One day, shortly after Sammy reached six months, I was getting him into his stroller for our afternoon walk around the neighborhood. Justin decided to take a break from work and join us. We were busy debating whether to take the diaper bag—I was staunchly in favor of being prepared for any potential occurrence, while Justin assured me it was okay to leave the house for half an hour without any supplies other than a snack for Sammy—when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find a man, probably no more than eighteen-years-old, standing on the porch with a brown manila envelope in his hands.
“I’m looking for Mr. Justin Sever,” he said. “Is this his home?”
I found the question a little odd since we hadn’t been living there very long. All our friends knew where we now lived, but unless this young man had business with Justin, I couldn’t imagine a salesman asking for him by name.
“Yes, it is,” I replied slowly, unsure if I should be confirming the information.
“Is he in? I have important documents for him.”
Now wary, I nodded and asked him to wait outside for a moment while I called Justin to the door. I wasn’t about to invite him inside, something about him struck me wrong.
“Justin,” I called into the living room. “There’s someone at the door for you. He has some kind of delivery, I think. Are you waiting for a contract or something?”
“No, I’m not,” Justin came into the room, pushing Sammy in his stroller, “but whatever it is, I’ll grab it from him on the way out. It can’t be anything important.” He opened the door and before he could push the stroller through, the man shoved the envelope against Justin’s chest.
“You’ve been served, Mr. Sever.” He turned and walked away without another word. My stomach sank at his declaration. Unexpected legal papers rarely brought good news.
Sammy started to fuss, so Justin put the envelope in the little bin beneath Sammy’s seat and rolled the stroller out the door. After locking up, I joined them on the sidewalk.
“What do you think it could be, Justin?” I asked, my curiosity burning as we began to stroll down the street.
“I’m not sure. All my clients have been satisfied and all my debts are current or paid, so I can’t imagine anyone is suing me. Honestly, my suspicion is it’s another ‘care package’ from Delia.”
I gasped. Although I should have suspected the same myself. During the peaceful months between Armando Ortega’s visit and the serving of the documents, I had almost forgotten Delia could still make trouble for us.
“Justin, open the envelope. Let’s see if your hunch is correct. I have to know.”
“Peaches, whether these papers are from Delia or not, it doesn’t matter if we open them now or in twenty minutes. They’re still going to tell us the same thing. Let’s enjoy our walk while we can and not deal with whatever the contents are for a little longer. No point in spoiling a beautiful morning out in the sunshine with our little guy.
I knew what he was getting at, but I was still a ball of anxiety the rest of the walk. Justin tried to make idle conversation, but I could only answer in monosyllables. I was too busy worrying about whatever we were going to be facing. Justin finally gave up on trying to engage me and turned the stroller around with a sigh.
“Okay, you win, Mimi. I can see this eating at you. I’m not doing a very good job at distracting myself, either. Besides, it looks like Sammy has fallen asleep, so we might as well turn back now.” Though we tried to maintain our leisurely pace on the way home, we made faster time getting there than we did leaving.
As soon as we were in the house, I carefully scooped Sammy up and took him to his room. I made haste to get back to Justin, but by the time I returned, Justin had already ripped open the envelope and was scanning the paperwork. He looked up at me with a grim look.
“It’s what I thought. Delia has filed a petition for visitation rights.”
“Oh, no. What do we do? I thought she was denied visitation rights when you gained custody,” I asked.
“Well, first I have to call Alan to make sure he’s seen the documents. I’m sure he’ll have advice for us. I don’t know that we specifically addressed visitation rights when he was born. It may be in the custody order, but frankly, my mind was on getting Sammy and becoming a dad. There’s a hearing scheduled for next month from what I could discern from the documents. There’s also some sort of argument she prepared, but I got too angry to read through it all.” Justin rubbed his jaw as he shook his head. “Let’s not panic, just yet. I’m pretty sure the nature of her crime isn’t going to help her request. The question is, if and when her petition is denied, how much further will she go?”
