Chapter 56
It was ten in the morning local time when we touched down. Lester opened the door and guided us down the steps. Dad thanked him, and said he’d call when we were ready to leave. Daniel was waiting for us. The Judge hugged us both, and clasped his hand on Dad’s arm.
“Long time.”
“Good to see you, Judge.”
He drove us to the county office on Lincoln Street and dropped us off at the door.
“I gotta run make a copy of this. I’ll join you in a bit.”
On the sidewalk I held up Jessie’s hand and admired her ring as the little gem flashed and burned in the sunlight. She smiled at me and I had to stop and catch my breath because my heart kept coming unglued.
Inside, the lobby was quiet. A young couple stood at the counter, and a man in a business suit waited in line.
The lady behind the counter was doing paperwork. After what seemed to be hours, she handed the couple a document. The girl giggled and kissed the guy. They left hand in hand.
“Next, please?” The man in the suit handed her some papers. She looked them over and thanked him. She filed them in a large cabinet and returned to the counter. She wore a nametag with embossed letters. Gloria.
“Next, please?” We’re up – my heart was racing and I felt woozy.
Dad broke into a charming smile. “Good morning, Miss Gloria. Do you ever get tired of seeing giddy people?”
“It’s one of the perks. How can I help you?”
He set the briefcase on the counter and took out the application. “Well, to start, you can make sure we didn’t fill this out wrong.”
Gloria put on the reading glasses that hung around her neck, and scanned the paper. She glanced at Jessie and me, then glanced back at me again, like people did when they first saw my face. Her eyes narrowed a hair as she looked at Dad. It was clear that she was confused.
She asked for our documents, and verified the Social Security numbers on the application against our cards. At her direction, Jessie and I each signed the application. Dad signed last, and I saw her eyebrows go up as he signed consent for each of us. She compared the signatures to our ID cards.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, taking the application with her. She showed it to another lady. They spoke for a minute, and then Gloria returned.
“Mr. Laine, my supervisor would like to ask you some questions about the application. Please step down to the end, and she’ll be right with you.”
We walked to the other end of the counter. Gloria called, “Next, please?” Another couple took our place.
The second lady came to the counter. Her name badge read, “Harriet.”
“Mr. Laine?”
“Yes?” Dad and I said at the same time. She ignored me.
“This is a very unusual application. Can you tell me a little about the circumstances?”
“Of course,” he said cheerfully. “This is my son, Cory. Jessie here is my adopted daughter.”
He showed her my birth certificate and Jessie’s adoption papers. He pulled out Mom’s death certificate.
“My wife, their mother, passed away several years ago, so there’s only me to grant consent.”
Harriet gazed at us indifferently.
“I’m here to give my permission, because as the one person responsible for them, I feel it’s in their best interest.”
Harriet pursed her lips. “So they’re siblings, then?”
“Biologically? No they’re not related.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one person sign for both minors.”
“I’m the sole person responsible for each, and I’m here in the same capacity for each. Would you be more comfortable if my wife and I were both able to sign?”
“Yes, I would, Mr. Laine.”
“So would we, but in her absence, I assume your office doesn’t discriminate against people solely based on their marital status? Such as a widow or widower?”
“Of course not,” said Harriet, frowning, “I see that you’re not residents.”
“Is that a requirement, Ma’am?”
“No,” she admitted. “But they just turned sixteen today?”
“That’s correct.” Dad sounded positively cheerful. “The law allows them to marry at sixteen with my consent, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does.” She was obviously getting frustrated. “Well... Since your daughter was adopted... there really is no way to tell if the two are biologically related or not.”
“Hmm... You have a point there.”
A relieved smile appeared at the comer of Harriet’s lips. Jess and I looked at each other in shock. Was he really going to give up to such a flimsy excuse?
“But everything else is in order? That’s the state’s only objection?”
“Yes, Sir, but it’s enough that I cannot approve this application. I’m sorry Mr. Laine.”
“Please don’t be sorry, Harriet,” he said. “I agree; that’s a very reasonable question.” He reached into the case for the last document, which he gently slid across the counter – a large white envelope with the genetic labs logo.
“Fortunately, we had some testing done. Would you like to read the report?”
“That won’t be necessary,” she snipped. “But I still don’t think I can approve this application Mr. Laine. I’m uncomfortable with issuing a license under these circumstances.”
His voice was low, almost a growl. “Is your personal opinion of our legal rights a state requirement?” The contrast in his tone couldn’t have been more jarring; it took us all totally aback, including Harriet, who almost dropped the paper.
“Now,” he continued cordially, “Harriet, does this application meet state requirements or does it not?”
“I’ll have to check with the director. If you leave me your phone number I’ll have his secretary set up an appointment.”
That’s when Daniel walked in.
“Hi Daniel!” Jessie called. I just raised my scarred right hand to wave.
“Hey kids!” he said in his hearty tenor voice. He shook Dad’s hand. “Sorry, that took a cupla minutes. Do ya need this?”
“Yes, I think it’d be beneficial,” Dad replied.
