She stared at me for a minute and then she said, “What went wrong Jack? What poisoned you against me? What made you do that despicable thing that you did to me?”
“You’ll know soon enough Gloria. You won’t like it, but you will know.”
I’d been expecting it so the shock on Gloria’s face when Jumal got up on the witness stand and blew the whistle on Gloria’s plan didn’t surprise me.
“That bastard! He slept in my bed last night and he does this to me today? I thought he loved me.”
“You never should have told him that you weren’t going to marry him after you divorced me.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you didn’t marry him he couldn’t get access to your money so he decided to settle for the five million that Moser offered him”
“What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Oh grow up Gloria. The love of your life just sold you down the river. You think he did it because he saw it as his civic duty? He got paid Gloria, or he thinks he is getting paid. If Moser made Jumal the same deal he offered me Jumal is expecting five million dollars for his testimony, but I don’t think he is smart enough to know that Moser is going to stiff him if the foundation doesn’t win.”
“What deal? What the hell is going on here Jack?”
“Just be patient Gloria, you’ll see.”
Gloria’s lawyer got up to cross-examine Jumal. “Mr. Washington, are you being paid for your testimony here today?”
“No, of course not.”
“You are telling me that you are not being paid five million dollars to sit on this stand and tell this story? Think very carefully before you answer Mr. Washington. You are under oath and there are severe penalties for perjury.”
Jumal was starting to sweat. How could the lawyer know the exact amount? He looked over at the table where Moser and his lawyers were sitting.
“Come now Mr. Washington, no need to look over to that table for guidance, yes or no, are you being paid five million dollars for your testimony?”
There were a bunch of objections, but the judge told Jumal to answer the question so he did and being Jumal he lied, “No I am not.”
Next came a bunch of people who testified about the will, it’s provisions, what they believed the intentions of Gloria’s father to be and things along those lines. We broke for lunch and as I ate mine Gloria fidgeted and poked at her salad.
“How can you eat at a time like this? I thought what you did to me was bad enough, but this, this is just unbelievable. That bastard sold me out. I’m toast.”
“It ain’t over until the fat lady sings Gloria.”
“Oh bullshit Jack. My whole world is going to disappear and you just sit around saying don’t worry, be happy.”
“Okay, you win, life as you know it is over. Which, by the way is true, life as you knew it is over, but that doesn’t mean that the life you will have left will be without your money.”
“Just what the hell does that mean Jack?”
“It doesn’t matter what we do to defuse Jumal’s testimony, the fact still remains that he was your lover and he can tell enough that people will be able to check on things and verify some of it. You are a cheating wife. Your social circle will know that you had a nigger for a lover. You have been unfaithful to your husband and all of that is going to be public knowledge after this trial whether you win or lose. So yes Gloria, life as you knew it is over. Your real friends will rally around you and the ones that aren’t worth a shit will avoid you like the plague. The best thing for you to do now is get your chin up, hold your head up high and get on with it.”
Court reconvened and it was our turn. Our lawyer called witnesses who testified as being present at our wedding. The minister was called and verified that he was ordained and authorized to perform marriages in our state and that he had performed ours after being given a copy of a legitimate marriage license. The next witness called was me.
“Only a few questions for you Mr. Stanton. Is your marriage to Gloria Sterns a sham?”
“Absolutely not.”
“You are not merely a husband in name only? You do in fact perform your husbandly duties?”
“Yes I do. You may notice that my wife is seven months pregnant.”
“Yes I have noticed that and so I will ask you the question that the plaintiff’s lawyer is sure to ask. Are you sure that the child that Mrs. Stanton is carrying is yours?”
“Easy enough to check in this day and age, what with DNA tests available, but yes, I am sure that the child is mine.”
“One last question Mr. Stanton. Do you love your wife?”
“Yes I do.”
Then it was Moser’s lawyers turn. “Mr. Stanton, I’ll be brief. You have testified that you love your wife. You can say that even though Mr. Washington has been on the stand and testified to having a long standing affair with her?”
“Yes I can.”
“Frankly Mr. Stanton, you will have to forgive my saying that I don’t believe you and if I don’t believe you how can you expect the other members of this court to believe you?”
“Neither you or any other member of this court knows the reason for my wife’s infidelity. Mr. Washington was blackmailing her and I expect that Mr. Moser and his foundation had a hand in it. I won’t say that things are perfect between us right now, but I expect that we will work things out.”