Contemporary Love

Chapter Seven: Emancipation?
That night Blake took photos of my face where Ruth had slapped me for proof for when I went to court. Blake and I had talked, and we had decided that my best option was to legally emancipate myself and go to court for guardian rights Danny.
-------------------------------------------------The Next Day--------------------------------------------------------
I woke up with my arms wrapped around Danny, and Blake’s arms wrapped around me. After the fiasco that occurred last night we all ended up falling asleep in my room. It took forever for Danny to finally calm down. We actually went back out and finished watch Open Season until he fell asleep. I figured that he wouldn’t want to be on his own when he woke up so Blake and I brought him in with us. I felt Blake’s arm tighten around me so I turned over.

“Good morning beautiful.” He said to me, his voice gravely from sleeping. He had a smile on his face, but I could tell that he was still worried about me by the look in his eyes.

“Good morning.” I said and snuggled closer to him.

“What is on the agenda for today?” he asked and I sighed. That question had been on my mind all night and had caused me to not get much sleep.

“I’m going to call around to some decent, but cheap lawyers. I have to do some research on emancipating myself and then getting custody of Danny, but I won’t give up until it’s done. That bitch doesn’t deserve him.” I said and he pulled me flush against his chest.

“I will be with you every step of the way so you don’t even have to worry. And if the court questions anything you have me as a witness and Danny.” Blake said.

I smiled at him and pecked him quickly on the lips before disentangling myself from him making sure that I didn't wake Danny. I rolled over Blake and grabbed his hands as I stood up, to help him stand up.

"Come on, let's go get breakfast and then get the phone book and get to calling around." I said and held onto his hand as we walked down the hallway. I quickly made up an egg white omelet with some whole wheat toast. I set down the plates and grabbed the phone book from the drawer of the vanity in the living room and quickly scurried back to the kitchen.

After what seemed like four hours, but was really only about one, we finally found a suitable lawyer for my case, which was actually affordable. Her name was Elizabeth Stone, and Blake and I were meeting her at three thirty this afternoon.

"I guess I better go wake Danny up and get him going so were ready in time." I said and Blake nodded.

"Do you mind if I take a shower while you do that?" Blake asked and I shook my head.

"No of course not, have at it. You can use the one in my room because Danny will take forever getting ready in the one in the hallway." I said and took our empty breakfast plates to the sink and started working on them.

"Macie?" Blake asked as I rinsed one of the dishes.

"Yeah Blake?" I asked and turned my head, only to have a kiss planted on my lips.

"You're one of the strongest people I know. I'm so lucky to call you mine and have you in my life." Blake whispered and then was gone. I felt the warmness of a blush forming on my cheeks, and I was glad that Blake wasn't there to see it. As much as I told myself that this would never happen, I knew it was.

I was falling for Blake Hemmingway.

“Danny, you need to be on your best behavior when we are in this office. Mrs. Stone is a very important person who I need to speak with, and she will have a big influence on both of our futures, okay? Do you understand me?” I asked Danny as I grabbed him from the back seat of my car.

“Yes Mac, I understand. Can we get frozen yogurt if I’m real good?” he asked and I chuckled.

“We will see about it. You have to be really, really good though in order to get frozen yogurt.” I said and he nodded vigorously. Blake chuckled and took my little hand in his bigger one as we walked into the firm.

“Danny please go sit down and stay quite.” I whispered into his ear and he nodded and did as he was told as I sat him down. Blake and I walked up to the receptionist and waited to be helped.

“Hello, what can I do for you two today?” she asked with a fake smile plastered on her face.

“Hi, we have an appointment with Mrs. Stone today at 3:30.” I said back politely and she nodded and started typing ferociously away at her key board. A few minutes later she was printing out a few forms.

“Okay, just fill these forms and return them to me. After that Mrs. Stone will be right with you. I finished filling out the forms about fifteen minutes later there were so many questions that I was starting to get overwhelmed.

“Okay, I’m all set.” I said to the receptionist and handed her my paper work. She nodded and took them. I returned to my seat and hauled Danny onto my lap. Ten minutes later the door opened and there stood a woman in her early thirties. She had wavy auburn hair and wore a nice skirt and blouse. She smiled warmly at Blake, Danny, and I, which I returned.

“You must be Macie, you can follow me.” She said and opened the door wider. All three of us followed suit behind her and into her office. Once we were all settled in Mrs. Stone closed the door and sat down behind her desk.

“So Macie, what brings you all here?” she asked me with another smile and I cleared my throat.

“Well I was hoping that you could help me emancipate myself, and then help me gain custody of my younger brother, Daniel.” I said and she hmmed to herself.

“Why exactly do you need to be emancipated or want to for that matter?” she asked me and I sighed.

“My mother is a workaholic and is never there to support Danny and I. I am the one who buys groceries and supplies for the house and who takes care of Danny, and have for the past few years since our father passed away. She finally came home last night and we got into an argument where she insinuated that I was a slut and proceeded to slap me. I have photographic proof that it happened and two witnesses if you don’t believe me. I just want Danny to be under my sole custody and away from her. I want him to be my official responsibility.” I said and she nodded as she jotted some things down. After a few minutes of this she looked up and smiled.

“Alright, since New York doesn’t specifically have an emancipation law, we can take your mother to court and you can testify against her. We will have to file a petition, and take it to family court. I’m so glad that you thought to take pictures because we will need evidence that your mother hit you, and if there is any way to get proof that your mother is hardly home that would be wonderful. If not I could call the hospital and request a copy of all the hours that your mother has worked.

