Chapter 27
Colt
I was about to catch my flight to go to California, when I got a call from my lawyer. I can't say that I was so happy to hear from him, and I was less happy to hear from him when he told me that Candy’s lawyer had filed more motions. Now they wanted more it seemed and it was getting to me now. They would never get it of course, but the audacity of even asking was bothersome.
“So, what is it that they want now?”
This marriage that I had gotten into seven years ago was becoming a nightmare and everything that I thought about Candy and what I knew about her was obviously wrong. She was not the woman that I thought she was.
“Well Sir, I don't know how to tell you this.”
It was late, and airport was packed. That meant that I didn't have time to play these guessing games and I told him to just come out with it already. Sometimes he treated me like I was a child because of the way he was so delicate with me. Did I really seem that vulnerable because of Candy? Considering what it was that I was going through now, I had to think that maybe I did.
“Now she is asking for not only child support, but for medical coverage for the pregnancy. You didn't tell me that she was pregnant.”
Of all the things that I had heard from my lawyer in the last few weeks, the fact that she was pregnant was one that completely floored me. I hadn't seen that coming. The people in the airport started to twirl around me and I started getting dizzy. This is not what I expected at all.
“I didn't know she was.”
“Well, with any luck it isn't yours.”
I know that he meant well for saying that, but I didn't take his comment very well. If Candy was pregnant, a part of me wanted it to be mine. I don't know if it was because I thought that I would have a chance with her or that us together made something, but I liked the idea of it. I've never really wanted to kid before, but with Candy, I don't know. Everything about being with her was different and this was just one more thing to change my mind on.
Then I thought about the fact that she was suing me for money, but she hadn't even told me that she was pregnant. It was something that she should have told me. I don't think that I should have found out through my lawyer. There had to have been a better way than this, surely.
“So, what do you want to do Colt?”
I was standing silence for several moments and then I told him the truth, I told him that I didn't know what to do.
“This is the first that I've heard about it. I am on my way to California now to see her. I figured that I could get some answers from her.”
“That is the last thing that you want to do Colt. I know that you don't have to listen to me and I know that you're a damn good lawyer, so you know that the last thing you should be doing is going to see her. Not with what is going on right now. Anything you do, will be used against you.”
I knew that he was right. Five minutes ago, before he called, I knew that I shouldn't be going to see Candy. I knew that they could come back and say that I was trying to intimidate her or threaten her in some way. I know that I would most likely do that if I was her lawyer. So, I was just opening myself up for failure.
Now that I knew she was pregnant, I wasn't sure how to respond. I wanted to yell at her, had for a while since Chris had told me about her filings, but now I wasn't sure. Now she was possibly carrying my child and I didn't want to do anything to make it harder for. I still cared about her, even if she was trying to rob me blind.
“Promise me that you're not going to go. I just have a feeling that something is going to happen and I'm not going to be able to help you. You know that I'm just looking out for you Colt.”
I knew that he was, but I couldn't promise that I wasn’t going to go. I wanted to, even now, but as the announcement called my flight, I wasn't sure if I was going to get on the plane or not.
It was what I wanted to do, but I told him to just set up the court date for as soon as it was possible. If I couldn't go and see her and get the answers, I was going to drag ass to court so that I could get them. I didn't mind traveling to Southern California if that's what had to happen. I was willing to either way, but I knew that waiting wasn’t going to be easy. I had never been a very patient man and that hadn’t changed.
Chris got off the phone with me and I looked around the terminal. If I was going to get on the flight, it needed to be now, but I was still thinking about everything else that was going on. They called for last call to get on the plane and I didn't get up off the bench. The words of my lawyer kept running through my mind, questioning what I wanted to do. I really just didn't know.
A couple of months ago, I had been so sure of my life, but now it was crashing. I was going in a direction that I didn’t understand and the sooner I got some closure and some information, I would have a better mindset. That was all there was to it, so I hoped that Chris got a court date pretty quickly. I wanted this done and over with as soon as possible.
...
“Chris called while you were out Colt. I took down his number that you were supposed to call him back on. He sounded strange.”
I got nervous every time my lawyer called now, and I took the number and message from Ralph. He had asked a few questions, just like Chris had done. Everyone was too damn into my life at the moment and it was too much of a wreck to talk about. I wanted people to just let it be, but I knew that it wasn’t going to happen. Ralph in particular, had never been that way before.
“Thanks Ralph. You can go now.”
“Is this because of that redhead?”
I gave him a dirty look and I knew that I was going to have to come out about it eventually. He wasn’t going to let it go if I didn’t. Half of me was sure that his speculation would be worse than the truth anyways.
“I am getting divorced from her and now she wants half, alimony and child support.”
The last part got his attention, but Ralph was like me at first, not believing that she would do something like that.
“You know what they say, you never really know some people I guess.”
He agreed, but I could tell that he was thinking about it more than I had been. It was in black and white in front of me, so whether I wanted to believe it or not, the fact was that it was the truth. I didn’t need anyone to tell me otherwise or convince me. It was rather clear that she was trying to take advantage of me. I didn’t know why, but that part didn’t matter. All that mattered was what was going to happen next.
“No, I guess you don’t Colt.”
“I will be out of town for a couple of days over it. We have a court date set soon, so most likely that is why he is calling about. I will let you know when and if you want, you can take some time off. It’s been a while since you have taken a vacation.”
“Do you want some company?”
I was about to say that I didn’t, but the truth was that I did want some company if he was willing. It would get me out of my head and I told him that I did.
“As soon as I know something, I will let you know.”
“Good, I will pack a bag for standby. I haven’t been to California in ages. I have a sister that lives there that I would like to see if I have a chance. I have a couple of nephews now and one of them I haven’t seen yet.”
“I didn’t know Donna moved.”
“Yes, she found her a new beau. He is in his forties and Donna is convinced that he is ‘the one’ for her. I hope so because this will be her fifth marriage.”
“I don’t think I will ever do it again.”
“You haven’t finished off the first one yet. You don’t know what is going to happen.”
“She is trying to extort from me. It’s pretty clear cut to me, don’t you think?”
Ralph said that he didn’t want to believe it. I told him about the paperwork, but he was convinced that it wasn’t enough proof for him.
“I have to see it with my own eyes. There is no way that I will be able to believe it otherwise.”
I loved that he was so optimistic about it, but I felt like he had chosen her side and I was a bit peeved about that, considering all of the drama that ended up coming out of it all.
“I don’t want to believe it either Ralph, but I guess we will see.”
Ralph agreed, but he just seemed so damn sure that something else was going on. I don’t know what it was, couldn’t imagine it, so I wasn’t going to get my hopes up. I had learned my lesson with all of that.
“So, you’re going to be a dad, huh?”
I grinned and sighed, all at the same time. This was a position that I never thought I would be in. Not only was I going to be a father, but I was also getting divorced, and getting my heart broken. All at the same time. These were all things that I wasn’t aware was possible for me. Now I knew that it was.
I went to bed with more questions, than answers. It seemed to be a theme of my life as of late and I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about it. All I knew for certain was, I needed to get to California and talk to Candy. It seemed we had a lot more than a divorce to talk about.