A Tattered Love

by Nickie Seidler

  Abby and I headed out to the mall. We were going to do what she did best—shop until we dropped. She bought me a bunch of things to cheer me up from this ridiculous situation with Sabrina. I told her all about it and she wanted to freaking attack the bitch herself. I loved Abby. She was just such an amazing friend that knew how to make me feel better every time we were together.

  ** CHAPTER 17 **

  Dustin

  The doorbell rang, and I rushed to the door and opened it. “Hey, Mrs. Brazelle, come on in!” I shook her hand as I was excited to be getting started with this process.

  After long talks with Riley, and getting everything in order, I decided to hire Mrs. Brazelle as my lawyer. She was a nice lady in her mid-fifties, short brown hair with big, outdated glasses, but a heart that could warm your soul.

  I needed to fight this, and I was going to do whatever it took. I wanted her to meet me at my apartment to meet Riley and me, and to show her that I lived in a stable environment for Molly, with a completely furnished apartment. I had all my statements of child support that I’ve paid $1,200 a month to Sabrina. Riley, on the other hand, had all her documents showing that, yes, indeed, she has a record but nothing that would endanger Molly in anyway. That was nearly six years ago, and Riley had a clean record since.

  “Mrs. Brazelle, this is my girlfriend, Riley Miller.” I introduced politely.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Riley. I’m happy to give you two some assistance.”

  Riley shook her hand, and we sat down at the dining room table. She laid out her files in front of her, and we laid out our paperwork, as well. I could tell our file was thick with all the papers, and for some reason, I just knew it wasn’t going to be an easy battle.

  We talked for a long four hours. We had a pretty strong case, but she suspected they were really going to ream Riley on the fact she had a criminal background, and try to build a case that it would be very unstable for Molly to be around. I hoped to blow them out of the water with some facts I had about Sabrina and her life. This was ridiculous that I had to put Molly through this, and I hated it. It bothered me that Sabrina and I could not handle this like adults, but I’ve tried. It just seemed damn near impossible to get anything solved with that woman. One day she tells me she wants me to be Molly’s father, and wants me to spend more time with her. She wanted Molly and me to have a close relationship, and she even openly admitted she only kept her from me to hurt me out of spite. The next minute she would tell me she missed me, and left Jeff to be with me. Can someone say fucking lunatic?

  The court date was in two weeks, and from now until then I couldn’t see Molly. It sucked, but it was something I just had to live with. Mrs. Brazelle was also going to try to get Riley’s order of protection dropped. As long as I could get joint custody, I’d be happy.

  One week later

  I was so excited. Riley, Abby, Evan, and I were going to the fair in town. I was excited because Abby and Evan are so fun to be around, and I would get to spend time with Riley. Things had been quite crazy at work this past week, and I hadn’t been able to see Riley too much.

  I hopped in the shower and grabbed my clothes I wanted to wear to the fair. I wanted to look nice for Riley. This should be a fun date, and I couldn’t wait to try to win her a prize from a game. The best situation would have been if we could have taken Molly with us. All in good time, I keep telling myself.

  I put on my nice dark pair of jeans and matched it with a black button down with a white tank top underneath. I slicked my hair up in gel and sprayed myself in Armani cologne. I took a look in the mirror and realized just how sexy I looked. I flexed my arm in the mirror to show off my bulging muscles. All right, time to get the hell out of here.

  I grabbed my keys, locked up, and tore off in my Mustang peeling my tires as I headed to their apartment complex. As soon as I got there, the lovely three of them were waiting outside laughing. I pulled up and looked out my window at them. “So, are you going to get your asses in the car or what?” I laughed back playfully teasing them.

  “Hey, baby!” Riley laughed and ran up to the window and leaned her head in to kiss me. Damn she looked hot as hell. She was wearing short jean shorts that barely covered her ass, and a pink and white halter-top that was skintight showing off her deliciously plump breasts. Abby somewhat matched her, but in a white tank top and jean shorts, and Evan was in cargo shorts and a striped green and white polo. We looked like a good bunch of people. It was nice to have such a great group of friends.

