“You’ll hear a lot of things from the respondent today. Mr. Dobson is going to tell you that by marrying Mr. Benny Jack McGilly, Lily Fox showed a desire to raise Miss Maycomb’s child in a normal, two-parent heterosexual home. He may also tell you that Mimi Maycomb is the biological child of Charlotte Maycomb and Benny Jack McGilly— a claim for which no medical proof has been offered.
Through the testimony of Charlotte’s family and through the use of a piece of videotaped evidence, I intend to show that whether they are married or not, Lily McGilly and her husband of convenience cannot provide a morally fit home for Charlotte Maycomb’s daughter. The only home they can provide is one that lacks moral fiber and will ultimately harm young Mimi.
“If the value of a child is beyond that of gold and diamonds, we would be selling Mimi short by placing her in an environment that values sodomy over Sunday school. The future of a child is in your capable hands, Your Honor, and I pray that you make the right decision.”
Lily’s mind reeled. What was this “videotaped evidence” Hamilton had mentioned? Was it one of those loony antigay documentaries produced by the Christian right? Or—Lily shuddered—hadn’t she and Charlotte videotaped themselves having sex once? But they had erased it after they’d watched it. Hadn’t they? Lily was so busy panicking she didn’t even hear the judge ask Buzz to make his opening remarks.
When she looked up, she saw Buzz standing before the judge in a suit that looked as if it had been slept in last night and then used as a napkin this morning.
“Your Honor,” Buzz began, “I wanna tell you a little about my client, Lily McGilly. Mrs. McGilly is an award-winning author and illustrator of several books for children. In her hometown of Atlanta, she did a great deal of volunteer work for organizations that helped women and children. She has volunteered to teach art classes for after-school programs for underprivileged youth and has helped prepare food in soup kitchens that feed hungry children and their parents. Mrs. McGilly’s love for children is so strong that when her friend Charlotte Maycomb made up her will, she knew that Mrs. McGilly would be the best person to care for her baby girl.
“And when Lily Fox married my other client, Mr. Benny Jack McGilly, whom we believe to be Mimi Maycomb’s biological father, they entered into marriage in the spirit of creating a stable, loving family for Mimi to grow up in. Through the testimony of members of the McGilly family, I intend to show that Mr. and Mrs. Benny Jack McGilly have created a stable, loving family. Charlotte Maycomb’s wishes should be respected.”
“Is that all?” Judge Sanders asked.
“Yes, Your Honor, that’ll do it,” Buzz said, returning to his seat.
Lily had serious doubts that Buzz’s opening remarks would “do it.” Not only were they brief compared to Hamilton’s, they lacked Hamilton’s sense of theater. Also, while Hamilton’s entire argument was built on the perceived evils of homosexuality, Buzz didn’t even touch on the gay issue.
Lily looked at Ben, whose face was an unreadable mask. He might still be under the impression that the McGilly family name would get them out of this mess, but Lily thought differently. Things looked bad.
Hamilton’s questioning of the Maycombs only made it worse. When Ida Maycomb took the stand, Hamilton spoke to her in soft, gentlemanly tones. “Mrs. Maycomb, I know this is a difficult subject for you, but I want you to recount for us a conversation your daughter had with you six years ago, after she had met Mrs. McGilly.”
Ida Maycomb was the very image of the tragic, martyred mother. On some level, Lily was sure, she was enjoying her role in this drama. “She called me up one day and said there was something she had to tell me. . . and it had to be in person. So she invited me to lunch the next day. Of course, I was dying to know what it was she had to tell me. I thought to myself, maybe she’s finally found a man who’s agreed to marry her.” She shook her head sadly. “But of course, that wasn’t it.”
Ida looked down and cleared her throat. “I went to her apartment for lunch. I remember she’d made a tuna salad that had too much celery seed in it. Charlotte never was much of a cook —”
“Mrs. Maycomb,” Judge Sanders interrupted, “in the interest of our getting to have some lunch today, could you please stick to the topic at hand?”
“I’m sorry, your honor. It’s just that it’s so difficult ...” She began to sniffle. Hamilton pulled a small packet of Kleenex from his jacket pocket. She took one and dabbed at her eyes. Lily wondered how many times they’d rehearsed that little exchange. “Continue when you’re ready, Mrs. Maycomb,” Hamilton said soothingly.
Ida took a deep breath and continued. “We sat down to lunch. Charlotte was just playing with her food, not really eating, and she said there was something she’d been meaning to tell me for a long time, but she had just kept putting it off. Now, she said, she couldn’t put it off any longer. ’ Mama,’ she said to me, ‘I’m. . . I’m a. . . lesbian.’ “ Ida said the word lesbian as though she was sounding it out from a dictionary’s pronunciation key. She wiped away another tear.
“And why,” Hamilton asked, “was it that your daughter felt that after all this time she had to tell you about her homosexuality?”
Ida looked at him with wet eyes. “She said she had fallen in love ... that was how she put it, just like it was a normal thing to do. She said she’d been seeing this woman, and they had decided to settle down and make a life together.”
“And who was this woman?”
Ida nodded toward Lily. “That’s her, right over there.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Maycomb. I know this is difficult for you. I just have one more question. A little over three years after the conversation you just discussed, Charlotte told you she was pregnant—that she had been artificially inseminated and that she and Lily were going to raise a child together. What was your reaction when she told you this?”