The Family Man

Chapter 05

It had been weeks since Eric Papirius had slammed his door in my face. Pulling into my driveway, I saw him wheeling his garbage can to the street. He didn't glance up as he settled the wheels against the curb for tomorrow's pickup. Maria and I got out of the car, and I thought he looked toward me. I waved, thinking I may have just caught him on a bad day last time. The least I could do was to be pleasant from a distance. He ignored the wave and turned, heading back to his house. There was no proof, but I could have sworn he saw me wave. I swallowed my next words for Maria's sake.

I found the bill I had been dreading in the mailbox. It took me a long time to pay down my Visa bill, and now it had climbed right back up with the purchase of the Ruger. I hadn't seen or heard from Jake, though I knew he was out of jail. Maybe my jerk of a neighbor kicked some temporary sense into him. Maybe he hadn't had enough to drink yet. I was sure time would validate the purchase, though making the payments would hurt. It was a lot more fun firing the gun than paying for it.

Maria looked up at me as a loud sigh left my lungs. There was a letter from Jake's lawyer in the pile. I smiled down at her for reassurance, though my mind was anything but reassured. Lawyers usually meant court and I couldn't afford to go back to court. Whatever it was, I was going to lose the battle, outlasted by an asshole who played the system better than I ever could.

"Claire is my best friend now," Maria said when we entered the house, "she told me at recess, and I told her so too." My mind jumped from the mail, trying to remember who Claire was.

"Is she the one with the curly red hair?"

"Yep. We gave her a ride home once," Maria replied. "I want to ask her over, you know, on the weekend."

"Sleepover?" Maria nodded and looked at me with pleading eyes. "Have you asked her yet?"

"We talked about it, but I said I had to ask you." There was nothing going on this weekend, though I was never sure if Jake would pay a visit. Having someone else's child in my house with a mad ex running around didn't sit well.

"I don't know, honey," I said. In my mind, it was already no. For some ridiculous reason, I wanted her to believe I was suffering through the decision. "Wouldn't it be better if you went to her house."

"Why can't she come here?" Maria asked with her father's stubbornness in her eyes.

"What if daddy decided to come by?" I asked apologetically.

"Oh." Maria's face drooped. She turned away from me and walked to her room. I wanted to stop her and share a hug, but I sensed it would have made things worse. That's the problem with best friends. They were important at her age. More important than the reality of her parent's idiocy. I wanted to strangle Jake after I cut off a few parts.

In my growing anger, I tore the corner of the letter from Jake's lawyer when I ripped into the envelope's flesh. I had to close my eyes and let my mind settle, calming things before I added to my problems. A check fell out of the letter as I unfolded it. At first, I thought it some kind of bill, but it landed face up on the counter, my name as the payable. $7,300. My hand was shaking as I picked it up. It was written from Jake's personal account. There was no way it was any good.

The letter itself was completely unexpected. It stated formally that Jake Thompson recognized he was in arrears for $19,289 in support payments, along with the standing $1,800 a month requirement. There was a breakdown of his cash assets, monthly income, and living expenses. The check in my hand was just the first to start to bring him into compliance. There was a promise for double monthly payments until I was made whole. I chuckled at the paragraph about if I were dissatisfied with the method of covering the debt, he would be open to discussing another arrangement. If Jake's expenses were to be believed, he was as broke as I was. The double payments would be painful.

The final paragraph was the most interesting. Beyond the monthly support payments, there would be no contact from Jake until the restraining order expired in five months. The lawyer's language drifted from the pure legalize as he explained that Jake was attending weekly AA meetings and receiving counseling for anger issues. If I were so inclined, a meeting would be scheduled at the firm's offices after the expiration of the restraining order to discuss the financial security of Maria's future.

It had to be some kind of trick. A lie to get over on the court.

My eyes welled as I dared to dream. If the check was good, a tremendous stress would be lifted off my shoulders. If Jake made good on his support payments, life would change dramatically for Maria and I. Revisiting my name on the check sitting so closely to the amount made my throat tighten. I'd really need the gun if the check was bad.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Maria had snuck up on me. I quickly wiped my eyes and forced a smile on my face.

"Nothing," I lied, "we need to get to the bank before it closes." I tucked the check into my purse. "Maybe we can grab some dinner at Mark's Pizza."

"Sure," Maria's face lit up. If the check was bad, Mark's Pizza was an equally bad idea. I decided to let fate decide and live like I had disposable income. It was only pizza, and the smile on Maria's face was worth the risk. Don't screw with me Jake, I'm armed and dangerous.

*****

It was two days before the bank verified the check was good. My opinion on life changed drastically when I hung up the phone with Southmore Credit Union. If the check was good, maybe the letter was accurate as well. I re-read the letter for the fourth time, going over every word looking for some loophole. There was nothing but Jake's commitments in the letter, nothing I had to do or sign or attend. No court or expensive lawyer necessary. Something had changed in Jake which meant life may have changed for Maria and me. I could only hope it lasted a lifetime and not the mere days his promises had lasted in the past.

Joy is defined as paying off a Visa bill in one go. Besides the persistent mortgage, I no longer had any debt. If Jake made good on his monthly payments, Maria and I could splurge and even start a savings program for college. I tested the idea of Maria having friends overnight in my mind. If Jake was serious about not drinking, a regular childhood was a distinct possibility. Verification was necessary. I couldn't risk another child in the house without proof of Jake's turnaround. I devised a simple plan that would allow me to proactively check on Jake, without announcing my lack of trust to him.