At long last Tanya was called in. She looked a little tense, but all in all was holding together. She smiled at me and we exchanged that secret �knowing� look that said, �I�m with you�and so is God!� The judge teased Tanya a bit to help her relax and asked her only a few questions. One was to describe her relationship with me. Another was to ask her if she knew what her new name would be. She told him proudly, �Tanya Sheglova Salisbury.� He asked her if she knew how hard it would be to go to school in the States. She just smiled her cocky smile and said, �Oh, but I speak English already. It won�t be hard!� The judge just laughed. The only question remaining was, �Do you want to be adopted by Gospada (Madam) Salisbury?� Her simple �yes� sufficed and satisfied. Then he said, �You can go. I won�t torture you any more.� Tanya slipped me a little grin before leaving.
The last to be questioned was Natasha. She simply responded that I had covered everything and that there was nothing to add. All I�d said was the absolute truth. He tried to encourage her to speak for herself, which she did briefly but with difficulty. In the end he let it be and moved on. None of the frightening questions we imagined him asking were raised. In the first hearing she was the only one he questioned, and the only thing he asked was, �why do you want to cancel your guardianship?� Her answer had been, �That was the plan from the beginning.� That�s when he grew completely confused and postponed our hearing, demanding the presence of the Minister of Education to explain this strange situation.
