CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Giver (Olive’s Ending)

“Thank you,” Olive said to Octavia when she pulled up to the front of the courthouse.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Octavia replied, shocked that Olive had arranged a meeting with Judge Reinhold, the judge who required Charles to move out of the group home.

Olive didn’t know what she was going to say to the judge. She just had to plead with her whole heart, and she hoped that he would hear it. She’d surprised herself by getting an appointment with him. Though, in order to get the appointment, she’d told him she was doing an interview for the school newspaper. But she didn’t mind being a little dishonest because this was a big deal.

“Come on in, young lady,” Judge Reinhold said with glee, so opposite of the tough man she remembered from earlier in the month. “You want to put me in the school newspaper for Jackson High? I must say I’m honored. I’m a product of JHS. Class of nineteen-eighty.”

Feeling really bad now, Olive fessed up. “Sir, I have to apologize, but I’m not here for the school paper. The only way I could get an appointment with you was to say something like that. I do go to Jackson, but I am here for this guy.”

Olive turned around her phone, which had a big picture of Charles. The judge’s pale face started turning red. Olive braced herself to get thrown out.

Quickly, she started explaining, “I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me, sir. I definitely didn’t mean to be deceitful, but I need your help.”

He grunted, “Help with what? If you’re coming to lobby for this young man, you’ve come to the wrong place. I gave him plenty of chances.”

“I know, Your Honor, but please,” Olive uttered as she saw Judge Reinhold soften when she gave him respect. “Sir, if I can simply tell you a quick story. Your clerk said I have fifteen minutes for the interview. I only need ten.”

He sat back and studied her. She smiled and clasped her hands together. He motioned for her to go ahead and start talking.

Olive began, “Charles and I have a weird relationship.”

“You’re his girlfriend, I presume?”

“I don’t know. I was his foster sister. You see, I don’t have parents either. And Judge, I don’t know how your upbringing was, but just imagine having no parents. No one there to want you, and no one there to care. Think what that would do to you as a kid. In a group home, you sometimes see other kids getting adopted, but you get passed up time and time again. That is my life. That is Charles’s life.”

“And that’s supposed to be an excuse for reckless criminal behavior?” Judge Reinhold asked.

“No, sir. Not at all. But hopefully it’d be an excuse for a great judge with a tremendous reputation in this county to give some more grace to a boy who only got a little hot under the collar because he was trying to help his friend out.”

“Explain.”

“I was with the wrong kind of guy. A guy who is known for being over a gang. Probably doing real criminal activity in our school. But he was the only one who was giving me things. It’s hard when you never had new shoes or money to get your hair and nails done. You’re not cool when you look like a bum. Naturally, you cling to someone who can give you those things, at whatever cost. But I was abused in tons of ways, and when the guy finally broke it off, Charles stepped in to defend my honor. I couldn’t see how bad I was spiraling out of control. And then the guy wanted to retaliate, and all the things he said he was going to do to me, to Charles, to anyone who got in his way, were scary. So Charles did what was in him to do, and that’s stand up and protect those he loves. If anybody deserves to be put out of that house, it’s me. I brought the madness to our group home, not Charles.”

Judge Reinhold breathed deeply, clearly moved, yet now faced with a dilemma. “I see.”

Olive saw Judge Reinhold’s demeanor soften even more. He unfolded his arms, and he sat up in his chair to listen more intently. While she hated that she had to reveal the worst things about herself, to save Charles she was willing to do it. So she kept going.

Olive continued, “Judge, I’ll leave the group home, but Charles needs to be there. I know there has been a new placement for him, but it’s not a good situation. He’s dropped out of school. We’re two months from graduating. He’s got a 3.1 GPA. He can go to college on the Hope Scholarship, but he’s got to graduate. Now he doesn’t even want to do that. He just wants to get a job to take care of himself. Your one decision is setting his life on a course that is not what you intended at all.”

“Well, I’ve made my ruling,” Judge Reinhold shared, refolding his arms.

Olive stood up, and her eyes watered up. She clutched her hands together, not knowing what to say to the judge so he could really understand her, but she knew she had to try.

When she didn’t move, Judge Reinhold said, “Well, thank you. I heard you.”

“But you’re not going to change your mind? You’re not going to give him another chance? You’re not going to reconsider this?”

“I will touch base with his case worker, and maybe I need to reevaluate.”

“Thank you, Judge! Thank you!”

“I didn’t say I was going to change my mind,” Judge Reinhold made clear.

“Your Honor, the fact that you’re going to consider it is big.” Olive went around the side of his desk and hugged him tight.

He was overwhelmed and said, “Okay, I can see that if Charles has you in his corner, he is not as alone as he thinks. And I’m proud that it seems you’ve learned from your past choices as well. With your heart and selflessness, you’ve given me faith in our youth. You’re not a taker. Clearly you’re a giver.”