by K L Finalley
"She's my very best friend. The best friend I've ever had, so I had to call Daddy immediately. I told him all about it and he told me he'd be here. And, guess what?" She pointed out the plate glass window to the limo that had just arrived, then she said, "He is."
"It's amazing. We couldn't be more grateful. I don't know how we can repay you for your help," Jacqueline said.
"You aren't supposed to, honey. We're friends." Jacqueline watched as happiness filled Misty's face. "Now, go, wait in my office and I'll send him right in."
Jacqueline unraveled from Misty and entered her office. She saw Mallory sitting on Misty's white couch. "Is everything white here?" she mumbled as she entered the office.
"Hey there, you," Mallory stood up and pulled her close.
"Are you okay?" Jacqueline asked.
"Not at all. My stomach's in knots."
"Mr. Tate has arrived. Misty's showing him up."
"Are we really going to do this?" Mallory looked nervous.
"Let's just meet with him. We'll hear what he says. Then, we can decide. Okay?" Jacqueline was nervous. Last night, Mallory was convinced that this was the only option. But, now, moments before meeting with the attorney, she wasn't certain.
Before Jacqueline could become unhinged, a tall man with white hair in an expensive, gray Italian suit opened the door. He was lean like Misty with deep blue eyes. He smiled the same broad smile she did. And, then, if there was any doubt left, he spoke, "Well, hi there, I'm Peter. Peter Tate, Misty's father." That was her slow drawl. He introduced himself like they'd come to the house to pick Misty up for a movie. There was nothing that filled the air between them.
"Hello, Mister Tate..."
He stopped Jacqueline with his hand up to prevent her from proceeding. "Let's not do that, sugar. You're my little girl's friends. I'm Peter and you're Jacqueline and Mallory."
"That's going to be tough for me, but I'll try. Hello, Peter. I'm Jacqueline and this is Mallory," Jacqueline said as she pointed to Mallory.
"Thank you so much for taking the time to come up here and talk to us," Mallory said as she shook his hand.
"Why - it's no trouble at all. Misty called me yesterday and laid out some of the background. She was quite upset. Honestly, I don't know if she ever been that upset. Hell, I don't know if she ever cared about anyone that much. She kinda keeps to herself. But, when she said, Daddy, you gotta try. I knew I couldn't turn her down, so, here I am." He opened his folio and said, "I've checked into a few things. I hope you don't mind," he looked at them. Neither moved. "Good. Before I get to that, though, why don't we just talk? Tell me in your own words a little bit about your past with your ex. Cody Russell." He perched on the edge of Misty's desk and withdrew his gold pen from his folio.
"My past?" Mallory questioned.
"Sure, suga'. Not a hard question. I need a feel for things. You know, things court records don't say. Let's try this. How'd you meet?"
"Well," she paused. "Cody's always been around. He's my older brother, Owen's best friend. Cody was the running back and Owen was the quarterback."
"High school football's a religion in the South. Where ya from?" his eyes lit up.
"Plant City. Nowhere really."
"Well, that makes them famous, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it does, " Mallory nodded.
"Now, I don't mean to sound like the jackass people accuse me of being, but I'm gonna guess you were a cheerleader. Am I right?"
"How'd you know?"
"All Southern towns are the same." He continued, " Awright, the high school quarterback has his best buddy date his little sister. Did you get married straight away after high school?"
"Yes, sir, we did."
"Ah, your accent returns," he folded his arms. Holding his gold pen in his fingers, he waved in the air. "I like that. When does the baby come?"
"Well, our story gets interesting. I got into college in Orlando. No one wanted me to go. Not Cody, not my parents, not Owen, but, I went. I commuted every day for a year. Then, one day, my old car just gave out and I was gonna have to quit."
Mr. Tate moved from his spot on the desk to the couch. "I must admit. This is interesting. Did you quit?"
Mallory turned in the chair to face him, "No, I moved on campus and came home on weekends."
"I'm sure ole Cody didn't like that," Peter began making notes.
"Not at all. He forbade me to go back, but, I went back anyways. Owen had him tell me if I stayed that he'd divorce me," Mallory crumbled the tissue in her hands. "Well, I stayed and Cody divorced me."
