How Did I Get Here 03: The Pledge

***

Chance and I are at the B&B for two days, with my earlier sorrow transformed into full-blown RAGE. So, I am thinking clearly about retribution for Travis's obnoxious behavior since our move to Milwaukee more than a year ago. By now, our nuclear and extended Nashville family is aware of this kidnapping arrest warrant crisis, smothering me with hugs and warm phone messages. Chance and I speak frequently with Lillie/Jenny keeping them informed on most of our activities, since our super bonding night at the condo.

Chance knows the details of Judy, Char, and my narrow escape from a serious injury in Milwaukee. So how is it that Travis is not serving prison time, but instead seeking an arrest warrant on me for kidnapping my girls? I search my wallet for the female Police Sargent's card from that fateful Friday night. Here it is, Sargent Harriet Jo Samuel, with her phone numbers and Germantown, Wisconsin's Police Dept WEB address.

Later that night, I ring Sargent Samuel, with Chance listening on speaker phone. I tell her about the bounty hunter bash-up four days ago, asking, "Why is Travis not in jail or prison on the arrest charges of abusing me, threatening to kill the three of us, resisting arrest, and the other minor charges?"

Sargent Samuels sighs, "Call me Harriet, Meredith, and I honestly do not know what happened with this case. I filed my 24-hour incident report, including body camera video, phone photos, and your statement. Your abusive husband, Travis should have gotten a minimum sentence of ten years, serving at least 7, with 3-years of probation for good behavior.

She adds, "I follow up later, after learning he plea-bargains for 1 year of probation and 500 hours of community service. I'm told my job is to arrest criminals since I am neither a detective nor a judge. So I back off with this direct reprimand from my Captain. I am willing to quietly look into this and help you, but must be careful since I can be warned and possibly fired for insubordination."

"Okay, Harriet, I am now called Mere and my friend is Chance. This number is clean, and should now be in your phone's memory. Save the number as Waiting On Chance, and text first when you need to ring me."

Finally, "Someone from the US State Dept may contact you about my ex-Travis. Do not worry, just confirm you are Waiting On Chance and they will be open with you. I'll text you the DC State Dept contact's home address, and phone. Thanks so much for your help."

***

Dad Felix gives Wayne a rigid schedule for getting Chance and me into top physical condition while at the B&B for the next 6 to 8 weeks. During our time getting in shape, dad Felix will have Army enlistment documents made listing Chance and me as reservists. So we'll have DOD Military IDs in addition to our Diplomatic Passport/Visa documents.

Chance and I are totally in the dark about dad Felix's reasoning for our becoming reservists but implicitly trust him. We're enjoying dad Wayne's rigid conditioning program of distance running, jumping, weights, and other strenuous exercises. We also complete various other training activities and classes daily during the 6 to 8-week period.

The most difficult part of our living at the B&B is being isolated from Judy and Char, although we speak to them every night. Ronnie insists on speaking with us on every call, but we only speak with the other children once or twice each week. We also speak weekly with Sandi's moms, Lillie and Jenny.

After two weeks, Chance and I realize we are fully enjoying dad Wayne's hard physical training. So we study the basic requirements for the US Army Reserve Program at night relaxing in our suite. Ft Bragg in Fayetteville, NC is a major Army training facility and we joke about actually going there for our final two weeks of reservist training.

We also have more insight into why dad Wayne's hard physical training regimen becomes fun. For three years, I am extremely active in the tumbling component of Cheerleading, never getting out of shape or gaining permanent weight after having the girls. Chance is a loner, with few real friends, so she runs and studies ballet on her own, She hopes to dance a duet with mom Carmen someday, so has always been physically toned with strong muscular thighs/legs.

Finally, dad Felix and mom Carmen arrive to share their plan for my defense. A military contract lawyer will appear in Nashville Federal Court, asking them to dismiss or continue the bogus Germantown kidnapping arrest warrant hearing. The preliminary hearing is in Federal court since my girls and I have Diplomatic Passports, I am officially a military reservist, and we are currently Tennessee residents being here nearly a year.