“Well, how far can she go being in prison? Unless she’s planning a jailbreak, she can only inconvenience us at best, right?”
“I’d like to agree with that. Any rational person would think the same, however, you and I both know she’s far from rational and has no problem going to extreme measures to get what she wants.”
“That’s an understatement. Did you ever meet any of her family? Since Armando has already been here, I wouldn’t be surprised if she started sending him or the others around again,” I remarked.
“No. I tried to cut off all contact the day after we were ‘together’, remember? She only spoke of her mother to say she wasn’t in good health and she often cared for her though she never said what her ailment was. Other than that, she mentioned she had several brothers, but I don’t remember how many.”
“That’s all I ever knew, either. I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
“All we can do right now is hope for the best. Let me go call Alan and see what our next steps are.”
I busied myself with tidying the house while doing my best not to let my imagination run away with me. Just the mention of Delia’s name could turn me into a stress case. Nearly being killed by a person would do that to anyone. However, Sammy made it a whole new ballgame. I didn’t feel anxious, but furious at the idea of Sammy’s future being subject to whatever devious machinations Delia might come up with. Just as I was about to scour the kitchen floor by hand, Justin returned from his office.
“Okay, the good news is Alan still thinks the possibility of the petition being granted is remote given her criminal charges. That said, he needs time to analyze her declaration. I scheduled a meeting with him for next week, so we can develop our response.”
“Alright, then. One foot in front of the other, right?” I said, employing my old mantra for getting through the hard times.
“Exactly, Peaches,” he said as he reached out and pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged him back with all my might. It was all the reassurance I needed. Somehow, Justin always found a way to make everything okay. This time would be no different.
Chapter Three
Despite Delia raising her ugly head to cause trouble for us, life went on much as it had been. Justin and I had developed a very efficient system of sharing the load and from my vantage point, we had a very happy home. Justin and Alan had prepared a strong response against Delia being awarded any form of visitation rights, or so I was told. All we could to do was wait until their hearing date.
Meanwhile, with Justin and me spending our time in such close proximity to each other and working toward a common goal, we became closer than ever. While most of our conversations revolved around Sammy, and of course the looming specter of Delia’s petition, we also spent time talking about other things. Often, we spoke of my addiction and whether I was struggling, his adjustment to becoming a parent, and sometimes nothing at all.
We had kept ourselves mainly house-bound to that point, our focus on building a healthy environment for Sammy our only priority. Justin’s mom, finally stepped in, insisting she and my mom take turns babysitting, so we could get out of the house. I still had the girls to spend time with, and we continued going out to brunch most Sundays, but my days of girls’ nights out were over. Not only was the nightlife not a good environment for me, I was always preoccupied with thought
s of Sammy while I was out, anyway. Occasionally, Justin would arrange a card game with the guys or go hang out at Rosie’s Bar and shoot pool over some beers. Most often though, Justin and I normally took advantage of the brief reprieves together. We’d go out to dinner, and sometimes we’d see a movie, but by the end, we were always in a hurry to return to Sammy.
One night, shortly before the visitation hearing, Justin was hosting a card game with Griffin and Bryant. They were all in the spacious den that had become Justin’s ‘man cave’. I didn’t have any desire to go out, so I stayed home with Sammy, much to Audrey’s consternation. She even accused me of hogging her grandson. I couldn’t completely disagree. I loved that little boy more than anything.
At one point in the evening, I was in the kitchen adjacent to the den, filling a bottle. Completely by accident, I overheard the guys talking. Griffin was telling them about his new flame, a woman by the name of Dara. He was head over heels for the girl and was looking to make a commitment to her. I smiled to myself, thinking at last Romeo had possibly found his Juliet. Then his next words floated through to me.
“You know, Justin, Dara has a single friend named Marina. She’s beautiful and is the sweetest girl. I think you’d like her a lot. Why don’t we do the double date thing sometime?”