The Judge set an envelope on the counter. “Good morning,” he squinted at her name tag, “Harriet. You’re new here aren’t you? I think you’ll find this document... helpful.”
I could see that it was on Daniel’s personal letterhead. Her lips moved as her eyes slowly scanned each line. Her eyebrows went up, and she started glancing from the page to Daniel’s face and back again. Then with a little shrug she visibly conceded. “Thank you, Your Honor.”
She returned all of our documents. I paid her the fee and took my receipt. Dad took it and put it in the briefcase.
“Please mail the copies to this address.” He handed a slip of paper to Harriet. I glanced at it.
“Who’s Debbie Peterson, Dad?”
“Our lawyer.” I didn’t know we had a lawyer.
Harriet signed and stamped the license. As we left, Gloria called, “Next, please?”
With the license in the briefcase and the tension removed, Jessie fairly skipped down the hall.
Outside, the sun danced between the clouds. Dad had what he’d call a little spring in his step. Daniel walked us back to the truck and drove us to a nice hotel.
In the lobby, Dad walked to the front desk. Jess and I took the opportunity to kiss a little.
“I can’t wait for tonight.”
“Why?’ I asked.
“Consummation,” she whispered.
“But we promised…”
Dad turned to look at us, as if he could hear us whisper, then turned back and spoke to the lady.
“Good morning, I have reservations for a couple rooms for Laine. May I use your phone? Thanks.”
“Good morning Reverend, this is Mike Laine. Thank you, everything has gone well, so well that we’re here early. I was wondering if
we might move up the time. Excellent, thanks. We’ll be in the lobby restaurant. Thank you again.”
He thanked the young woman and gave her back the phone.
“Okay lovebirds.” We turned to listen, but left an arm around each other’s waist. “We weren’t scheduled until two, but we’ll try and do it earlier. Why don’t you find us a table in the restaurant? I’ll join you in a couple minutes.”
Jessie chose a table by the door so she could watch people come and go. It had a white tablecloth, white cloth napkins, and a wineglass at each seat. The chairs were simple and comfortable, and the hardwood floor reflected everything.
A waitress glided up and asked, “Good morning, folks. Just the two of you?” She set down a pair of water glasses, each with a slice of lemon on the rim.
She glanced at our faces, lingering on mine a moment, and removed the wine glasses. “What can I get you to drink?” I replied that we had two others joining us, and ordered two sodas and two cups of coffee.
“Okay, well, I’m Tammy, and...” She bent down. “Excuse me, Honey; may I see your ring? Ooo, Honey, that’s so pretty! That’s not a diamond, is it?”
Embarrassed but loving the attention, Jessie said, “Yes, Ma’am. It was my Mom’s, but now it’s mine.” Jessie was excited to finally show it off to someone. She held out her hand.
“Oh, Honey, does that mean you’re engaged?” Jess nodded shyly. “To this handsome man, here? Oh, but you’re both so young! Oh, congratulations, Hon. Aren’t you just the cutest pair! I think I’m gonna cry.” With that, she swished away to get the drinks. The exchange left Jess all excited and giggly.
A moment later, the cook came out of the kitchen, and asked if she could see the ring, too. Still embarrassed but thrilled, Jessie held out the gem for her.
“That has got to be the most beautiful engagement ring I’ve ever seen,” the lady gushed.
Tammy served the colas, Jess and I held hands. I thought about what she’d whispered.
“Jess, if – I mean when – we, um, eventually, uh, consummate… What if you got pregnant?”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“But what if it did? What would we do?”
“Seriously?”
“Dead serious.”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t abort a baby we made. I just couldn’t bear it. But we really couldn’t keep it, could we?”
“No. You know we couldn’t.”
“So I guess we’d have to give it up. But I’d want to meet the parents, make sure they’d be good ones.”
“So a private adoption, then?”
“I guess, if we had to…”
Dad came in.
“Good morning, Sir,” Tammy chirped, “My, but your faces are so alike – you must be the father of the groom?”
“What can I say? I love them equally.”
“That’s so sweet! My dad-in-law never said that about me. You all are such a nice family. I’ll give you a couple minutes to look over the menu.”
The concierge came in and said something to Dad, then left. We looked at Dad expectantly.
“We can go upstairs in about an hour,” he said.
“Where’s Daniel?”
“Just getting a couple things ready.”
It’d been hours since breakfast at home, but I wasn’t hungry. Jessie said she couldn’t eat, either. Dad ordered us waffles anyway – he knew they’d be hard for us to resist. They smelled so good that we both gave in and ate at least half.
“Good,” Dad said. “I don’t want you passing out from hunger.”
We chatted and laughed about the clerk at the records office. I asked Dad if he’d had any other tricks up his sleeve. He admitted he’d contacted a lawyer, a local family law expert, to be available if needed.
“He’s fishing buddies with the Director of Deeds.”
“Dad,” I said, concerned. “You must be spending thousands of dollars on all this. Can we afford it?”
“Cory, don’t be crass. Today isn’t the day to talk about money. Yes, we can afford it.”