For the Wisconsin court(s) to legally try me for kidnapping, I must be extradited there from Tennessee, so it's not a simple legal process. Additionally, kidnapping across state lines is a Federal Crime. So, Dad Felix is certain the final ruling will be in my favor, but this type of procedure normally takes time (weeks).

Chance winks so I ask, "Dad Felix, Chance, and I research the US Army Reserve Program in the evenings when we are sitting around bored! We'd like to train at Ft Bragg for a few weeks, and possibly stay in the reserve program for six years. We're enjoying dad Wayne's rugged training schedule, now that we are in tip-top shape, so we want to train longer. What do you think?"

Mom Carmen gasps, Oh No My Darlings!" while dad Felix grins!

Mom Mindy shouts, "I knew this was coming because Wayne tells me both girls are eating up his rigorous training. They never complain, even when he wakes them at 4:00 am to run for two hours, then an hour of calisthenics and another hour studying Military Justice. Both Mere and Chance quietly ask questions about the types of training held at Ft. Bragg, so I know something honorable is up with those two."

Chance softly, "Yes moms Mindy and Carmen, we are enjoying dad Wayne's training to the max, especially the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) Natural Posture Defensive Stance program." Winking at dad Felix, Chance adds "Mere and I worry about dad Felix, more specifically not wanting him to lie for us. So we think, let's do some onsite Army training at Ft Bragg, then dad Felix is being truthful with the courts."

I step back in, "We want to visit mom Onna May and the girls for a three-day weekend pass, continuing to Ft Bragg. We then complete our initial reservist training which may be a week(s) after the preliminary court ruling. Dad Felix asks the judge for a continuance on the court hearing date since I will need to return from military training in Ft Bragg."

***

TRAVIS IN MY SIGHTS

Dad Felix arranges our travel and training at Ft Bragg just as Chance and I ask. Dad Wayne contacts his old Special Forces Command, and we are placed in a three-week bivouac with an all-female Green Beret-Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course training group (GB-SFAS). Chance and I are not officially participating in the SFAS course but are Observation Assessors so we physically/mentally train with the group in many components of the course.

The GB-SFAS course is one of the most grueling selection processes in the Army. The multiweek (19-day) course is run by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg/Camp Mackall, NC. Official candidates taking this course have passed the Special Forces Preparation Course 1 (SFPC 1), the first of six Phases of training to become a Green Beret.

We arrive at our bivouac after dad Wayne fully prepares us for two and a half weeks of challenging and unusual activity. Dad Wayne teaches us strict discipline, and with our minds as the best weapon, we feel ready for anything. Dad Wayne is officially a GB Special Forces 'Inactive Operator' so knows the entire SFAS training regimen like the back of his hand. After six weeks of dad Wayne's intensive Basic/AIT training, then three weeks of GB-SF acclimation-type training, Chance and I feel secure and thrilled, each as Observers/Assessors in the female group bivouac.

We score exceptionally well on our competitive exercises, keep our mouths shut and 'Observe/Assess' as our role is defined. We answer questions crisply, maintaining a rigid military demeanor for nearly three weeks.

Chance and I receive our Observer/Assessor Ribbons, pinned by a no-nonsense female GB LT Colonel Marvel. Both dads Felix and Wayne are in Ft Bragg for our pinning, which is secret and honorable.

***

FEDERAL COURT

During Chance and my bivouac with ladies in the SFAS course, we learn the Federal Court rules in my favor. So my initial hearing on the kidnapping charges will be in Nashville Federal Court, which is our first win. The judge's ruling for the hearing in Nashville Federal Court is based on Judy, Char, and I being Tennessee residents and my being attached to the US Military.