“Why don’t you ask me?” Bryant whined. “You know my last girlfriend dumped me a month ago. I haven’t been able to meet anyone since.”
“Shut up, Lewis,” Griffin said. “I don’t need the kind of complications which could happen between Dara and me if Marina dumped you, as she most likely would once she realized what a weenie you are.”
“Fuck you, Griffin,” I heard Bryant grumble.
“So, what do you say, man? You want me to set it up? Sammy isn’t a newborn anymore. You can easily ask Mimi or your mom to take care of him while you have a night out.”
“I don’t know. I kind of like my life right now. I don’t feel a need to introduce anyone else into it. Besides, who wants to go out with a guy who has a baby under a year old?”
“Come on,” Griffin intoned. “You spend all of your free time with Mimi. It’s not like anything is going to happen there, or it would have years ago. Besides, I’ve already told this girl about you, and she’s not bothered by the fact you have a kid. In fact, she said she thought it was endearing you were a single dad, going it alone.”
“But I’m not going it alone,” Justin said quietly. I strained to hear his next words. “I have Mimi.”
“Justin,” Griffin interjected, “I get that you and Mimi are close. But other than being one of your best friends, how is she much more than a nanny? Are you two getting busy and you failed to mention it?”
I was practically leaning through the doorway to hear what would be said next. I was crossing my fingers he would come right out and reject Griffin’s offer, but then the bomb dropped.
“Okay Griffin, why not? You’re right. Mimi is my best friend and my partner in taking care of Sammy. I won’t meet anyone new the way I’m going, and it has never been my goal to be a monk. I’m sure it won’t develop into anything serious, but no harm in spending time with someone.”
I gripped my abdomen as my stomach dropped to my feet. A cold film of perspiration coated my forehead and the back of my neck as I became nauseated. Just then, Sammy cried out from the living room. As I finished pouring the hot water into the bottle, I thought about how I didn’t want another woman coming into our lives. My life had come to revolve around Justin and Sammy. What if some woman were to take that away from me? I thought I might vomit.
I left the kitchen as quietly as I could. I gave Sammy his bottle while preoccupied with the emotions running through me at rapid speed. I didn’t want Justin to be with someone else. I wanted things to stay just like they were. I wanted his focus to be on our little family, or so I told myself.
I read Sammy a story before bed while the guys finished their game. Sammy was too little to be really interested in the book, and I was still distracted. I kept reassuring myself it was only because I felt threatened by someone coming into our lives and replacing me, which was silly. Justin would never take Sammy away from me. Yet, something still had my stomach in knots. I paused and asked myself if I were truly being honest with myself. Was I really worried about being replaced in Sammy’s life or was it Justin’s?
Once Sammy finally fell asleep, I turned off the overhead light and turned on the nightlight his grandmother had bought him. The lampshade had the shapes of stars and planets on it and it turned, casting off light on the ceiling as if the whole solar system were revolving above. I leaned in the doorway, watching the face of my beautiful angel. His eyes, the same big and brooding brown as his father’s, were closed with his thickly lashed lids dusting his cheeks as he breathed evenly. Justin came up behind me and rested his hand on my shoulder.
“He’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered.
“Me too,” I replied softly. “Are the guys gone?” I asked as I leaned back against Justin’s chest. He nodded as he threaded his arms around my waist and we stood there, watching our boy sleep. The action wasn’t unusual. There were always little touches and kisses on the cheek or a long hug or two. As I mentioned, Sammy had brought us closer together, and I felt we were a real family. Thinking about it, my relationship with Justin had come to mimic an average marriage, with one big exception. What if we were to try to change that? It would be unfair of me to try to bring that up now that he’d made the decision to meet someone. I dismissed the idea almost as soon as I thought it. I didn’t deserve Justin, anyway.
