All Rise for the Judge

Happy June everyone.  Wow, that came fast.  Are you all set for summer. The summer weather is here - 106 yesterday.  We're praying for rain but nary a drop in sight.  Fires are popping up everywhere - things are so tinder dry.  And yet, other parts of the country are being deluged.  Weather patterns have sure changed.

Ray and I are leaving this week on vacation.  I'm excited.  We're visiting family first, because of grammar school and high school graduations for our grands, then we're taking a leisurely drive down the coast highway stopping in several coastal town along the way before heading back home.  We haven't done that drive in years.  It was usually further north along the coast or flying to California.    Weather should be cooler which will be lovely before we come back to wither in the AZ summer.

I know I've said this about some others, but I think this may be either a new book or a longer story in a short story collection.  Either way, it is not finished but I'm posting in and I'm well into the second part.  I probably won't be posting the next part until I return so next week will be another retread.

If you want to read something new and actually finished,  may I suggest PK's latest book, Educating Jenny.  It's book 3 of that series and PK's writing never disappoints.  

You'll recognize lots of old friend in there too. 

Now for the new story.

Here Comes the Judge

“Georgie Hanson you stay away from me or else”

“Or else what, Magdalene Darling.”

“Or else I’m gonna punch out your lights”

“Yeah, you and who else”

That scenario went through Maggie's mind as she walked into the courtroom and saw Georgie Hanson sitting on the bench – the most honorable George M. Hanson now. Maggie turned around to leave the courtroom but was stopped by her attorney just entering.

“You’re going the wrong way,” he told her.

“No, I’m not.  I won’t get a fair hearing.”

“Of course you will.”

“No, the judge and I have history.”

Emil Jannings shook his head.  “What kind of history could you possibly have, you haven’t lived in this area in years.”

“Yeah, well we do and it did take place years ago.  See that scar above his right eye.”

“Yes, so what.”

“I put it there.”

“Oh, really.  The judge always says it was a war wound.”

Maggie flushed.  “As far as I know, Georgie Hanson was never in a war and I know I wasn’t. I’ll tell you how he received that scar.  He was teasing me about my name as usual and when I told him to quit, he laughed at me, so I knocked him down and punched him.  It bled something awful.  He needed stitches.”  Emil Jannings was laughing now.

“Stop laughing, it’s true and he swore I would be sorry.  There is no way he is going to give me a fair hearing.”

“Maggie, that was how many years ago.  I’m quite sure Judge Hanson isn’t still holding a grudge.”

He ushered her toward a seat in the courtroom.   She was more nervous now than before.  Her case was to get the zoning changed on her Grandma’s  (now hers ) property.  Gran Darling had passed and left her Victorian house to her only granddaughter, Magdalena.  She had plans to turn it into a bed and breakfast.  The Darling house and name were well known in these parts and she wouldn’t even have to change the name.  It was a darling house in more ways than one.  Her great-grandfather had built it for his bride when they were first married.  It had eight bedrooms and three bathrooms, unheard of in a house built at the time.  They anticipated a houseful of children but only two lived to adulthood, one of them was my Grandma. 

Grandma Darling was somewhat of a rebel – a woman way before her time.  She moved away when she was twenty and joined a dancing troupe that was touring the country.  She met my grandfather and soon became pregnant.  Much to her parent's dismay, she refused to marry the man just to get a name for her son.  “My child has a name, Darling, it was good enough for me and it will be good enough for him or her,“ she told her parents.

Steven Foster Darling was born and lived with his parents in a trailer. They were still part of the dance troupe and were performing all over.  When war broke out, Steven Foster, my grandfather enlisted and was killed in battle.  By this time, my great-grandparents' health was failing and Gram and her son, my dad, moved back to care for them.

My dad went off to college and met my mother.  She was an easterner, through and through and thought of Montana as being filled with cowboys and Indians.  It was not for her and she refused to settle there.  My dad tried it her way but could never adjust to city life.  He moved back here and I would visit him during the summer and every other Christmas.  I met Georgie Hanson during one of those summer vacations.