"That brother of yours has some pull."
Mallory began to cry. "That's why I need you."
"Sugar, that's why I'm here," he said without looking up. "Keep on goin', so you're divorced?"
Dabbing her eyes, she continued, "Right. I'm divorced. I'm in school and working and interning. I get an offer in Daytona. I come home to tell my parents that I'm moving to Daytona and guess who is at the house visiting my brother."
"Good ole Cody," Peter guessed.
"Right. He was nice. He congratulated me. It'd been a couple of years since we'd spoke to each other, so we got to talking. His parents had passed away. I was doing well. We musta talked for hours. Nothing happened, but when he left that night I didn't hate him. It was the first time in a very long time that I didn't. So, a coupla months later, he was in Daytona to see the race and asked if he could take me out."
"Ah ha." He waved her off, "you can spare Jacqueline and I the details of the visit. I will jot that as the occasion of the consummation. However, he was technically your ex-husband."
"Right. It was about eight weeks or so later when I knew I was pregnant. I called to tell him and he denied that the baby was his. He told me it wasn't his child and I just wanted him to be the father, because I knew he would take care of it. I called my brother who said the same words. I pleaded to my parents, but no one believed me. So, I managed through the pregnancy. I gave birth to her in Daytona…"
"Daytona?" Peter said.
Hesitating, Mallory continued. "Yes, Zoe…that's my daughter. I mean, that's our daughter. She was born in Daytona. She and I lived there until I moved here," she explained. "When she was about a year old, I was struggling to make ends meet. A friend suggested I file for child support. So, I went to Legal Aid and they helped me take him to court. Since he denied Zoe as his, they swabbed her and swabbed him. Of course, she was his and court ordered him to pay child support and provided him with visitation."
"How has it been?"
"A never-ending nightmare. Let's see. Despite the paternity test, he denied that she was his until she was four. He didn't pay any support until she was five. And, to this day, he's not consistent with his child support or his visitation. He has no legal or physical custody of her, but one summer, he took her out of state without my knowledge or permission and I had to call the cops to get her back."
"I read about that one. Also, I read about other infractions he has had with the law. There are minor drug infractions, driving under the influence, potential physical confrontations with his wife…"
"I'm not certain if they're still married."
"That doesn't no matter. It's a court record of violence against a woman. And, I have here a charge of damage to your property."
"Yes, he smashed out the back window to my car one Easter."
"He is a classy gentleman." He flipped the pages of his tablet. "Mallory, let me reassure you that Cody Russell would never get custody of Zoe Russell for several reasons. You are her primary caregiver and have been all her life. He has had a reported period of having no contact with the child and has, by court record, an uneven period of interaction with the child. To obtain custody, he would have to prove that you were neglecting the child or were unable to provide for the child in such a way that he would be better served as the child's caretaker. There is no indication that the child has been neglected or that you are unable to care for the child. In addition, Mr. Russell has shown r
epeated impulse problems with his control and judgment. His repeated drug and alcohol offenses indicate a lack of responsibility and reflect he cannot care for a child. In addition, failure to pay child support appears to the court as his lack of respect for the court and lack of concern for the child." He leaned forward as if he wanted to talk sincerely. "Zoe was born in Daytona. Her custody case was handled in Daytona. At this time, no case has been opened in Daytona. I'll keep my eyes open for one. However, I doubt one appears."
"You do?" she asked.
"I'm a country boy. Like you said, raised in nowhere. You'll have to excuse me, but Cody doesn't want Zoe. He wants to make Owen happy. He does what Owen says to do. He's forever his running back."
"This is ridiculous." Mallory said rubbing the rest of her powder off her forehead.
"Listen, if by some miracle, they get a lawyer, we'll do what needs to be done. And, we will win, I assure you." Peter smiled a confident smile. "But, I tell everyone that asks me the same thing. Court cases tear apart families. Right or wrong. Law or no law. You can win the trial and lose the family. Can you handle that?"
"I won't lose her," Mallory said.
"You won't lose her. I promise you that," he said firmly. "But, I won't promise there won't be fallout."
