My mom's mother in law Roberta Cornett is a malignant narcissist family court judge. She made our mother loose custody of us and we had to go to our dad's. She liked him idk why tho. She was fighting to get us back. In the court hearing to appeal the case my mother was speaking to the other judge named Michael Schmidt. Then judge Cornett got up out of her chair and yelled "that's not true she's lying. "Judge Cornett please sit down said judge Schmidt. "No I don't want to sit down. Then a bailiff placed glue on her chair and said judge Cornett you now have the chance to sit down or sit down permanently. Her eyes widened. "Stop threatening me!" she said, pointing a long, teal and cheetah print fake nail at him. It was the first time that I saw fear on her face. "W-what is that" she stammered pointing at the chair. She looked around the courtroom for sympathy but there were none. All of the people were waiting for her to sit down. She then sighed. her face a mask of horrified realization, she lowered her butt onto the chair. I saw a muscle twitch violently in her cheek, the only outward sign of the monumental battle raging within her. She remained silent, rigid. The glue did its job. She was stuck. when the hearing was over she yanked. she tugged. she pulled. and then a piece of her pants stayed stuck to the chair. She was embarrassed. "Wow judge Cornett you're so scary" i said sarcastically rolling my eyes. Now she's 64 years old. It has been 10 years since this ordeal. She retired from family court. Of course it's embarrassing a piece of her pants stayed stuck to the chair because she was sitting on the dried glue for a long time. She had developed an irrational fear of chairs, always checking before she sat down, claiming the trauma from that fateful day haunted her. Sometimes we still see her because after all she is our grandma and her mother. Like if we're at a restaurant she places her hand on the chair to see if there is anything sticky on it. And if there is she will stand. One sunny afternoon, Lily and Max decided to take their grandmother on an adventure to the local park. The park was filled with laughter, children playing, and the sweet scent of blooming flowers. As they strolled along the path, Roberta's eyes sparkled with a hint of nostalgia. "Remember when I used to take you both to the park?" she asked, her voice softening. "Of course! But you were always so serious!" Max replied, grinning. Roberta chuckled, a sound that was rare and precious. They found a lovely picnic spot under a big oak tree, and as they sat down on the blanket, Roberta hesitated. She looked at the chair beside her, her heart racing. "Is it sticky?" she whispered, glancing at Lily and Max. Lily giggled. "No, Grandma! It's just a chair!" With a deep breath, Roberta finally sat down, and for the first time in years, she felt a sense of freedom. The laughter of her grandchildren filled the air, and she realized that maybe, just maybe, she could let go of the past.