Court part 2

 

The next morning we woke up bright and early, 6:00.  Satis and Sage went off to school, while Andy and I hauled the boys in his van. 

AJ disappoints me the most, he is my first born son.  He has generations of proud Plumb blood coursing through his veins.  I cannot believe that he has turned out this way. 

Sety thinks the whole situation is one big joke.  I heard him snickering to himself behind Andy.  I have to admit, I had no idea what I was getting when I adopted him and Satis from Egypt.  While Satis has been a complete dear, Sety has been one problem after another.  We accepted that his Simlish didn’t come along as fast as his sister’s, and we suspect that he has a learning disability on top of that.  But that’s absolutely no excuse for his behavior.  If he’s not careful, he’ll be in jail.

We got to the courthouse at 8:30.  The boys’ sentencing was scheduled for 8:45. 

Then, before we walked in, Andy surprised me by saying a few words.  He was clearly choked up.  “Boys,” he began, trying to hold back tears.  “I’ve watched you grow up – and no matter what happens in there, I’m still going to love you like mad.  But that doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed in your behavior, and if you think about it, you’d be disappointed in it, too.”

And then, we went in and took our seats. 

Three hours later, we were out.  And the sentences District Judge Emily Blount handed out were harsh – the boys were to be sent to Fort Starch Military Academy as punishment for their deeds. 

“These boys have developed a consistent pattern of misbehavior.  Were they born this way?”

No, I said tearfully as I stood before her.  “They were the sweetest boys you could meet.  They were ‘please, thank you, may I?’ All of a sudden, when they became teenagers, it’s like a bomb went off, and they went – I don’t know – ballistic is a good word to use.”

The judge wanted them to leave right then and there, but Andy convinced her to let them go home and allow them to pack their bags with some clothes and other things.