"I understand," Mallory said.
"If we're in agreement, then I'll consider myself under retainer," Peter said as he began to gather his papers.
"Peter, what's my impact?" Jacqueline posed.
"'Xcuse me?" He stopped, turned, and looked at her with confusion. "Let's see, I checked you out," he said as he wagged his finger at her. "You were clean. No brushes with the law, no problems. Is there something in your closet you need to tell me?"
"No, there's nothing in my background. Nothing illegal anyway, but there is the obvious…. complications."
"Oh, sugar. What matters is the state, Mallory, and I don't think of your relationship as a complication. That's what's important."
"I just don't want to be the reason that she loses Zoe. I'd rather walk away now than…"
He placed his hands in the air. Jacqueline stared at his signet ring as he said, "Don't you worry one bit about that. Not one bit. If your relationship was an issue, I'd have told you. Trust me, I will tell you exactly what is and is not an issue. Understood?"
"Understood." They said in unison.
Reaching for her wallet, Jacqueline asked, "Should I contact your office to handle the retainer fee?"
He'd turned back to his briefcase but spoke, "This is a family matter."
"But, we couldn't expect..."
Whirling around to face her, he said, "Put that up. My daughter called and needed my help. She said her friend needed my help. Her friend. A father should help a daughter's friend. Always." He smiled the grin that reminded them of Misty and said, "If y'all will excuse me, I'm gonna go find my baby girl, then we're all gonna get some lunch. My treat." And, he placed both hands in his pockets and ambled out the glass doors.
They watched him look right, then left, then right again before moving. Mallory stood up from the couch and walked over to Jacqueline who was watching Peter. Sensing her presence, Jacqueline faced her. Mallory stepped into her waiting arms and cried. Jacqueline didn't speak. She stroked her hair and quieted her tears. She swayed to the sounds of her apprehension. Eventually, Mallory spoke, "All my life, I knew what I wanted wasn't what they wanted. I knew it."
"Parents have a dream of our life before we're born. It isn't necessarily who we are."
"I don't know if they did. He does."
"Owen?" Jacqueline asked as she continued to rock and stroke her hair.
"I don't know why he cares so much."
"You heard what Peter said. This could rock the family. I mean, are you sure you want to rock the boat like this? Am I worth this trouble?"
Mallory pulled away. Jacqueline feared that she shouldn't have asked. She feared this moment, knowing that it could be time when Mallory explained that she couldn't imagine a life without her family and as such, she would have no choice but to forgo a future with her. Faced with her own anxiety, Jacqueline moved to the couch. She wanted to pace. She wanted to run away. There was no time to escape. The time had come to face the uncertainty.
Mallory sat beside her, placed her hand on Jacqueline's leg, and said, "Of course, you are. You and Zoe are my family. You're my everything. I'd love to have the support of my parents and my brother and his family, but I can't sacrifice my own life to make them happy. Call me selfish. Call me what you want to call me, but I've never been happier and I won't lead my life for them. I love them, but I deserve to be happy." Jacqueline didn't move. She had not completely heard what was being said. She had prepared herself to expect to be dismissed; she was solemn. "Honey, did you hear me? I love you and I should've stood up to them years ago. I guess I didn't love anything or anyone enough to do it before, but I do, now." And, she wrapped her arms around Jacqueline's neck and kissed her lips.
And the kiss snapped her back.
Lips pressed firmly together. Eyes shut tight. Sitting side by side, Mallory could feel Jacqueline's phone vibrating in her pocket. "Should you get that?" she mumbled midkiss.
Grunting, but trying to savor the last few moments of affection, Jacqueline slid her hand into her pocket and retrieved her phone. Gazing at it, with Mallory in her arms, she announced, "Wait, it's Vicki."
"Get it!" Mallory commanded.
"Hey, Vicki. Uh huh. Uh huh."
"What's she sayin'," Mallory nervously asked.
Trying to feed her information, Jacqueline shared, "You think you've found a place for us. You want to know if we're available tomorrow morning…"
"Hell, yeah, we're available," Mallory spoke into Jacqueline's phone.
"Yes, that was Mallory. Text me the address and we'll meet you there in the morning. Really?"