“Daddy? What was in that envelope that changed her mind?”
“See for yourself,” he said, reaching into his case.
I couldn’t see it well enough, and rather than wait my turn I asked her to read it to me.
“To the Office of the Registrar, State of Colorado from Daniel C. Franks, Colorado Appellate Court, Ret., Re: Marriage License, C M Laine and J P Laine.
“At the request of the parties, I’m writing to express my opinion on the issuance of a marriage license to Cory Mikael Laine and Jessica Pearl Laine. My interest in this matter is to dispel any confusion and to preempt any hesitation in the issuance of the license.
“My reference in this matter is Colorado Supreme Court case Israel v Allen, in which a couple was denied a license to marry by the county clerk. The Court upheld the lower court’s finding that the clerk’s denial was in error. This ground having been trod before, I hope to save all parties any unnecessary steps.
“In Israel, the Court ruled that the State had no overriding reason to deny the marriage of an adopted brother and sister. Among the circumstances cited in favor of the union: One, there was no blood relationship between the parties. Two, they had not been raised as siblings from infancy. Three, the couple had the approval and support of their parents. And four, all parties were agreed that the union would not disrupt family harmony, but would, in fact, enhance it.
“There are two notable differences between Israel and the Laines. The first is that the Laines are both minors. However, because they are each sixteen and have parental consent, state law does not prohibit them from marrying.
“The other difference in the case before us is that the mother is deceased, so the father must give sole consent for both parties. This fact has no bearing, since each parent granted consent to both children in Israel. The rights of the father cannot be abridged by the absence of a spouse.
“Finally, because the Laines are minors, it should be noted that there are no allegations or evidence that the Laines have engaged in physical relations, so this is purely a civil matter. Once the ceremony has been completed, the couple’s marital status obviates any age-related criminal prohibitions.”
“That’s a little embarrassing.”
“Mmm,” she agreed, “But it answers one of the questions I had.” Jessie read on, unfazed.
“Because all of the pertinent circumstances are present in both cases, it is my opinion that any challenge to the Laines’ right to marry would be summarily dismissed, and that the license should be issued without delay. DCF.”
I was grinning ear to ear. “Thank you, Daniel!”
Dad said, “He didn’t mention that those kids didn’t even meet until they were thirteen and eighteen, but I guess the principle is the same.”
“Dad? Who did the service when you and Mom got married?”
“Father John.”
“Yeah, I thought so. Who’s going to do ours?”
“His name’s Dulton. The Judge knows him. He’s going to want to talk with each of you before the ceremony, and ask you some questions to get to know you.”
“Does he know about everything?”
Dad finished his coffee.
“Yes, the Judge filled him in.”
“And he’s okay with it?”
“Apparently.”
The plates were cleared and the bill paid when Daniel came to our table. “We’re ready for you folks.”
Daniel motioned me to follow him, and led me to one of the hotel rooms. Inside, clothes were laid out on the bed, a black tuxedo to be specific.
“Here, I’ll show ya how this works.” He motioned for me to remove my shirt, which felt very peculiar. He held up the white shirt for me as I put it on. Instead of buttons, the shirt closed with gold and black studs. He showed me how to push them through the dual buttonholes. Matching cufflinks closed the sleeves. The pants looked heavy an
d scratchy, but turned out to be just the opposite.
“I’ve never worn a tux,” I said. He helped me adjust the waistband on the pants.
“You’ll look spiffy, kid. Here, I gotcha some matchin’ socks.” Even those were soft.
“This is a cummerbund, a sash that goes ‘round yer waist. It’s not required, but I recommend it. Yes? Good. Let me fasten it for you. Now the jacket.” Again, he held the garment as I slid my hands down the satin-lined sleeves. He straightened the collar.
I looked in the mirror on the back of the hotel room door, and could barely recognize myself. I had gained two years or more, and looked amazing. “Wow.”
“Nice, ain’t it? Here’s the last piece, the bowtie.” I couldn’t imagine wearing a bowtie. The only person I knew who wore a bowtie was ninety years old. Mr. Beckham at church; always the same skinny yellow one with red dots.
But again, once in place it looked very good. The black satin matched the lapel edges and pant stripes. “Now what?”
“Now we wait.” I looked at him quizzically. “The missus is helping yer bride, but sometimes it takes a young lady longer. You may wanna to take off the jacket and relax.”
“My bride. Wow.”
“And soon your wife.” That sounded so strange. “So tell me, how’d you talk yer Dad inta this?”
I told Daniel all about the fight, and what we talked about afterwards.
“Sounds like you learned a little somethin’ ‘bout arguing a case.”
“I had a good teacher,”
“I think ya sealed it when you told him you were gonna do it with or without his say-so. That was mighty gutsy.”
“Do you think he’s really okay with this, Daniel? I mean, he set this all up, but the look on his face when I kissed Jessie downstairs... He seems really uncomfortable.”
“Well, kid, he kinda got blindsided, an’ I think he’s kinda feelin’ boxed in. Yer right, he ain’t real happy ‘bout it now, but he’ll be okay.”