  Riley and Abby squeezed in the backseat with a tight fit, and let us men take the front. I pulled out and we headed to the fair. I pulled up to a stoplight, and we were just making small talk jamming out to some Pantera when Evan looked out the passenger window and noticed a guy staring.

  “Hey, dude, this guy is totally eye-fucking your car right now!” Evan laughed as he told me.

  “I guess I’ll show him what a real car’s made of.” I laughed. As the light turned green, I lay on the gas and sent everyone back in their seat as I showed the little Honda boy how American muscle whoops ass every time. My exhaust screamed, and my engine roared as I had neared seventy before I slowed down.

  “Yeah, man! You beat his ass by a block!” Evan laughed jumping in his seat at the adrenaline that rushed through him.

  We shortly arrived at the fair, and I parked the car after everyone got out.

  “Were you trying to excite me with a car full of people?” Riley asked me raising an eyebrow, clearly turned on from the power of my car.

  “I’m sorry, babe!”

  I took her hand in mine, and we walked to get our tickets for the rides. We got in line for the bumper cars, and Riley and Abby took a car near one another while Evan and I took one on the other side. As soon as we buckled in, and operator turned the electric on, we started off toward the girls head on. Riley took the outside and Abby took the middle, and we laughed as we bumped each other. We hit pretty hard, and Abby got whiplash, but she took it like a trooper and shook it off. I glanced at Riley and winked at her as I followed her around the track in circles bumping her from behind. The ride finally ended, and we got out of the cars. We headed back toward Abby and Evan.

  “That was so much fun! This was a great date idea, guys!” Abby cheered! “Let’s go on the Himalaya!”

  “I love that ride!” Riley added.

  “All right, Himalaya it is!” I smiled at Riley.

  We took off hand in hand and headed over to toward the Himalaya. Right as we were about to enter the line, Brent catches my eye, and instant anger boils through my veins. He’s with some chick with his arm wrapped around her, and I just can’t help myself from making myself known. I let go of Riley’s hand, and started stomping toward Brent. Riley didn’t know what was going on, but I thought she might have an inkling.

  “So you think you’re fucking cool messing with my car, huh, Brent? The warning I gave you at your work wasn’t enough?” I stepped up in his face. “You think it’s cute to rip girls shirts off, and try to force them to have sex with you?” I leaned my head side to side as I yelled at Brent.

  “Dude, back the fuck off. Or I’ll mess your car up some more, ya asshole!” Brent responded.

  Evan stepped in, and made me back off from him. “Fuck you, Brent! Don’t you even dare think about it. You are so pathetic. You have to break things in revenge for you being a needle-nose dick to women? Go get a life. Hope you don’t do those things to that girl you got wrapped around your finger now, forcing her to do things she doesn’t want to do!”

  “Dustin, stop, this prick isn’t worth your time! Come on, baby, let’s go back to having fun!” She pulled my arm away, and we all took off back in the direction of the Himalaya.

  “Dude, he’s not worth it. Just shake it off.” Evan reminded me.

  “Yeah, I know. Just wasn’t expecting to run into him. I never did say anything after he trashed my windows that day.”

  We went on a few more rides and enjoyed the fun. It was so n
ice to be carefree and a kid again. Riding with Riley was such a joy. She seemed to be having so much fun, and I was, too. Evan and Abby decided to go off on their own for a few, and give each other some alone time.

  I bought us a funnel cake to share. Can’t go to a carnival without buying a funnel cake. We sat down at the nearest table to devour it.

  “Are you having a good time, babe?”

  “Yeah, I really am. I haven’t been to a carnival in years. I’m glad I’m here with you.” Riley smiled and then looked down.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked confused by her expression.

  “I need to use the restroom, I’ll be back.” She abruptly got up and darted toward the bathrooms.

  I waited patiently for her return. She came back and looked a little pale.

  “You ok, Riley?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Let’s ride some more rides?”

