Chapter 4
Brad went into his office and closed the door. He hit the speed dial on the telephone and heard the phone musically dialing the number. After two rings a voice greeted him and Brad identified himself and asked for Carl Samples, his old friend and his lawyer for many years. He was put on hold and the phone was silent for about two minutes.
"Brad how's it going?" boomed the voice of Carl Samples, with that Texas drawl. "I was wondering when you would call. Ready for a round of golf, don't you think it's a little cold for golf?"
"No Carl, I've got some "lawyering" for you to do and I need it done fast. I need you to get in touch with Judge Hermann and tell him I need a big favor."
Carl laughed, "After that pool house and patio that you put in for him gratis, I think he owes you a favor."
Brad went on to explain, in detail, the situation with Amy and told Carl that he wanted to be appointed Amy's legal guardian. He told Carl that Social Services was due at his house this afternoon and he wanted to try and avoid having Amy put in a foster home.
After a long silence Carl said, "Brad are you sure that you really want to do this? Do you realize what a chore it is raising a teenager? I've got two teenagers I'll give you if you want a teenager. Seriously, I think that the courts will frown on you supervising a seventeen year old girl."
"Just talk to Judge Hermann and ask him to appoint me temporary guardian for thirty days and then we can have a formal hearing. He might go along with it. Besides, if they put her in a foster home, they'll have to pay the foster parent and Amy's medical bills. I'll be saving the state some money."
"OK Brad, I'll see what I can do. Don't get your hopes up too high though. I'll call you back when I know more. Are you home?"
"Yes, I'll be home all afternoon. See what you can do for me Carl. This girl has led a horrible life with a drunken father that beat her and her mother whenever he thought that they needed beating. I'm afraid that if she doesn't get someone who cares how she turns out, we'll read about her in the papers one day."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Carl assured Brad that he would do everything he could to sway Judge Hermann.
Carl Samples was a born Texan who stayed in New England after graduating from law school. He and Brad had met when he was just starting his construction company and needed a lawyer to collect money that was owed to him by a large conglomerate. It was the first really big job that Brad had ever done and the conglomerate was not disputing that they owed him money; they were just giving him the runaround. After a year Brad decided to get a lawyer. He searched around for a lawyer who would work cheap and on contingency. Carl was just starting out and was struggling like Brad. At the first meeting Brad explained the situation while Carl listened. After Brad finished, Carl grinned and told him that he would be able to get much more that the conglomerate owed him. The construction company could sue for "loss of use of funds." Carl explained that even though the conglomerate was not disputing that they owed him money, the fact that they were not paying him was costing Brad money. Carl went to court and sued for the original amount and "Loss of Use of Funds." He listed loss of opportunities to bid on other projects, interest on the money owed, cost of borrowing money to pay employees, loss of income to Brad, and on and on. When the court handed down the verdict in Brad's favor, the amount was substantially larger than the amount that was owed to him. After Brad paid Carl, he still had more than the original amount that the conglomerate owed him. Carl Samples became the lawyer for The Pittson Construction Company and they became close friends as well as business acquaintances.
They were friends because Carl was a lot like Brad. He was fiercely loyal to his friends and he enjoyed helping people and felt that he had an obligation to help others. He had an office in the poorer section of town that was open every Saturday for "pro bono" work After his firm had gone on to becoming one of the largest in town, he always assigned a junior lawyer to do "pro bono" work full time. Carl's wife Betty and Vera were like sisters and would often plot together against the two men to get them on vacations or to social functions that one of them had an interest in.
Brad put on a jacket and stepped through the French door to the patio just outside his office to think. He tried to fathom his reasons for feeling sorry for this girl. He thought to himself that if Vera was alive this is what she would have done. She was always trying to help someone. This was a big step though. He had no experience raising any child, much less a teenager. He just knew that this was something that he had to do.
It was starting to turn colder and the wind had picked up. The jacket was too light for December. He turned to go back into the house and something caught his eye. It was a single rose blooming on one of the rose bushes that Vera had planted at the edge of the patio. The summer sun soaked the patio and made it uncomfortably hot, so Vera asked him the build a trellis and she planted a climbing rose bush at the end of the patio. After the rose grew, it effectively shade the patio and they spent many hours sitting at the end of the day. Brad walked over to the rose bush and picked the rose. The rose was perfectly shaped and he wondered how a rose could be blooming in December as it had been very cold for weeks.
The wind picked up suddenly and he felt a chill. Suddenly things made sense. Tears came to his eyes and he looked out over the yard and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"OK Vera, if that's what you want."
He stepped into his office and made sure that the door was closed and locked. Amy was watching one of the soaps that women love and looked up when he walked into the living room. Brad handed her the rose and she looked at him quizzically.
"A present from Vera," he said and then walked into the kitchen before she saw his eyes.
He started to fix sandwiches and soup for the two of them. Amy walked into the kitchen with the rose in her hand. She stared at him for a while before she spoke.
"You really loved her, didn't you?"
Brad turned to the sink and continued fixing lunch for them, "Yes, I guess I did. Not a hour goes by that I don't think of her."
Amy looked at him for a minute before she spoke, "I hope that some day I find someone who will love me like that."
Brad didn't answer and sat the sandwiches and soup on the table. They sat down and ate the lunch without speaking. He was grateful for the silence. He was afraid that if Amy questioned him about Vera he would start crying.
About two hours after he had called Carl, the phone ran, "Well old man, it looks like you have a teenager. Judge Hermann said that this was out of his jurisdiction but he called Judge Atkins and Atkins agreed. There will be a formal hearing in about thirty days to see about you becoming her permanent guardian. Social Services aren't 100% happy with the arrangement but there's a shortage of foster homes and especially homes for older kids. They voiced their objection but not too strongly."
"Thanks Carl, I really owe you on this. This girl needs a stable environment for a while. I think that we can work this out. I need something to wake me up anyway."
Carl laughed, "Don't worry, from now on you won't be sleeping much. What a teenager can't get into I don't know.
Brad thanked him again and Carl excused himself and warned him again
about what he had gotten himself into.