Now Nathaniel knows why Mason always tries to pull out of his collar- this thing called a tie that doesn't have a bow in it at all is choking his neck. He tugs at it again, only to have his father grab his hand. There are flutters in his stomach, and he'd rather be at school. Here, everyone is going to be staring at him. Here, everyone wants him to talk about things he doesn't like to say.
Nathaniel clutches Franklin, his stuffed turtle, more tightly. The closed doors of the courtroom sigh open, and a man who looks like a policeman but isn't one waves them inside. Nathaniel moves hesitantly down the rolled red tongue of carpet. The room is not as spooky as it was last night in the dark, but he still has the feeling that he is walking into the belly of a whale. His heart begins to tap as fast as rain on a windshield, and he holds his hand up to his chest to keep everyone else from hearing, too.
His mommy is sitting in the front row. Her eyes are puffy, and before she sees him standing there she wipes them with her fingers. It makes Nathaniel think of all the other times she's pretended she isn't crying, says it with a smile, even though there are tears right on her cheeks.
There is a big man in the front of the room too, with skin the color of chestnuts. It is the same man who was in the supermarket; who made his mother get taken away. His mouth looks like it has been sewn shut.
The Lawyer sitting next to his mother gets up and walks toward Nathaniel. He does not like the Lawyer. Every time the Lawyer comes to his house, his parents have yelled at each other. And last night, when Nathaniel had been brought here to practice, the Lawyer was downright mean.
Now, he puts his hand on Nathaniel's shoulder. "Nathaniel, I know you're worried about your mommy.
I am, too. I want her to be happy again, but there is someone here who doesn't like your mommy. His name is Mr. Brown. Do you see him over there? The tall man?" Nathaniel nods. "He's going to ask you some questions. I can't stop him from doing that. But when you answer them, remember-I'm here to help your mommy. He isn't."
Then he walks Nathaniel to the front of the courtroom. There are more people there than last night-a man wearing a black dress and holding a hammer; another person with hair that stands straight up on his head in little curls; a lady with a typewriter. His mom. And the big man who doesn't like her. They walk to the little fence-box where Nathaniel had to sit before. He crawls onto the chair that is too low, then folds his hands in his lap.
The man in the black dress speaks. "Can we get a higher seat for this child?"
Everyone starts looking left and right. The almost-policeman says what everyone else can see: "There don't seem to be any around."
"What do you mean? We always have extra stools for child witnesses."
"Well, I could go to Judge Shea's courtroom to see if he has any, but there won't be anybody here to watch the defendant, Your Honor."
The man in the dress sighs, then hands Nathaniel a fat book. "Why don't you sit on my Bible, Nathaniel?"
He does, wiggling a little, because his bum keeps sliding off. The curly man walks up to him with a smile. "Hi, Nathaniel," he says.
Nathaniel doesn't know if he is supposed to talk yet.
"I need you to put your hand on the Bible for me."
"But I'm sitting on it."
The man takes out another Bible, and holds it in front of Nathaniel like a table. "Raise your right hand,"
he says, and Nathaniel lifts one arm into the air. "Your other right hand," the man corrects. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
Nathaniel vehemently shakes his head.
"Is there a problem?" This from the man in the black dress.
"I'm not supposed to swear," he whispers.
His mommy smiles, then, and hiccups out a laugh. Nathaniel thinks it is the prettiest sound he has ever heard.
"Nathaniel, I'm Judge Neal. I need you to answer some questions for me today. Do you think you can do that?"
He shrugs.
"Do you know what a promise is?" When Nathaniel nods, the judge points to the lady who is typing. "I need you to speak out, because that woman is writing down everything we say, and she has to hear you.
You think you can talk nice and loud for her?"
Nathaniel leans forward. And at the top of his lungs, yells, "Yes!"
"Do you know what a promise is?"
"Yes!"