  “Let’s do it!” She smiled.

  We continued to go on some more rides, and I was having a truly awesome night.

  Riley

  I walked around with Dustin to several different rides until we landed on the Ferris wheel as our last stop of the night. He sat right next to me, and it was so nice to cuddle up to one another and watch the incredible view. We were so high up, and the Ferris wheel was taller than any I had ever been on at a carnival. He slid his hand on my leg and rubbed it and gave me the most genuine smile.

  “I’m so happy being with you, Riley. You make me feel alive and like I have a purpose.”

  I leaned over and kissed him sweetly. I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. “Dustin, you make my world better. I’m so happy you believed in me, and gave me a chance to show you how I really am.”

  “I love you, Riley.”

  “I love you, too.” I beamed at him, and it made me feel so good about myself. I had finally found someone that cared about me, and treated me the way I should be treated. Mark would be so proud of me that I had moved on. He would be so proud that I was happy. I hoped he was looking down and smiling at how far I had come since he had been around. I missed him, but I knew he was in a better place without pain. I was sure my mom and he will share some comfort being in one another’s company.

  The Ferris wheel came back down, and the operator let us off. I wondered how Abby and Evan were doing. Those love birds, I was sure they were having a blast. Couldn’t wait to catch up with Abby on the night.

  I was feeling a bit off again, so I went to the restroom and threw some water on my face. I got all sweaty, and wasn’t sure if maybe the funnel cake wasn’t agreeing with me. I hoped that I would start feeling better. Maybe it was food poisoning.

  I walked out of the bathroom, and there she stood. Eyes planted on me like a snake about to eat its prey. I stood there in silence, speechless just watching her fancy hat as it blew in the breeze. Wasn’t this a little low class for Mrs. Boyd?

  “I told you to stay away from my son. You ruined my family. You’re ruining Dustin’s life. Get the hell out of town before I force you out.”

  I gritted my teeth and stared her down. I wanted so badly to say something, but I knew no matter what I said, it wouldn’t matter. She was always going feel this way about me no matter what I did to try to convince her otherwise. I rolled my eyes, smiled and walked away without saying a word. I decided to keep my mouth shut, and not tell Dustin I ran into her. It wasn’t worth it. She was stuck on hating me, and that was fine.

  It just really rattled my brain as to why she would think that I was such a horrible person just because of a simple piece of paper.

  “Ready to find Abby and Evan?” Dustin smiled at me.

  “Yeah, let’s go!”

  We searched around the games, and finally found them. Dustin walked over to a game that you would have to throw darts at a bulls-eye in order to have the chance to win a teddy bear. He paid for ten darts at carnival price, and that wasn’t cheap. I leaned on Abby, and we leaned on each other as Evan decided to play, too. We stood there proud while watching our men play a game to try to win us an adorable bear. It was so cute watching Dustin suck at aiming the dart, but he was trying his hardest. I lit up a cigarette in the meantime and cheered both of them on. Evan got three so far smack dab in the middle, and Dustin only had one. You had to get four in the middle in order to win a big bear, two for a small one.

  Finally, Dustin had nailed three more and won me a big brown bear. He actually ended up buying more darts to achieve that goal, but that was ok. Abby and I walked out of there with some cute prizes.

  I wasn’t going to let his mom damper my mood for the rest of the night. We headed to the Mustang got in and took off for some dinner. We found a nice diner and stopped in to eat. This night was coming to an end, and it had been one hell of a good night.

  ** CHAPTER 18 **

  Dustin

  I was nervous as all hell about court. This is the start of a better life. It just had to be. Unfortunately, Riley had a job interview today and couldn’t go with me to fight this. I was really hoping that Sabrina didn’t bring Molly to court because she would be so confused, and it wasn’t appropriate for her to be there. This was between her mother and me. I wanted to keep it that way. If she even dared to try to bring our kid into this, I would be pissed. My nerves were shot, and I felt like hurling.