He was a cute little shit and I fancied myself in love with him.  He put up with me if no one else was around but would abandon me if something better came along.  It was during one of these times that we had our ‘incident.’  After that, we weren’t friends anymore, and on my visits, I no longer sought him out.

As Gram became frail, Dad sold his place and moved into the Darling House to care for her.  When Gran passed I knew the house had been left to me but there was no way I was going to displace my dad.  When he passed last spring, I decided to move to  Greenwich and convert Gram’s house into a B and B.  It was something I always wanted to do and Gran’s house was perfect and Greenwich was also a picture postcard kind of town, both in the summer and the winter.  Being a freelance writer gave me the freedom to work anywhere and the extra money from the B&B allow me to live very comfortably.   I began making the plans to rezone the property  There now you know the story, do you still think Little Georgie will give me my approval stamp, Mr.Jennings."

"Not if you call him little Georgie Boy."  I laughed and some of my nervousness left.  So there I stood with all the T's crossed and I’s dotted.  All I needed was a rezoning ordinance for the work to begin. The plan was for two of the existing bedrooms to be converted to a large en-suite and each of the remaining bedrooms would have their own bath.  The downstairs would be the public space, library, media room and kitchen.  There was an old carriage house on the property to be converted to my living quarters.  There was ample parking and when I presented t the plans to the city council they were overwhelmingly approved. The last step in this process was the final courtroom hearing before the judge.

She sat in the courtroom looking at Georgie.  He had turned into a fine looking man, with a full head of hair that was almost white - surprising since he wasn’t that old.  Although she couldn’t see much of him under his judicial robes, he appeared in good shape.  She didn’t notice a wedding band and leaned over to ask Emil if he was married when she heard her court case called.

She stood on wobbling knees and walked toward the bench, Emil Jannings next to her and waited.

George Hanson shuffled through papers in front of him. He suddenly stopped and looked up before looking back down again.

When he next rose his head, “So Miss Magdalene Darling is it?  How is that right hook?”

Maggie was sure she was red from her neck up.   “Pardon me, your Honor.”

 

“Oh come on, Ms. Darling we both know what I’m talking about.”  His eyes twinkled and there was a slight glimpse of a smile on his lips.

“Yes, your Honor, I do.  Let me just say that I haven’t had occasion to use it for a while so I’m not sure.”

“Well, let me say, that I hope you won’t have to.”

He went back to shuffling through the papers.  “Before I make my final decision, would Ms. Darling please approach the bench.”

Emil Jannings started to walk with her.  “No Mr. Jannings, Ms. Darling only.”  Now Maggie was really nervous.  When she was right in front of him, Georgie brought down his head and in a conspiratorial whisper asked her to dinner.  Maggie was flummoxed.  “If I say no, will my plans be denied?”

“I’m sorry you think so little of me Maggs.  After all, we were childhood friends.  My decision will be based on the merits of your plan and the recommendations of the city council.  I’m just asking if you’ll have dinner with me some evening.”

“I ’d love to if you promise not to call me Maggs.  It’s not going to cause problems with your wife, or will she be joining us?”

He laughed.  “No wife, I’m a widower.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, if she hadn’t passed I’m sure we would have divorced.”

“That good, huh.”

“It was, but things changed. How about you, do you have a husband.”

“No, no husband.”

“Never married  or…

“Never married.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised, if they ever showed them your right cross, it would be enough to scare away any man.”

“Ha, ha, ha.  I’m not sure I want to have dinner with you now.”

“Too late, you already accepted and the fact that you have no husband is even better because there’s been something you have coming, something I promised myself if I ever saw you again, and a husband would have definitely been a problem.”

“I really am rethinking having dinner with you.”

“Have you turned chicken, you never were before.”

“No, I haven’t turned chicken and I’ll stand by my acceptance.  Besides, I’ll always have that right hook."

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.