Jacob didn't even bother to open his mouth. Instead he stood grounded in his arrogance almost as if he were boasting about his declaration as he shook his head no.
"Do you think that you could borrow twenty dollars a week from somebody?" The Judge all but hissed sounding irritated and annoyed by his audacity. Jacob didn't say anything for a moment. He stood thinking it over. He then cut his eyes over to Marla and grimaced at her. He knew that he still had the ability to unsettle her with just a look. She dared to defy him this time.
She turned in his direction throwing a glare of her own back at him. A strange look came over into her eyes; one that Jacob had never seen before. Somehow that look rattled him and he became slightly embarrassed by his behavior. She was looking at him as if she were looking down on him. He was not about to allow her to make him feel and look like nothing more than a piece of trash. It prickled his pride making him look at his clothing and remember how nicely he was dressed in his expensive clothes and shoes. For the first time he thought about how pitiful he must look to be sporting brand name clothes before the court yet pleading for mercy and asserting that he was unable to cough up such a pitiful amount of money for the support and well-being of his son. His appearance belied his words and only told the court that he was trying to weasel out of paying. His ego abruptly kicked in.
"Yes sir… I guess I can manage twenty dollars a week." He said in his arrogant way as if the amount was nothing more than chump change to him. Marla could hear him grinding his teeth together; suddenly the sound that she once thought was so cute began to rake her nerves.
"What about health insurance?" The Judge asked peeking over his reading glasses while looking down at him from his perch on the bench.
"No job right now." He reiterated.
"About how long will it take to find one?"
"Hmm, maybe two- -three months." He answered back.
The judge began scribbling on the court paperwork.
"Let's say six months from today's date? That should be plenty of time to find a job and allow the health insurance to be activated." Jacob cocked a grin on his face as if he had hit the lottery.
"Sure your honor, six months is fine."