Weeds in the Garden of Love (17 page)

Garth faced the same problem shared by many non-custodial fathers. The payments are set by the original support order, based on their income at the time. An overwhelming majority of these men retain their jobs and never miss a payment. The unfortunate ones suffer a loss of income due to events beyond their control. They are forced to fall behind in their payments. Even if the payer scrapes together enough cash to make partial payments every month, he is still found in contempt of the original court order. The persecution by the SOE begins.

The perception is these men can simply go to court, show their income has dropped and receive reduced payments. The reality is, however, the system moves very slowly. Often, it is many months or even years before their case is finally heard in court. If the judge chooses not to believe them and refuses to grant a variance of the payments, their lives become a living hell. Government agencies like the SOE are mandated by law to use draconian measures to force compliance including: garnishing wages, destroying credit ratings, suspending driver’s licenses and incarceration.

Craig tried to prod Garth into applying to the court for a variance of his payments. It was his only hope. His imbecilic lawyer was right this time.

“
I dunno what to do,” Garth said. “I wish I could afford another lawyer, I mean a real lawyer. Legal Aid assigned me Tim Murphy, and he’s useless. I think he’s afraid of the SOE, especially their big prosecutor Lorne Davis. Murphy’s an incompetent drunk, and he’s afraid Davis will report him to the Bar Association. He could be right—that friggin’ Davis is a piece of work. He’d sell his own mother for a conviction. The worst thing about the SOE comin’ after you—is Lorne Davis. Pray he never comes lookin’ for you.”

Craig didn’t know who this Lorne Davis was, but he filed the information away, just in case. He hoped he would never need it.

Garth paused for a moment before he continued. “I wish I’d never married Loretta. Then, I wouldn’t be divorced and have all these problems. I shoulda known better.”

“
Hindsight is always twenty-twenty,” Craig said. “Besides, you’re not alone. We’ve all picked weeds in the garden of love.”

Garth was confused. “What are you talkin’ about? What’s gardening got to do with this?”

“
Nothing. It’s just a figure of speech.”

“
A what?”

“
A figure of—listen, that’s not important, okay?” Craig realized Garth was totally confused. “All right, let me explain but remember this is just my theory. All of us … and I mean both men and women … choose our lovers when we’re head over heels in love, or lust, or both. This is exactly the wrong time to be making such a major decision. You know—something that can affect the rest of our lives. We’re not thinking straight, and our judgment can be way off. We believe we’re picking flowers but turns out—they’re actually weeds. Understand?”

Garth stared blankly at him for a moment. He appeared bewildered, but then the light came on. “Oh … now I get it. It’s not our fault. Our mind is all screwed up. Falling in love makes us stupid.”

“
I wouldn’t have put it quite that way, but yes, that’s the gist of it.” Craig was relieved Garth finally understood.

They talked for a while before Craig had to go. He had an early meeting with some prospective clients at Victoria Crossing and needed to get to bed. They agreed to talk again after next week’s meeting. Craig told Garth to call him anytime, day or night.

They hugged in the parking lot. Craig thought Garth might break down. He didn’t. He thanked Craig for being a friend and listening to his problems. Garth refused a ride. He needed to walk and think of a way out of this mess. Craig watched him disappear into the night.
Poor guy. How can our justice system allow a good man like that to go down? And Garth can’t do anything about it. I can’t believe this can happen in our country.
What kind of a society legitimizes imprisonment for an innocent loss of income?

Craig drove home, feeling thankful for how lucky he was. He wondered if he could handle what Garth was going through. He wondered if anyone could.
I hope I said the right things
tonight. I wish I could
find a way to help him.

Craig hated to see anyone backed into a corner when they didn’t deserve it. Garth was in serious trouble—with no way out. Unless something changed, he would certainly end up in jail or worse. And Craig couldn’t help him.

Not this week, anyway.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Andrews v. Andrews

Mark Floyd handed Craig an envelope. “Here’s the final draft of the settlement and our P.I.’s report. The other side has a copy as well. I’ll be right back.”

Craig sat down outside a vacant courtroom. He hesitated before he opened it.
Do I really want to read this? Do I have to see it in black-and-white?
Of course I do! I have to know.
Craig pulled the report out of the envelope. Mark had already told Craig some of what his private investigator discovered about Chrissie, but still Craig was sickened when he read the words:

The subject Christine Andrews was seen on numerous occasions in the company of a man identified as Eric Millard. Confirmation of their relationship (both pre- and post-separation) was obtained from several employees of Towercrest Realty. They were granted anonymity in exchange for their assistance in this matter.

The evidence includes photographs of Millard and Andrews entering numerous restaurants and bars, as well as walking hand-in-hand to a motel and entering a room. No adulterous video or photo evidence obtained to date.

Subject Millard is a former employee of Towercrest and is currently being sued for divorce by his estranged wife Vikki Millard. He is—

Craig stopped reading and recalled all the nights Chrissie claimed she was working late. She always had an explanation, always ready with an excuse. He gave her the benefit of the doubt.
I was such a trusting fool
.

He now had proof of Chrissie’s ongoing affair with Eric Millard. Craig did not understand or approve of this sort of behavior. He believed you should be faithful to your partner as long as you lived under the same roof. He was upset at Chrissie but also at his own naivety. Craig was learning this process was both an expensive and gut-wrenching life lesson. Divorce turns over rocks and exposes the ugly side of life, hurts everyone involved and makes lawyers rich.
This is why she was out late all the time.
The thought made him angry.
I can’t
believe I trusted her
.
This is her fault—and that sleazebag Millard. He should pray he never crosses my path.

