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“Did you or did you not partake in the alleged abuse against your son?” My mother’s lawyer asks her.
“I did not.” she says and I’m confused.
“Papa, she’s lying.” I whisper, tugging on his sleeve.
“I know, Kells.” he sighs.
“But she swore not to.” I frown.
“She’ll get what’s coming to her. Don’t you worry, Kell.” he assures me and I nod.
“Did you ever witness your partner inflict any abuse upon your son?” the lawyer asks.
“No, I did not.” she answers simply.
“So you deny there being any abuse whatsoever?”
“That’s correct.” my mother lies.
“How do you explains the claims against you and your husband?”
“Children have wild imaginations. Kellin was never happy about being pulled out of school and he took that out on us. But we were doing what was best for him. We weren’t happy with the teaching methods so we homeschooled him.” she lies again.
Why is she lying? I’m so confused.
“Papa, they need to know that she’s lying. We should tell them.” I say trying to stand up but Papa pulls me back down.
“Relax. They’re not going to believe her. Liars get caught, Kellin. The truth always comes out eventually.” he explains.
That makes me think of Vic and the self-harming, the bullying and his sexuality. The truth always comes out eventually. Part of me really wants it to. But I would never force that on Vic. If the truth is going to come out, I’ll have to wait for it.
I sigh sadly, and lean against Papa, trying to stay calm as I watch my mother talk.
Soon my lawyer starts asking her questions.
“You claim that the abuse and neglect never occurred. How do you explain Kellin weighing at barely 80lbs when he was removed from your house?” she asks.
“Kellin had body image problems. He was always telling us that he thought he was too fat. He refused to eat. To see him so thin made me feel like I failed as a mother. He’s looking a lot healthier now which is a relief.” Mother says, wiping her eyes. I don’t understand why she’s crying. All she said was lies. I was begging to eat, not refusing to eat. I don’t really care about my body or how I look. I never have.
“She’s making me mad.” I grumble to Papa and he chuckles a little.
“She’s making me mad too, Kell. But what’s important is that you tell the truth.” he says.
“I will.” I assure him.
“How do you explain the bruises and the scars?” my lawyer asks.
“The less Kellin ate, the weaker he’d become. He had a lot of falls and he bruised easily.” Mother lies.
“The passage that Officer Jardine read out from Kellin’s journal was false, correct?” the lawyer asks.
“Yes, everything in that journal is fabricated.” Mother scowls.
“How do you explains the welts on Kellin’s back? Bring up image six please.”
A photo of the welts on my back comes up onto the screen.
“I, I don’t know.” Mother stammers.
I smile at that. She’s going to get caught.
“You don’t know how these deep welts got on your son’s back?” The lawyer asks.
“No, I don’t.” Mother huffs.
“The officers assigned to this case have studied that journal cover to cover and everything written in there correlates with the scars on Kellin’s body. But you don’t know how those wounds got there?” my lawyer says with a smug smile.
“No I don’t.” my mother answers looking frustrated and bitter.
“You claim that you homeschooled, Kellin. Is that correct?” my lawyer asks.
“Yes, that’s correct.” my mother says.
“But Kellin tested at a fifth grade reading level and a fourth grade level in mathematics.” The lawyer states making me feel bad about myself.
“It’s not my fault the child is stupid!” My mother snaps. “I’m done answering questions.”
She then steps down from the stand and the courtroom breaks out into a chatter.
“You’re not stupid, Kell.” Papa tells me.
“I know. I’m smart in other ways.” I smile.
“That’s right, Buddy.” he grins.
At that moment Mama appears by my side.
“It’s your time to shine, Kell.” she says, taking my hand and pulling me out of the seat.
“But isn’t Father going to talk?” I ask as she pulls me out of the room and into another one.
“He’s decided not to. I think he knows that they’ve lost.” she smiles.
Tay then takes my hand as we get to a door.
“I’d like to call Kellin Quinn Bostwick to the stand.” I hear someone say from behind the door.
“You’ve got this, kiddo.” Tay grins, her smile comforting me.
Mama kisses my cheek then a security man opens the door and Tay pushes me out.
I’m on the other side of the courtroom. I momentarily freeze but then remember how important this is. I walk up to the stand and take a seat, facing everyone in the courtroom.
I look at Papa at the back of the courtroom who’s giving me a thumbs up.
“Hi Kellin, I’m just going to ask you a few questions, is that okay?” my lawyer asks.
“Yeah, that’s okay.” I mumble nervously.
“Do you like staying with Mr and Mrs Fuentes?” she asks.
“I do.” I nod with a smile.
“Did you like staying with your parents?” she asks.
“No, I didn’t.” I answer simply.
