This is me BOOK 3

Chapter 14 tough decisions

Dave's POV

Anissa and I had a pleasant dinner, and a great talk. She is now taking a shower, while I am adjusting my schedule.I figure this may be the perfect time to call Emily, without Anissa hearing my part of the conversation.

Hello

Hi, Emily

Dave, I figured you would be calling

Oh yeah?

Yes, Anissa said she wants to spend the summer with me, so I was anticipating your call

Yes, I am a little apprehensive about Anissa spending the whole summer in Ohio. She got herself in a lot of trouble the last time she was there. I also think she may be just using the visit as a chance to go to the art competition that I punished her from

Anissa wasn't with me when she got into that trouble, and besides she is a teenager, that's what they do. As far as the art show goes, I don't see no reason why I shouldn't take her, I do believe when Steve and I punished Anissa you didn't follow our punishments

I wasn't going to refuse my daughter food if that's what you mean?

That wasn't the only punishment I am talking about, and we took away snacks not real food. I think you judged my parenting enough anyways. I don't see any harm in taking Anissa to her show, and frankly I think that punishment was harsh. She only wanted to go to a friends party, she doesn't deserve to loose something she worked so hard for.

Emily just tell me whats going on? You have a whole new attitude, your defending Anissas actions? What's really happening?

What's really going on? How about the fact that you made me look like a bad mother? I went looking for you to help with Anissa not for you to take her away from me. 

I didn't take her from you, Steve pushed her away from you

That's bullshit. We had a deal for you to have her for six months, and then we would discuss further arrangements. You went in front of the judge and attacked me as a mother, in an attempt to get full custody.

I didn't know the judge was going to give me full custody, I only asked for fifty percent. It was you who wanted to see the judge in the first place. I was willing to meet you half way on an agreement, but you kept wanting more and more

You didn't turn it down though did you? Then full custody wasn't enough, you had to try to take my visits away? You just wanted Anissa so you wouldn't have to pay back child support for your own kid.

Why would I turn it down? Anissa needed to get away from there. She was unhappy and acting out because of it. As far as the visits go, your husband smacked our child in the legs with a belt, did you expect me to be okay with that? Did you really feel I was going to let him get away with it?

I wasn't even going to touch the back child support comment. I had no issues paying child support for Anissa, but I damn sure was not going to pay for 10 years of back child support, when I didn't even know I had a child. If Emily would of contacted me the day Anissa was born, I would of been in her life since day one

She was only unhappy because Steve and I were not letting her get away with her bad behavior, and she was acting out because of the brood. They taught her to act like a hoodlum. She was fine before she met those girls. 

Emily she felt left out and alone, she felt like an outsider in her own home. She started hanging around with those girls, because they gave her attention and made her feel important 

She chose to be alone, anytime I tried to include her in something, she would go outside in the backyard. That was her decision 

No Emily she didn't want to feel second place to Sally anymore. She always felt like she was being compared to Sally, and was tired of it. She also didn't want to hear the insults and the degrading comments from Steve constantly. That's why she started hanging out in the backyard alone