too soon.
When Monday morning came, Lily, with red, bleary eyes and a dry mouth, assumed her position at the table with Buzz Dobson and Ben. Jeanie and Big Ben sat behind them, supposedly for moral support, but their presence only made Lily more anxious. So much of the McGillys’ support, Lily thought, had come from their desire to protect Mimi, since Mimi was a McGilly, even if her last name did not reflect that fact. What would they do when they found out that Mimi had no McGilly blood whatsoever?
Hamilton and the Maycombs sat at their table, looking crisp and confident. If Lily had held Granny McGilly’s shotgun in her hands, she would have blown them all away.
When Judge Sanders took his place at the bench, he said, “We have with us today, Doctor... Doctor
...” The judge looked at the brown-skinned young man seated in the courtroom. Doctor or not, he couldn’t have been much over thirty. “You’re gonna have to help me again with that name, buddy.”
The young doctor smiled patiently. “Anuj Mahatjan,” he said.
“Yeah, that’s it. The doctor here has the results of Benny Jack McGilly’s DNA tests in a sealed envelope.” Judge Sanders savored the phrase “sealed envelope.” Clearly, this revelation was high drama compared to the humdrum cases that were usually heard in the Faulkner County Courthouse. “Doctor, you may take the stand, if you like, and open the envelope there.”
Dr. Mahatjan carried a manila envelope to the stand. Lily had never looked upon an inanimate object with the amount of fear she felt for that envelope. Dr. Mahatjan opened the envelope with painstaking slowness. He removed some papers from it and looked them over for a few excruciating moments before he spoke. “The test indicates that Mr. Benny Jack McGilly and Mimi Maycomb do share the same genetic material. Mr. McGilly is Mimi Maycomb’s father.”
“I’ll be goddamned!” Mike Maycomb blasphemed, at the same time Lily had been thinking the exact same thing.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Judge Sanders said. “I’ll retire to my chambers to do the paperwork.
Custody of Mimi Maycomb will be awarded jointly to Mr. and Mrs. Benny Jack McGilly.”
Lily was being hugged by Jeanie and Big Ben before she could even process the information she had been given. “Congratulations, honey!” Jeanie squealed. “I told you everything was gonna be fine.”
Big Ben chucked his stunned son on the shoulder. “I knew it, boy! I knew it!” Big Ben whooped.
“A McGilly man don’t have to do nothin’ but look at a woman to get her pregnant.”
“Apparently not,” Ben mumbled.
“Come on,” Jeanie said, taking Lily by the hand, “let’s be good sports.”
Jeanie led Lily to the table where the Maycombs were arguing bitterly with Stephen Hamilton.
“Frankly,” Lily heard Ida say to her husband, “I’d be a whole lot more sure of this if they’d let a white man do the DNA tests.”
“Excuse us,” Jeanie said. Charles, Ida, and Maycomb turned to face her, looking shocked. “I just wanted to let y’all know that you can visit Mimi whenever you want to.” Jeanie’s smile was sweet and welcoming. “But if I ever hear you say one hateful word about my son or my daughter-in-law, you’ll never see hide nor hair of your granddaughter again.” Her smile was just as bright when she led Lily away from Charlotte’s slack jawed family.
