Unexpected

Chapter 30

The next day I felt bad in the morning and I stayed home, letting Frank know that I was only going to work after lunch. My fight with James echoed in my mind countless times and I wondered how a simple fight had gone to the purposes ours did. There was so much rage and hate between us, accusation followed by another accusation. Determined to put all that behind my head, after lunch, I went to work as I had promised my boss, but I swear I was not in emotional conditions to work. Only, being emotionally wrecked is not an excuse to skip work.

As I got there, I greeted the receptionist warmly and she promptly told me to go to Frank's office as he needed to talk to me. The same as the day before and even if I tried hard not to think of James, he popped up in my mind again. I truly prayed he was not there like the previous day because I did not want to see him or deal with him that day. Luckily, Frank was alone.

"You better sit." He told me though.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked him as his face showed some concern.

"James was here this morning." He told me first. "He wants his rights as a father. He wants to know when your appointments to the doctors are so he can be there. He wants to follow the rest of your pregnancy."

"No." I said right away.

"Cleo... you don't want to buy a war with him." Frank told me being so honest and I knew deep inside I would never win a war against James.

"What can I do?" I asked him. I was ironically asking for advice of James lawyer.

"I shouldn't be telling you this... but then..." He sighed. "There's not much you can do. I mean now... your daughter isn't born yet, so you can refuse his request and it will be legal because it's you and not the baby yet. But once the baby is born he has his legal rights and there is nothing you can do about it. He says he's going to court if he has to..."

"He can go to court: I don't care. He won't be near her. I won't let him."

"James is powerful, Cleo. He has means that you don't. He'll win the case easily and even if it wasn't that way, he would still win because he's the father of your baby. He is the father right?" He asked me in the end.

I nodded. "So, do you really want to expose yourself and your daughter? The minute he goes to court you'll be all around the press all over the world. Is that what you want? Being seen as the witch, the one who doesn't allow the father be around his kid?" Frank called for my reason.

"What if I go away?" I asked.

"You mean to another state?" Frank asked me and I nodded.

"The law is unanimous. He's your daughter's father, so he has his rights. James would go after you. There are courts in other states as well. Look... don't use your daughter as a weapon. I think you're both wrong in the way you're taking this to be honest. I think you should sit down and talk and arrange things amicably. That is the best way for you and for him too. It would also be a scandal for him..."

"He didn't even want her!" I exclaimed. "He still doesn't want her. He's doing all this just to attack me." I claimed.

"I understand your point, but what court will see is a father that regretted all that and now wants his rights. He'll win this. You don't have a chance. Like I said, I don't advice any of you to take this to court. It's better if you work things out on your own."

"My God... where is this gonna take us?" I mumbled out loud.

"Nowhere, Cleo. I really think you two need to sit and talk." Frank gave us the biggest and most valuable advise but we were so hurt that none of us saw that at the time.