There she was. Standing before a judge. Holding her baby. The baby looked to be about 10 months old. I know what a 10 month old looks like. One lives in my house.
The landlord was representing himself. He told the judge that the young woman failed to make payments pursuant to a stipulated agreement signed several months ago. The penalty for failing to make such payments is eviction.
The judge asked the woman if the landlord was correct.
The young woman admitted that she failed to make a scheduled payment. This sealed her fate and the fate.
“But please judge, I just need more time. You see, I’ve applied for assistance and they’re processing my application but it hasn’t gone through yet. If I’m evicted I have nowhere to go. My baby is going to be homeless”.
The law is the law. The law in the young woman’s case was simple. Fail to make payments and you’re homeless. Your baby, too. Both the young woman and the landlord knew the law. They knew it when they signed the agreement several months prior. They knew it when they walked into court that morning.
Perhaps that’s why the woman had her young daughter with her. She knew what was going to happen. She hoped that holding a baby would somehow soften the blow. Or perhaps she had no one to watch the baby for her. Either way, she stood there clutching a 10 month old, as the judge prepared to make his ruling from the bench.
The judge did the right thing. He followed the law. Even if the outcome is harsh, society is best served when judges follow the law and apply it fairly to the facts.
This judge ordered her out of the apartment. Both her and baby had until Friday to move their stuff before a marshal and movers came and moved it for them. The practice of law is not for the faint of heart.
The woman turned around after the judge had ruled. Her face was pale. Her baby was going to be homeless on Friday. The baby continued to play with her rattle.
As I waited for my case to be called, I thought of my daughter. What if she had been born under different circumstances? What if she was about to be homeless?
It was with a heavy heart that I stood up and argued my case. Fortunately, on that day, I was on the side of a commercial tenant. I was comforted by the fact that no matter what happened in my case, it wasn’t going to result in a homeless child.
When I got home late that night, my daughter was sleeping. She was comfortable. I went in her room and did something I almost never do – I woke a sleeping baby. I picked her up. I stole a moment with her. I kissed her on her head and then gently placed her back in her crib.