This will show that your mother is not able to take care of you like she should. Keep in mind that if the court goes in your favor you will need to have a permanent residence to live in because it will most likely be the case that you will not get the house. A small two bedroom apartment is not that expensive in this town so you shouldn’t have any issues. And your mother may be obligated to give you money due to you taking care of Danny. It’s kind of like a form of child support except the mother is paying the children.” I let what she said sink in and then I smiled.

“We’re going to win this no matter what it takes Mrs. Stone. I just know it. We have to, not just for me, but for Danny too.” I said and she smiled back at me.

“It’s going to take some work, but I have faith in us and that we will succeed.” She said. We talked a little while longer about what would happen in court and that she would call me when she get all the evidence she needed and the court date.

Blake, Danny, and I walked out of there with confidence and smiles on our faces. The meeting had gone better than I had thought it would and it made me very happy.

“Okay Mac, I was on my best behavior…does that mean that we get frozen yogurt?”

“Okay ladies! Let’s run this one more time so I can record it and send it off to the judges to enter us into the semi-finals. This one routine will determine if we will make it to the finals where we will not only do a routine for just females, just males, a combination of males and females, a duet between a male and a female, where partners will be assigned, and an individual routine for each of you. Please make it the best version you’ve ever performed, and please give it your all!” Autumn yelled and we nodded as we chugged some water down before going to our respective spots on the dance floor.

The music started flickering through the speakers, and I was gone. The worries of Ruth were no longer. The fears of loving and being loved were gone. The fear that Danny wouldn’t be happy in our new home was absent. Present, was the euphoria of the music notes as they traced their way through my veins, into my soul, and out into the moves as I flew across the dance floor, trapped in my own version utopia. As the music notes dwindled to a close tears rose to my eyes. I had just signed away my future in that three minutes and thirty-two seconds, and I hoped that the judges saw that when they reviewed the tape. There are still passionate people out there that love to dance and I was one of them. I just prayed that they saw that.

A few days later Elizabeth called and asked for me to come down to her office after school. I picked Danny up quickly and drove over to her office. Once inside her secretary ushered me right into her office and closed the door behind me.

“Good Macie, you’re here.” She said with a smile which I returned. “Now I brought you in here today to go over what will happen in court fully now that your mother has been served. I got the amount of hours that she was working and I’m astonished that you haven’t come to me beforehand. From what I can tell she is almost always at the hospital or home when you and Daniel are at school.” She said and I nodded.

“So what happens now?” I asked as she flipped through some papers on her desk.

“Now we go to court. The date is set for next Wednesday at nine in the morning. Now I know that you have school but I’m sure that you are going to be okay with missing that morning. With that being said, you need to find a potential place to live because the emancipation and the custody battle will happen all at once. We’re trying to kill two birds with one stone to save us all some money and time.” She said and I nodded.

“Okay that sounds alright. Does Danny need to be present or can he go to school?” I asked and she shook her head.

“No he must be present in the court room too.” She said and I nodded. We went over a few more things and Danny and I left. I had called around to local retailers the previous night and had set up a few apartment viewings for later this afternoon. I was really hoping to find an apartment that was not only affordable, but large enough, in a nice location for both of our schools, a nice neighborhood and street and nice looking. I didn’t want Danny and me to be living in a horrible, rundown, falling apart apartment. Danny and I stopped to the restaurant before heading off to the first viewing. I had to pick up my reference sheet that my bosses had filled out, and my check. Ten minutes later I pulled up outside a tall building that looked decent for the most part. We both got out of the car and made our way to apartment number twenty eight. I knocked twice and waited for the relator to open the door. The door opened quickly and the man smiled at Danny and I.

“Come on in! Look around and let me know what you think!” he said in a charming voice and I nodded and took Danny’s hand and walked through the door and into the apartment. As I walked in, I was welcomed to a living and dining space that was combined, but it was large enough to fit both comfortably.

“What do those doors lead to?” I asked and pointed to the two French doors on the far side of the living room.

“That leads to a balcony/patio, whichever you chose to call it, and off of that is a small enclosed space. Some people use it for outside storage, but you can use it for anything I guess. There is also another way to access this patio/balcony, and it’s through the master bedroom.” He said as he led Danny and me through the doors. I looked around and smiled.

“This could be used as my studio, Danny.” I said and he nodded.

“I can play out here when it’s nice out too.” Danny said and I laughed.

“Of course you could.” I said, and walked to another set of French doors that was the supposed master bedroom. It was large in size, but that didn’t really matter to me, so long as I had a place to sleep. I checked the closet, and was happy with that.

“Now where is the second bedroom?” I asked and the realtor nodded and led us out into the hallway
.
“It’s right next to this one.” He said and I nodded.

“That’s nice. I like that Danny’s room would be right next to mine.” I said and he laughed.

“There is only one bathroom in this unit, but it is pretty large, and it has a linen closet for storage.

The kitchen was recently updated, and there is a washer and drier in this unit, but its right next to the kitchen.” The realtor said and I nodded. I didn’t mind that, but it wasn’t my preferred location for the washer and drier, but at least there was one in the unit. There was also another closet in the living and dining area for extra storage and next to that was the furnace. We looked at a few more apartments before we sat down and started going over the pros and cons of each.

“The first one had a nice little studio for me, decent sized bedrooms, and a large dining and living space, but it only had one bathroom, and the washer and drier were in the kitchen. The second one had two bathrooms, but no studio, and no washer and dryer, and the third one had two bathrooms, two nice sized bedrooms, but it didn’t have a studio, and the kitchen wasn’t very nice looking.” I said and the man wrote everything down that I said. I looked at Danny and he smiled.

“Which one do you like Danny? You’re going to be living here too so I want you to like where ever we choose.” I said and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I like the first one because it has a place for me to play with my toys.” He said and I smiled.

“I like that one a lot too. I believe we’ve found the one for us.” I said and the realtor smiled at us.