Court Day

Talk about emotional overload. Not all bad, just too much of it. Maggie stayed overnight at the school last night. Because today was court day and our driver was going to collect us at the school, she didn’t go home in the morning. Also, because of that, she had no clothes to wear to court today except an old skirt and torn shirt. This was great news for me! I had bought her a dress, but wasn’t sure if I should give it to her. I am very cautious with those things, not wanting to step on the toes of the mother. I came to the dorm she was staying in and showed her the dress. Her eyes got huge. “For me?” “Yes, Maggie. All for you.” She knelt down as the girls are taught and looked up with glimmering eyes.

I helped her get dressed. A bright yellow sweater over the top of a black, yellow and white floral dress. So stinking adorable. AND it fit her perfectly. Love it!

We drove to court for a briefing. We rode with Maggie and her mother. I know we have so much to say to each other but no common language to share it in. I’ve resolved to start learning Luganda even if only for the sake of communicating with the mother’s of my children. At the same time I was processing this, I couldn’t help but give notice to all the other thoughts swirling around my brain about how difficult this must be for Maggie’s mom. I seriously can’t even give words to how I was feeling in the moment. My eyes just welled up and I did everything I could to keep them from dripping down my cheeks. First of all, to come to grips with the fact that you have a terminal disease as brutal as aids, must be so difficult. Secondly, to know that two of your children have already died because of the disease, is even more difficult. Last of all is the fact that you understand your situation so well that you would give up the youngest to spare her the suffering she will someday have. The strength of character this mother has is unlike any I have ever seen. We would do well to emulate even the tiniest bit of what she has to offer.

Getting on to court. Everything seemed somewhat tense. The father had to appear in court. However, he has not been around the mother or Maggie in years. Turns out he is often drunk, violent, and refused (up until today) to take a blood test for HIV. He hasn’t shown up to anything else our lawyer has asked of him. As you can imagine, things were slightly awkward. Not necessarily between us and him, but the whole situation. Court itself was also tense. I don’t know how they do it, but those judges manage to make everything feel so intense. The power dynamic that seeps out of those courtrooms is sickening. If we could actually have the chance to talk with the judge like the human he is, not the untouchable authority he presents as I think things would seem so much better. But, not the case. We sat in the courtroom, listened to him say why he was challenging our case and left. I’ve got to be honest with you, I couldn’t disagree with anything he said. I will save details for personal conversation, or maybe for the next blog, but, needless to say, we walked out of the courtroom not necessarily thinking everything went too well. Our case now hinges on the positive blood test of BOTH of the parents. We will find out tomorrow about that issue when lab reports are returned and we will have our ruling on March 27th.

We sat in a cafe across the street while waiting for our driver and tried to process the everything. Mixed emotions run deep. I pray that God is working things out in our spirits and he gives us peace. Tonight I pray that same prayer for the mother and father who have sacrificed their selves to give their youngest daughter a second chance at life.

From Uganda with Love and Tears,

Ali