some evidence that’ll prove once and for all that whatever their relationship is, it’s not a Christianmarriage.”
“Oh, so what you’re saying is that Mr. Hamilton is about to pull out the big guns?” Buzz laughed.
“Okay, then. No further questions. Hamilton, let’s see what you’ve got.”
“Because Mr. Charles Maycomb finds today’s matter too painful to discuss publicly, he hasdeclined to take the stand and has asked instead that I screen this videotape, which I would like to do now,with permission of the court.” He held the videotape aloft in his diamond-ringed hand.
Judge Sanders sighed. “How long is this gonna take, Mr. Hamilton? The country club stopsserving lunch in thirty minutes.”
“The running time on this tape is three minutes and twenty-two seconds, Your Honor.”
“Proceed.”
Hamilton popped the tape into the VCR. Lily watched as the Atlanta skyline appeared on thescreen. The camera panned a long line of men and women carrying rainbow flags and placards. It wasAtlanta’s gay pride parade — Lily wasn’t sure which year, but it was recent, judging from the, clothingand hairstyles.
A convertible in which a gorgeous black drag queen sat, smiling and waving, drove out of thecamera’s range, and then another group of marchers came into view, carrying a banner readingLESBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL PARENTS. The camera zoomed in on four faces. One of them, Lilynoted with horror, was her own.
There, onscreen, were Lily and Charlotte wearing matching T-shirts that read GAYBY BOOM.
Marching alongside Charlotte and Lily was Ben, wearing a white polo shirt with a small, discreet pinktriangle on the chest.
There was nothing discreet, however, about Ben’s marching partner. Dez was decked out in a hotpink caftan and a rhinestone tiara. Though he was not in full drag makeup, Dez was wearing hot pinklipstick and a set of false eyelashes so large that they re¬sembled a pair of tarantulas resting on hiseyelids. He held the tiny baby Mimi, who was laughing and cooing, high above his head, while heshrieked at the top of his lungs, “We’ve come for your children! We’ve come for your children!”
As the screen went blank, the only sound in the courtroom was Big Ben’s laughter. When JudgeSanders banged his gavel, Big Ben said, still laughing, “I’m sorry, Your Honor. I couldn’t help it. ThatDez may have had ruffles on his drawers, but he was funny as hell.”
Judge Sanders removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. “Well ... onthat note, let’s break for lunch. Court will reconvene at two o’clock.”