  “All right, Dustin, now whatever happens you need to keep your cool in front of the judge. He needs to know your character, especially for Molly’s sake. Everything will be all right. The best thing that can happen is that court would be adjourned. We actually want to postpone this to get as much information as possible from today and use it against her the next time. It’s going to be a lengthy process.” She sighed and put on a bright smile to try to lighten my mood.

  “I just miss Molly, that’s all. I really want to see her more.”

  “Well, this is my job to get your rights with her. Just hang in there.” Carrie Brazelle said.

  I took a deep breath and entered the courtroom with Carrie. We sat down on a bench and waited our turn. The judge didn’t seem to be in such a happy mood today, which made me even more nervous. Once our case was called up, Carrie represented me, and Sabrina and her lawyer were opposite of me. Sabrina’s lawyer stated her case, and then looked toward us. He, without question, adjourned the case, and told Sabrina’s lawyer to get something better than that before they step back in his courtroom. The judge didn’t even give Carrie a chance to speak. He immediately was turned off by what they said that he didn’t even want to deal with it. Carrie turned to me and smiled.

  “This is good news, Dustin. Very good news. The judge isn’t happy with Sabrina. We have to have a strong argument for next time. We’ll be in touch.”

  I tried to be happy about what was supposed to be good news to me. It wasn’t working really well, and I think she could tell. I headed out of the courthouse and ignored Sabrina the whole time. I wanted to get the hell out of there, so I didn’t have to speak anything to her, or I’d end up saying something I’d regret. Right now, that can’t happen because she could hold anything against me.

  As soon as I got to the car, I dialed Riley and left her a voicemail letting her know how court went. I had to get to work. Missing these days at work was hurting me more than helping. They understood my custody battle, but they also needed their employee doing their job.

  Trevor and I we’re supposed to do a guys night tonight, and well, frankly, I needed it. I needed a few brews and to just let loose. I decided to invite Evan, too. Work dragged, and I had so much to do that I wasn’t going to get out until pretty late. They were training me on a new position as manager, and I would have a lot more responsibilities than just service. I needed the extra cash with this job title. Riley and I have talked about moving in together, but at the same time, we have to wait until this custody shit was figured out.

  Riley

  It was seven in the morning. I had been in the bathroom puking. I had missed my period. I was pregnant. I was s
itting on the toilet seat looking at the five positive tests staring back at me. It was real. I had just made a call to the free clinic and made an appointment in two hours. For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to get off the toilet. Was I excited? Was I sad? I didn’t even know what my feelings were right now. It was crazy to think that there was a living thing inside me. My mind was on overload, and I was panicking, frantically, trying to figure out what I should do. After sitting there for a good hour pondering my thoughts, and rubbing my stomach preparing myself for what was about to happen to my body, my life, my feelings, my job, my future, Dustin—the list goes on so far that I felt as if I might be sick again. I never thought the feelings that I had at the fair, and then later that week, would be because I’m pregnant! I had been on the pill! How could this happen to me?

  I got off the seat and dragged myself into my bedroom and got dressed. I put on some yoga pants and a loose t-shirt, and I pulled my long nagging hair in a ponytail. I wanted nothing more than to be comfortable. I headed into the kitchen and munched on a piece of toast. I didn’t have much of an appetite but knew I needed to get some food in me. I gathered my purse, my car keys, and I took Coop out to do his thing. Now, I was off to the clinic. I didn’t even want to tell anybody, I was so scared. Plus, weren’t you supposed to wait three months before you tell people? I knew one person who would be ecstatic—Gram.

  I waited patiently for the nurse to call my name. After I finally got cramped into the small room they call an examine room, I tried to keep calm and relax, but the sweat beading off my forehead would call my bluff. I was getting fidgety, and the amount of time I was now waiting in this stupid room just made the situation worse. If only doctors actually saw you at your actual appointment time. I couldn’t say I had ever been to a doctor where I haven’t had to wait an hour before being seen! It’s ridiculous. I could tell I was getting moody, and that meant they had better hurry the hell up!