Dorsai - Jan

"And how committed are the two of you to seeing this through? It could well get ugly."

"We've thought of that, as well. Considering their absentee parental technique, we were thinking that they had forfeited any claim of responsibility for her. At worst, it was my thought that the argument could be made that the inattention and indifference her parents have exhibited constituted a form of neglect, if not abuse. Kelly is willing to testify to that effect, if it becomes absolutely necessary."

"Indeed? Well, let us hope it doesn't come to that; but prepare for it nonetheless. I have heard what you have to say; I trust that you'll understand if I tell you that I'd like to hear what Kelly has to say, as well."

"Of course. I can either bring her in, or arrange for her to meet with you."

"For the sake of argument, let's say she comes in here on her own. That way, it couldn't be argued that your immediate presence influenced her."

"That would be fine. If I might ask, you seem to have something in mind – what is it?"

"It's a bit premature, but in this state, we have what is called 'manumission' for minors of her age. It essentially declares them to be legal adults, if underage otherwise. If the conditions are as you say – and I believe they are – then we could almost certainly apply for her to manumitted on those grounds, leaving her free to choose where to live as she pleases, as an adult."

"Really? That's an 'interesting' concept. Uh, forgive me, but as a matter of theory, wouldn't an application of that sort have more of an impact if it were to come from Kelly herself?"

"It would."

"And wouldn't any involvement by me tend to – shall we say – 'cloud' the proceedings?"

"It would."

"Then if Kelly were to come to you herself, wouldn't it have more impact on the court?"

"Yes, I see where you're going with this. However, you've already mentioned the ultimate goal to me."

"Yes – to you. But if there were someone you were to direct her to?

Someone that I hadn't spoken with? Kelly's manumission would be a separate issue from any civil or other legal proceedings that I would wish to retain you against."

He smiled at me, saying"You have an 'interesting' way of thinking, Mr.

Marshall. Yes, in theory, what you say is correct. There are several people that I would trust to handle such a thing. A couple of them might even entertain the idea of doing it pro bono – for free – or at a minimal charge, paid by the young lady as she was able."

"But of course, you would only be comfortable making such a referral once you had met her, and were convinced of the appropriateness of the solution."

"Of course."

"Then if such a young lady were to call you for an appointment tomorrow morning, when might she be able to speak with you?"

"I suppose that if she were to call tomorrow morning, I could probably see her shortly before lunch."

"Theoretically, of course." I offered.

"Theoretically."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Thompson. Will you bill me for your services, or may I pay on my way out?"

"There won't be a charge for this meeting, Mr. Marshall. My first consultation is usually free, and as I said, you have an 'interesting' mind; it was a pleasure talking with you."

"And if it should happen that a young lady seeking manumission were to meet you, how might she be billed?"

"Oh, for such a worthwhile cause, I doubt that I would bother; it would be a public service to be able to help a young lady in troubling circumstances achieve her freedom and happiness."

"You are quite a gentleman, sir."

"For a lawyer." he smiled.

With that, I left, thanking his receptionist on my way out.

The next morning, Kelly called him at my suggestion, and was able to see him just before lunch. After their meeting, she called the other lawyer he'd directed her to, and got an appointment for a few days later. I'd been careful not to tell her what Thompson had said about manumission; both to surprise her, and to avoid putting any pressure on her.

When she came to stay with me for a few hours, I could see that she was excited about something, but was careful not to 'notice' or mention it until she brought it up herself. When she did, I agreed that it sounded like an ideal solution – not just for us, but also for HER. As we cuddled on the couch, we made tentative plans for her move, but leaving the timeline open until after she'd met with the lawyer that would be handling things for her.

Thompson had been right; there was a manumission law in our state, and Kelly's home life certainly qualified her to apply for it. The lawyer she saw was willing to do it 'at cost' – that is, simply for any filing or other fees outside his office. He started the paperwork, and suggested to Kelly that she say something to her parents before the paperwork was delivered to them, so that they would have some warning.

When she told me about it, I backed him up on it, pointing out that if it hit them without warning, they might decide to fight it just because it pissed them off. She was still hesitant about it, but brought it up with them, anyway. To her surprise, they actually seemed mildly pleased at the idea, and told her that they wouldn't have any objections to it, or fight it. In fact, they even told her that they would be happy to give her a few thousand dollars to help her get started, along with the title to the car they'd bought her. With that kind of response from them, she even brought up the idea of moving out, perhaps even before the start of the school year. They agreed to that, as well, saying that they would pay for her final year of private school, as well, as a gesture of 'good will'.

When she got to my house, she was almost in a state of shock at how it had gone with them, and how agreeable they'd been – and more than a little saddened by those facts, as well. I reassured her as best I could, holding her in my arms and telling her that I loved her. After a while, she perked up a bit, and we finalized our plans for her to move in with me. The next day, she called her lawyer, and told him what had happened; he assured her that moving out before the paperwork was finalized wouldn't have any impact, that if anything, it would strengthen the basis for her request.

So, the last weekend before school started, Kelly gathered up her things, and moved in. True to their word, her parents gave her the title to her car, and a receipt for her last year's tuition at school, along with a certified check for $10,000. A couple of weeks later – and after a brief appearance by her in court – her manumission papers arrived.

With them in hand, she went to the bank to open her own checking and savings accounts. The bank fussed, a little, but ultimately gave in, setting both accounts up as requested. That it was the same bank I used for my personal and business accounts, and she liberally dropped my name, helped a bit.

Back at home, we'd gone out and gotten some additional furniture, mostly for her to put her things in, in the bedroom. I provided her with one of the encrypted garage door openers I had; the remote being encrypted, the garage door wasn't subject to some clown driving down the street hitting a commercial or generic remote to see which doors opened. We also went through a 'crash training' session with Mabel, so that Kelly had almost as much control over Mabel as I did. I also fixed her up with a ring to hold her electronic key to the house; when I gave it to her, I thought she was going to cry.

During all of this, Paul was surprisingly supportive – particularly after Jan told him about what had passed for Kelly's home life. He told me that the boys had asked about all the stuff that was going on, and that he and Jan had explained things to them in such a way as to satisfy their curiosity without going into too much 'detail'. They were old enough to notice that something was going on, but not old enough to really understand the what or why, so once satisfied that they weren't being left out of something, it didn't take much to appease their curiosity.