Dad Felix asks me to phone him on a clean line when Chance and I have a break from our observation schedule. We assess the course independently of the Regular SFAS Course Candidates since we are only at FT Bragg for a 21-day TDY and then returning to the B&B for more intensive training with dad Wayne. We're not being evaluated for the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) Phase of GB-SF Training. We are simply on an Observation/Assessment Bivouac with the female SFAS candidates but are required to take the appropriate evaluation(s).

Dad Felix receives an anonymous courier package from Milwaukee delivered to his Alexandria, VA home address, attention 'Waiting On Chance'. He's curious, so I tell him I'm fairly certain this is a copy of Germantown Police Sargent Harriet Jo Samuel's body camera video, phone photos, CCTV street cameras, and her final incident report from Travis's mid-December Friday night arrest.

She most likely sends the package via his Alexandria, VA delivery route to protect herself. I had warned her to possibly expect contact from someone from the US State Dept, using the code 'Waiting On Chance'. So, dad Felix opens the package and views the contents, confirming my suspicion and saying good stuff.

***

Chance and I return to Nunnelly after 21 days at Ft Bragg. Dad Felix organizes the Court hearing so that Chance and I arrive at the Nashville Federal Court Building 30 minutes before our AM court time, in a military vehicle dispatched from Ft Campbell, KY. We salute our driver and proceed to the assigned courtroom. Our dress is US Army Black Observer Training Uniforms, with our SFAS Course Ribbons attached.

These uniforms do not show Military Rank or Names. Chance's name label is Observer 2 and mine is Observer 1. We wear our Special Observer Female Black Berets into the courtroom, march up to the American Flag and say; The Pledge of Allegiance.

Removing our Berets, we sit at the defense table in a stiffly upright Parade Rest Posture. Judy, Char, Hales, Jay, Sheila, and the triplets are happily waving at us from the viewing area behind the defense table. I refuse to look toward the prosecution table, where Travis is seated directly behind it.

Mom Onna May can't hold Ronnie, Judy, and Char back any longer as they race to Chance and me crying out, we love you, moms. They fling themselves onto the table, as Chance and I catch them in our arms with big hugs, smothering their wet cheeks with kisses.

A few minutes later, the Court Clerk calls the court to order, "All rise for the Honorable Judge Louise James." After Judge James sits on the bench, the clerk states my case's name and docket number.

I whisper to our attorney, "I want to address the judge," which is approved.

I stand, Your Honor, "I am Meredith (Mere) Ruth Johnson, the defendant, asking the court to please accept my apology. My daughters rush to hug me in the courtroom, not having seen me for a month. I have been on a Department of Defense (DOD) Classified Training Mission at Ft Bragg, just arriving here a few minutes ago by military transport. So, I ask the court's indulgence in allowing my daughters, Judy 5, Char 3, and their tutor Ronnie 8 to sit with us?"

Judge James replies, "Yes, Ms. Johnson, I understand the young girls missing their mom. For the record, who is the other soldier sitting with the defense?"

Chance stands, "Your Honor, I am Chancery (Chance) Evette Mercer, Mere's SFAS Observer Teammate. I am also her girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancé. We plan our engagement for last month, before being alerted to our Green Beret SFAS Observer/Assessment Mission, so we delay the announcement."

There are muted gasps and murmurs throughout the courtroom, except at the defense table and close galley area; most likely because of Chance outing herself as my girlfriend. The Judge smiles, thanking Chance for introducing herself.

I notice a commotion between Ronnie, Char, and Judy, and a little birdie tells me something is up with them. I slyly steal a sideways glance at mom Onna May, who gives me a tight smile, so I know she approves and/or orchestrates some of what's soon to occur.

Ronnie stands, holding my girls' hands, "Your honor, my name is Ronnie and I am sightless, so may we come closer to the bench." The Judge agrees, and they move from the defense table, slowly walking up to the bench.

Ronnie tilts her head slightly right and sniffs, as she normally does when meeting someone new. "I can't see with my eyes Your Honor, but my senses of sound, smell, taste, touch and inherent intuition are exceptional, so I have a question for the court because my little sisters and I are confused?"