Craig’s thoughts were interrupted by a conversation between two women seated in a row of chairs backing onto his. They were discussing a court case. He surmised one of the women was involved in a divorce action, and the other was a friend or relative. He tried to be polite and not listen, but their conversation was so intriguing, he couldn’t help himself.

One woman was sobbing as she spoke. “That judge has put me and my kids in danger. I don’t understand. He’s supposed to help us. I told him my ex is gonna kill me one day. The cops said that too.”

“
It’s not fair,” the other lady said. “Arnie is violent. I’ve seen your bruises and black-eyes.”

“
What was that friggin’ judge thinking? Giving the bastard access to my kids? Those kids have watched him beat me lotsa times. I don’t want it to ever happen again.”

“
What are you going to do, Penn?” the other lady asked.

“
Don’t know,” Penn replied. “The court ordered me to let him see them and to give him my new address if I move. Women should be allowed to hire goons to give these guys a taste of their own medicine.”

The other lady lowered her voice. “Listen, I heard about a woman who paid a guy to  well, you know  pay her ex a little visit. The guy was huge and worked as a bouncer at—”

Craig had heard more than enough and decided to curb his curiosity. He did not want to be a witness. He picked up his briefcase and moved down the hall closer to Courtroom Three. He looked back to see the two women whispering to each other.
I can’t believe a Judge would give a wife-beater access to
kids so he can continue to beat his wife.
T
his whole system is out of whack.

He read the final copy of the Alternative Dispute Resolution he and Chrissie had agreed on. The settlement seemed fair, and Mark felt it was Chrissie’s final offer. If Craig didn’t accept, the court would decide the matter. The ensuing battle would be lengthy and costly. Notwithstanding his anger over the P.I.’s report, Craig couldn’t afford a long court battle. He accepted the offer.

Chrissie would be granted legal and actual custody of Robbie and Heather. Craig would pay child support and be granted unlimited visitation rights. He wanted the kids to stay in the house in Botsford Downs, so Chrissie retained possession. She would pay Craig for his share. In exchange for no alimony payments, Craig would assign her full ownership of Towercrest Realty. Craig believed this to be a fair settlement. The child support was high, but in line with his salary. And Towercrest had always been more Chrissie’s than his.

Craig agreed Robbie and Heather should stay with their mother despite his apprehension about her drinking. Mark told him they could revisit that provision in the future if it became apparent the children were neglected or in danger.

Mark sat down beside Craig. “Well, what do you think?”

“
Man, you startled me!”

“
Sorry—you were lost in thought, ol’ buddy. You read the P.I.’s report?”

“
Yeah. Bit of a shocker, but at least now I know for sure what was going on. It answered a lot of questions.”

“
I knew it would,” Mark said. “We could have waited until he obtained photo evidence, but it doesn’t matter. We have a deal, right?”

“
Sure. Seems fine to me.”

“
Good. You’re a wise man, Craig. We couldn’t have done much better than this. In fact, it could have been a lot worse. I think Chrissie is being fair.”

Craig nodded his head in agreement. “She is, and now I know why.”

Chrissie and her lawyer Kathryn Edwards were walking down the hallway towards them. Chrissie looked all business. She was dressed in a suit, and she had her hair pinned up. He thought she looked older and tired.

Mark introduced Craig and Kathryn. Chrissie would not make eye contact with Craig.
She looks guilty as hell,
he thought.
S
he should.

Mark ushered everyone into an interview room to finalize the settlement. Mark and Kathryn studied their copies of the dispute resolution. Chrissie sat quietly, staring down at the table. The lawyers agreed the documents were correct and each handed a copy to their clients.

Before he signed, Craig looked directly at Chrissie. “This—this is what you want, Chrissie?”

She looked at Craig. Her stare was hollow, without emotion. “Yes.”

With that, Craig signed the papers that would dissolve their marriage. Chrissie quickly signed, and the four of them went into the courtroom. They sat near the back on opposite sides. It seemed appropriate to Craig.

The court was dealing with another divorce; an older couple who appeared to have been married for quite some time. The wife had obtained absolute proof her husband was having an illicit affair with a young woman who worked in his office. A private detective had videotape evidence of the two of them in bed together at a motel.

Probably the Sunset Motel,
Craig thought.
I
s
aw a lot of hanky-panky going on at that place—couples arriving in different cars and checking in without luggage. Wonder if that’s where Chrissie and Millard went?

Now, it was Andrews versus Andrews. The judge quickly read the settlement, asked no questions and signed their divorce decree. Almost before Craig realized it, he was divorced. It all seemed too quick … too easy … too cold … sign your name … stand in front of a judge and that’s that … it’s over. All those years, all those hopes and dreams vanish in an instant.

Craig wanted to tell the judge about their marriage, their kids and the good times. He wanted to say their marriage was not all bad. They got off track, that’s all. The marriage could have been saved if  if  Craig was kidding himself. He was the only one who cared. It was over. He felt ashamedlike he was a loser and a failure for not saving his marriage. He was embarrassed. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to run away and hide.

Craig watched Chrissie walk away with her lawyer. For a brief moment, a part of him, deep down inside, wished she would turn and run back to him. She would hug him and say what a mistake they’d made. They would live together again back in Botsford Downs, like they used to, in love and happy. Chrissie never looked back. Craig was glad. As much as he wanted to love her, he would never feel that way about her again. She had betrayed his trust and broken his heart.

On his way back to the Victoria Crossing sales office, Craig took a detour past their house in Botsford Downs. He stopped across the street and reminisced about all the wonderful times. Robbie was a year old when they moved in. Craig remembered the day they brought Heather home for the first time.
Those were good times.
C
hrissie and I were happy back then.
He thought about all the Christmases, Thanksgivings and birthdays celebrated in that house.