As the days passed, my nerves over Justin’s impending date gave way to greater concerns about the visitation hearing. We had an appointment with Justin’s lawyer the day before to go over the process and to review the response they’d prepared before. We left Sammy with his grandparents while we to the meeting. In my head, I kept thinking about it as our case, but Alan knocked that idea right out of my head almost as soon as we arrived. He had finished explaining Delia was slated to appear in person rather than by videoconference like we’d hoped.
“With that in mind,” Alan continued, “you should not be present at the hearing, Mimi. It might rattle Delia’s composure which, by itself, wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, but since you’re not actually part of the proceedings, the judge could view your presence as an attempt by Justin to provoke her. We want him to look as lily-white as possible. Though I’m still confident things will go our way, I think it’s better if we err on the side of caution.”
I didn’t like being excluded, but I wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance to be in the same room as my would-be killer. I hadn’t seen Delia since she attacked me, and I preferred to keep it that way. I would be dying of worry the entire time, but Justin assured me he would call as soon as the hearing ended. In the meantime, Audrey would help me take care of Sammy, so I wouldn’t be alone in my unease.
Alan went on to explain Delia’s primary argument for visitation was she had been a successful career woman prior to her incarceration, and it was only due to a medical condition that her mental health deteriorated. In her petition, she revealed she left her employment in accounting after being declared disabled due to Bipolar Disorder. She asserted when she met Justin, she had been seeing a doctor who prescribed a medication which triggered a major manic episode. She claimed since she’d been locked up, she finally received adequate medical treatment and had achieved stability. She had attached reports from both the prison psychiatrist and therapist who were treating her. Each found her to be stable and free of any episodes, manic or depressive since they began her medical therapies. They pointed to the facts—she was post-partum, incarcerated for an extended period of time, and deprived of seeing her own child, yet remained symptom-free, her current treatment especially successful. They stated a reunion with her son would only serve to benefit her condition more. With no prior criminal record, they were confident a relationship with Sammy would not be de
trimental to his well-being.
I tried to muster up some level of compassion for Delia, but I still felt nothing but fear of and contempt for the woman. I had a very hard time buying the notion she was a victim of her own mental illness and everything which came before should be chalked up to an unfortunate consequence of inadequate treatment. To me, it all seemed to be one gigantic charade to further interfere in our lives. I voiced my opinion to Alan after he finished speaking.
“Alan, the judge can’t possibly fall for this, can he? It’s preposterous.”
“On the contrary, Mimi, depending on the judge, it could be a very persuasive case. However, I’m familiar with Judge Feldman, our judge at the hearing tomorrow. He’s not a pushover. Delia, Justin, and I, plus any legal representation she might have, will meet with a mediator before the hearing to try to reach an informal agreement. From my prior conversations with Justin, I understand there are no acceptable terms for visitation with Sammy.” He looked at Justin, who nodded in confirmation.
“The only way Delia is going to see Sammy at all is if there is a court order mandating she does,” Justin insisted.
“Then the meeting with the mediator is mostly a formality, but he or she will provide their recommendation to the court. Judges tend to favor the opinions of the mediators. Which one we draw tomorrow is anyone’s guess, so we need to have a strong rebuttal. Though Mimi will not be in attendance, I recommend we underscore the fact she, Delia’s victim, is an integral part of the Sever household. If you two were married or even in a long-term relationship, we’d have a much easier go of it. Nevertheless, I plan to outline the duration and depth of your friendship as well as the fact Mimi is a vital part of Sammy’s life. To disrupt that balance could potentially bring unnecessary trauma to him. He may only be a baby, but babies need stability as much as they do love. With the volatile history between Mimi and Delia, nothing good can come from visitation. Sammy has no bond with his mother, she and his father don’t have any ties to each other beyond their child’s biology, and his other primary caregiver has every reason to fear her. No matter how sensitive any mediator might be, I think he or she will find the safest decision for Sammy is to keep the status quo.”
Just Perfection (The Perfection Series Book 4) Page 3