Ronnie grins, "Our head teacher is Mom Onna May, who has taught children Montessori Style learning for over 25 years. She always teaches her students that hitting is despicable, morally wrong, and against the law."

Ronnie continues, "So please tell us why are we in this courtroom since both Judy and Char have seen Travis Johnson hit their mom, Meredith, many times! He was so bad hitting their mom the last time, she has to take them away from Milwaukee to Tennessee so he cannot hurt them anymore.

Ronnie explains to the Judge in detail, "Travis Johnson threatens to kill mom, Meredith, Judy, and Char near their home on a Friday two weeks before Christmas. The police and Milwaukee courts know this since a policewoman comes to help mom Meredith pack and takes them to a safe house place. So my two little sisters must spend Christmas in a Safe House scared and crying. Two weeks after Christmas, mom Meredith, Judy 4, and Char 2 leave the Milwaukee, WI safe house and travel to another safe place near us in Nashville."

Shaking her head, Ronnie drops the bomb, "So, am I right in hearing we are in this courtroom today so you, Judge James can send my two little sisters to a man they saw hit their mom many times in Milwaukee? He also says he is going to kill the three of them, using language mom Onna May does not allow her students to use.

"Gasps and no-ways," rumble throughout the courtroom as Judge James bangs her Gavel, calling the court to order!

Judy jumps in, "Your Honor, last year I am 4 and my baby sister, Char 2 when he did this." pointing to the prosecution area, "That man is bad and not a real daddy, and this court cannot send us away from our moms and Ronnie with him, so he can beat and try to kill us."

All three girls crying profusely, run back into Mere and Chance's arms.

Now people in the courtroom, especially women are also crying and asking what's wrong with our courts. "They are taking cute little girls from their mothers and sending them to live with a monster in Milwaukee. This is just downright crazy and must be illegal."

Mom Onna May asks, "I am the girl's and Jay's Home School Teacher Your Honor, and may I speak for a moment?"

Receiving permission, "My eight students and associate teacher, mom Nancy are very confused by your court's action. These children should be taking their National Home School Exam today, but are sitting in a courtroom. They love moms Meredith and Chancery whom most of them have known since she and her girls barely escape from Milwaukee with their lives.

"Sheila 8 and her mom Guen also help them to safety in Nunnelly, when she hides with Judy and Char under a blanket while her mom drives them to a safe B&B. Children are fragile, yet Judy/Char have been hauled in your court like cattle on a round-up.

Everyone knows Travis Johnson drunkenly attacks his ex-wife and little girls two weeks before Christmas. For Godsakes, there're Germantown Police Body Camera videos of his violent arrest and a CCTV video of him rabidly chasing Meredith, Judy, and Char down the street from their home.

So this court takes innocent little 2&4-year-old girls, treating them like criminals, while the drunken bum who attacks them walks free. The girl's mom, Meredith could have been paralyzed for life, had his fist connected punching her head through the wall. Again, there are pictures of Meredith and her girls taken beside the hole in the wall of her home. One police expert says Travis Johnson should have been given a 10-year prison sentence at a minimum.

How can I possibly explain this craziness to children who are 3 to 10 years old, whom Nancy and I constantly teach that hitting is wrong?

"You Tell Me, Judge Louise James!"

Judge Louise James Angrily, "Teachers Onna May and Nancy, please take all eight children home until receiving further instructions from this court."

Judge James Again, "Ms. Meredith and Ms. Chancery, the Court Clerk will immediately escort you and your attorney to my Chambers for a conference.

Judge James Again, "Bailiff, please hold the entire Milwaukee delegation and their attorney in this courtroom until I call them to my Chambers. If they move as much as an inch, arrest the entire group for Contempt of Court.

Judge James bangs her gavel Bang-Bang-Bang.

" This Case Is In Continuance Until Further Notice From The Clerk! "

To be continued

How Did I Get Here 04: The Promise-Conclusion

Epilogue:

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