Acts of Desperation(22)
“Chuck called me and told me the ruling was in. She found me in contempt. I withheld contact from the kids and neglected to encourage healthy communication with their father because I was gone a couple of extra days. Can you believe that? He called six times a day when we were away on vacation. Six times! Not to mention the video chats and the app on the iPad he used to leave messages. I think that teeters on harassment to me but nope, as usual, I’m the bad guy.”
“You’re not the bad guy Sarah. It’s going to be ok,” I said, but I sensed she wasn’t listening when she began talking over me.
“I kept replaying the day in court. Chuck didn’t do a thing to defend me or prepare me. He was disorganized and threw me to the wolves. He tried calming me down after we walked out of the hearing because I knew it hadn’t gone well. I knew the judge didn’t like me very much, and he said it was all in my head. And you know what else he said?” she asked.
“What?” My heart was pounding as my stomach twisted in knots.
“He said I looked tired on the stand. Tired. Like it was my fault.” She laughed uneasily. “I don’t know what to do.” I heard her quietly blow her nose through the line. “The worst thing is all along Anders kept telling me that my lawyer was an idiot. And look! He was right. The person that I can’t trust, that betrayed me and deceived me, was freaking right. I look like an absolute idiot. I bet he’s laughing at me right now. What am I going to do? I could go to jail, Sember.”
“Well first, relax just a little. You’re the mother of two young children, and the social worker recommended you get sole custody. That’ll speak volumes to the judge about Anders’s character. It’s highly unlikely that you’d get tossed in jail, but I think it’s time for you to get a new lawyer.”
“Do you mean you?” she asked.
My heart dropped into my stomach. Sarah had always been a good big sister to me. I can remember plenty of times growing up where she never hesitated to protect and defend me. Like the time when we were in elementary school together. I was in kindergarten and she was in fourth grade because I was very young, but the memory is crystal clear.
We would walk the one block home together after getting off the school bus. It must have been spring because the air was cool yet comfortable, and the ground was squishy from rain. These two little boys would torment us every day by throwing rocks at us as they passed by from across the street. One day they actually hit me in the arm, and I started to cry from the sting. It made no difference that they were bigger than Sarah. She instantly dropped her backpack and stormed across the street. After a brief scuffle, she got the bigger one in a head lock and wrestled him to the ground. Personally, I think the element of surprise aided a smidge in her victory—hell, I was there and I didn’t see it coming. The other boy stood next to her in awe, his mouth gaping, unable to move to help his friend. I remember being a little awed myself; it was really impressive the way she handled herself. I can still see that little punk look up at me from across the street. His mousy brown hair was all kinds of messed up, and he had globs of dirt and grass stuck in his front teeth from Sarah smashing his face into the earth. She whispered calmly in his ear, and then he shouted his frantic apologies to me. She dropped him then coolly marched across the street and picked up her stuff. She grabbed my hand and we walked home. And from that day on, they never bothered us again.
Asking if I’d implied that I would represent her, I saw it as my opportunity to help and defend her, but I didn’t think I could personally do it, and it killed me a little inside to admit it.
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean me. My emotions could affect my judgment, and I can’t risk that. If I screwed something up, I’d never forgive myself. But I promise I’ll figure something out ok. Somebody here will be able to help. I’ll take care of it. I promise. Was that all Chuck said?”
“You mean other than telling me to calm down constantly—again? No, not really.” She laughed nervously. “He did say we’d appeal, but I don’t know why. It seemed pretty cut and dry to me.”
“Appealing would be a waste of time, and it’s expensive. I’m not sure why he’d suggest that other than maybe racking up a bill. Besides, a ruling in family court isn’t likely to be overturned anyway. It sure wouldn’t make you any friends in that courtroom if you have to go up against that judge again. And knowing Anders, you could very easily end up there again.”
“Great. And now I have to sit and wait for my punishment to be handed down. It’s like that judge enjoys torturing me,” she said.
“She’s not torturing you, although I can understand how you’d think that. It’s just the way the system works.”
“Seriously, I think I’m going to throw up. I don’t want to go to court anymore. I don’t want to do any of this anymore. I’m scared, and I want this to be over,” she said.
“It’s gonna to be alright. We’ll figure this out. Where are you right now?” I asked.
“At school, hiding in the coat closet. My kids are in art class. How the heck am I going to get through my day like this? I’m a wreck.”
“Just do your best, ok. I’ll call you later when I have something worked out. But you have to relax a little. I swear to you, you’re not going to jail. You’ll probably have to pay a fine. That’s all.”