“Why was that? What’s the difference between living with your parents opposed to living with your foster parents?” she questions, a kind smile on her face.
“Mama and Papa Fuentes don’t hurt me. They let me have food. They let me go to school. They let me go outside. They don’t call me mean things.” I explain. “Mother and Father hurt me and they wouldn’t let me eat or shower, or sleep on a bed. And they wouldn’t let me go to school or go outside and they always told me how stupid I am and how much they hated me.”
This is easier than I though it was.
“Kellin, did your parents homeschool you after they pulled you out of public school?” she asks me.
“No, they didn’t. I tried to homeschool myself but it was hard.” I explain.
“I can imagine. It must be difficult to teach yourself things that you don’t know.” she says and I nod. “Do you know why your parents took you out of school?”
“Because I kissed a boy.” I blush.
“And your parents didn’t like that?” she asks and I shake my head.
“No, they beat me up after they found out and told me that they don’t like queers and that boys should only kiss girls.” I explain, biting my lip hard, trying not to get emotional.
“What do you mean by ‘beat you up’?” she asks.
“They hit and kicked me.” I whisper, letting a tear slip down my cheek.
“Did they beat you up often?” she asks and I nod.
“They did it a lot.” I answer.
“How many times a week?” she questions.
“Three or four. Sometimes more. Sometime less.” I explain.
“Why you didn’t tell someone that this was happening?” she asks.
“I didn’t know what they were doing was wrong. I didn’t know any different. It was just normal to me.” I tell her.
She walks back over to the table where Jordan is sitting then and picks up my journal.
“Can you tell me what this is?” she asks.
“My journal.” I answer.
“Why did you write in this journal?” she questions.
“The teachers at school used to make us write about our weekend in our journals at school and I liked doing that so when my parents took me out of school I continued doing it.” I explain.
“Is everything in this journal true?” the lawyer asks and I nod.
“It’s all true.”
“Kellin, have you ever had body image issues? Ever didn’t like your appearance?” she asks.
“When I first moved to San Diego, people told me I was too skinny and that made me feel bad.” I explain.
“But you’ve never seen yourself as too fat?” she asks.
“No, I haven’t.” I answer truthfully. “I’ve never really cared about what I looked like.”
“You’ve never skipped meals with the intent to lose weight?” she questions.
“No, never. I’ve never skipped a meal ever.” I tell her.
“If you never skipped a meal then do you know how you got so skinny?” she questions.
“My parents didn’t let me eat much.” I admit.
The questions go on and on and it feels like hours but then the lawyer says, “just one more question,” and I’m relieved.
“If you could say anything to your parents, what would you say?” she asks. I’m a little stunned.
I look over at my parents who are still scowling at me. I lean closer to the microphone before answering.
“What did I do to deserve this? You ruined my life. I’m your son. You were supposed to love me and look after me.” I stop to take a deep breath and wipe away my tears. “My foster parents look after me and they love me. They’re better than you’ll ever be. I hope you hurt the way you hurt me.”
The lawyer smiles then thanks me and asks me to step down. I go back through the door where Tay is waiting.
She’s grinning widely as she throws her arms around me.
“You did amazing, Kell. Absolutely amazing.” she says.
“Really?” I beam.
“Really.” she grins. “Come on, let’s go find Mama and Papa so you can go home.”
I feel relieved when she says home. We go into the lobby of the courthouse where we find Mama and Papa talking to a woman.
I notice she looks like a prettier version of my mother.
“Kell, you did so good, Buddy.” Papa grins.
Mama wraps her arms around me and kisses my cheek.
“I’m so proud.” she whispers.
“Thanks, Mama.” I whisper back. “Who’s the lady you’re talking to?”
She let’s go of me and smiles.
“Kellin, this is your aunt Deborah.” she explains and my stomach drops. This is the woman that’s going to take me away.
“It’s nice to meet you, Kellin.” the woman smiles kindly then shakes my hand.
“Am I going to live with you?” I ask worried.
She sighs seeming sad and places her hand on my shoulder.
“Kellin, I’m not quite ready to look after children. It’s not my lifestyle. I work a lot. I’m never home. And I know I’m family but I don’t really know you. I think it’s best if you stay with your foster parents.” she says seeming a little guilty but I’m relieved.
“Oh thank you.” I sigh, hugging Mama tightly. “I’m happy with Mama and Papa.”
“Well that works out perfectly then. I’m sorry for what my sister and her husband put you through, and I wish you luck with everything.” she grins.
I thank her then she leaves.
“Ice cream then home?” Mama grins and I nod eagerly.
We get some ice-cream from a nearby ice-creamery then we go back to the airport where we catch our plane. The entire flight home is spent with Mama and Papa telling me how proud they are of me.
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