill you. That's what she said to me. She hated me so much that she wanted me to die by any means, even if it meant me killing myself. Your Honor, I was told that I have so much to fight for by my therapist, my designated nurse and orderly, and even others at St. Lukes- patients and their families alike who know my story. Frankly, I think that I'm all out of fight, luck, hope, and timing. And if I am sounding like a bitter housewife that was trapped in a loveless arranged marriage for too long; then it's nobody's fault but mine because I let them all use and abuse me like a doormat."

"But you do not deserved to be treated as one, young man," the judge commented. "The people who should've given you love and support in the first place are the ones to blame. And if I may speak frankly about your late parents and siblings, I believe that there is a special place in hell for them after giving you nothing but grief for almost all of your life. You attending school may have made things better as did the Tucker family; but you needed the proper nurturing that was denied to you. And I do believe that you have something to fight for, as do your attorney and the DA. Right, Mr. Carson and Ms. Burney?"

"Definitely," agreed Mr. Carson, giving me an assuring nod.

"Yes," Ms. Burney hummed. "Your Honor? I do believe that we have a foster family ready to meet him today. And I motion that Mr. Bader not only move in with them but also get him some therapy sessions with Dr. Nguyen."

"DA, any objections?" asked Judge McGillivray.

"None whatsoever, but I think that Mr. Bader might need ten more days at the psych ward of St. Luke's Hospital to mentally prepare himself," Mr. Carson replied. To me, "I think that you'll need it to prepare yourself."

"Thank you," I said.

"So ordered," Judge McGillivray commented, banging her gavel. "Mr. Bader will meet his foster family after lunch. Court is adjourned."

She motioned me to approach her at the bench. "Young man, I meant every word that I said," she told me gently. "Despite all that you went through, you do have something worth fighting for. You may not believe it now, but you will."

"Thank you, ma'am," I replied.

*************

After a quick lunch at a nearby cafe, I was back at the courthouse, waiting to meet my foster family as Jose and Gianna were joining me in one of the private conference rooms.

"Are you excited to meet the family?" Jose asked me as I sat in a large rolling chair.

I paused to take a calming breath. "I'm not too sure what to feel right now," I replied. "I have so many emotions running inside my head and most of it not being too positive."

"Well, let yourself be surrounded by peace, love, and balance," Gianna reminded me, sipping on some water. "Jose and I know these folks because our brothers are in the family. Antonio and Evan are my younger brothers and Joel and Taylor took them in when our mom died of drug overdose while I was in college."

"And Javi's my little brother, the both of us born in the US while our parents were sent back to El Salvador," Jose replied. "So you can see us as your extended siblings in a way."

I nodded. "Well, I can only imagine how things will play out," I hummed as I heard footsteps from outside. "That must be them now."

The door swung open to reveal a well-dressed family of men, all of them looking as if they stepped out of a fashion magazine. "Hello, Demario," one of the two older man (a perfect blonde-haired and blue-eyed modern-day Norse god) greeted me as he and the other man (a dark-skinned man who looked more professional) came up to me and shook my hand. "I'm Joel Lomax and this is my husband Taylor."

"We're going to make sure that you get your life back on track," Taylor said, his voice similar to rumbling thunder. "And kid, that former family of yours doesn't know how good they had it when they refused you."

The younger men- all of them around my age, two male versions of Gianna and a younger version of Jose- came up to me. "I'm Javier Gomez-Lomax," the Hispanic kid said eagerly, his musical voice seemingly lifted my mood.

One of the Black teens, both of them being identical twins, came up to me. "I'm Antonio," he said with is voice slightly similar to Taylor's. "This is my brother Evan. We can't wait to have you home in ten days." 

"Charmed to meet you all," I replied. "I have a strong feeling that things might be life-changing for me after today."

And that, dear readers, is the truth. Something in my heart me that the Lomax family is...well, I didn't know what to think. But I had a feeling that my newest chapter in my life is going to be full of surprises.

He ain't wrong about that, folks. His new beginning is going to be full of surprises, drama, and a lot of much-needed healing. I'm not giving away too much, though. You'll have to read on to see what I mean.

Coming up in the next chapter, Demario finally arrives at his new home after his extended stay at St. Lukes. And Dr. Nguyen and the maid have some choice advice for Demario. Stick around, folks, because this is about to get real.

Dedication: actuallyitsmonica and GreenForestWitch. Song: "Forward" by Beyonce ft. James Blake.

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