"Really, what?" Mallory asked.
"Uh huh. Uh huh."
"Tell me what's going on," Mallory demanded.
Jacqueline held up a finger. "Thanks so much for calling. We'll see you in the morning."
With her arms folded, Mallory stated, "You shoulda put her on speaker."
"She didn't tell me a lot. She said she found a great house for us. It has a pool. It's a lot like the house in Apollo Beach, but bigger. She said she thinks we're gonna love it. The school checks out. And, it's in Tampa."
"How'd she sound?"
"More excited than last time," Jacqueline admitted.
"Are you excited?"
"I'm hopeful."
"Hopeful?"
"We sold Dad's house. The condo's on the market. We've got Peter Tate on retainer. We've got money for everything. I have a woman who loves me. Now, we just need to find a damn house," Jacqueline said.
"Then, that's the plan," Mallory said snuggling beside her on the couch in Misty's office.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It was Friday morning. Jacqueline and Mallory had risen and awoken Zoe to a weekday family breakfast - much to the child's dismay. Sitting at the table, Zoe rested her head on her folded arms. As Mallory walked by her, she patted her stringy hair. Zoe was eight, but she never had youthful exuberance. She was never the early riser filled with excitement for the day's events. She never ran to see what Santa brought in the night. She never wanted to get an early start at the theme park. She'd always much preferred sleeping. And, that Friday morning was no different.
"Why'd I have to get up soooo early," she mumbled with her face buried in the table.
"To have breakfast," Jacqueline said from the kitchen.
"I have breakfast every morning," she grumbled.
"But, this morning's special..."
"'Cuz, Mom's here?"
"And, I'm gonna ride with Jacqueline to drop you off at school," Mallory said as she sat down at the table.
"But, why'd I have to get up early," Zoe repeated.
Walking to the table with a plate, Jacqueline chuckled, "Just eat your breakfast, then you can go li
e on the couch while I get ready." That was all Zoe needed to hear. She didn't say another word. She lifted her fork and began shoveling her food. "Try to chew," Jacqueline warned.
Amid her shoveling, Zoe commented, "You're gonna look at houses, again, huh?"
"Yes, we are," Mallory responded with hope in her voice. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled at her small daughter.
Wiping her plate with her toast to capture the yolk from her sunny side up egg, she said, "What was wrong with the other ones?"
"Nothing really. I guess. I mean," Jacqueline stammered to explain. "They just weren't us. They didn't feel like home."
"Did this?" Zoe pointed with her fork.
"Finish your breakfast, so we can get a move on," Mallory said as she raked her own plate in the trash. Zoe woofed down what was left of her breakfast and cleaned her plate as well. As Mallory gathered her belongings, Zoe stretched out on the couch and dozed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
After driving north for a half an hour along Interstate 275 to Palmetto Elementary from the penthouse in St. Petersburg, Jacqueline returned to Mallory's car to find her staring at her. "What's wrong? What'd I forget?"
"Nothing," she said.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Jacqueline was alarmed. After being together for as long as they had, long stares had become glares, not gazes.
"I just forget how much you do," Mallory replied. She must have noticed Jacqueline's look of confusion, because she continued without a request. "I get up and go to work. You drive all the way over here and take her to school. Then, you drive into Tampa and go to work yourself. Then, you come get her before you head home. I love you for that." She tilted towards her in the car. Resting her torso on the leather covered armrest, the two kissed in the child loading zone of Palmetto Elementary school until Lauren, Zoe's friend's mother beeped her car horn. Caught like hormonal teenagers, Jacqueline cranked the car and the mortified adults made a speedy exit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two held hands as they cruised out of Clearwater. Traveling down US19 South towards Interstate 275 South, Jacqueline was happy to not have the bustle of work pressing on her at the moment, but she was nervous. Zoe had a question that had stayed with her. Had the penthouse felt like home? Had it? When she first bought it, it felt like a logical purpose. It was a sound investment. The area was being designed for a mix of residential and commercial success. Jacqueline had enjoyed living in the mix. In fact, she did still enjoy that. She hadn't wanted to go to the clubs any longer, but she did enjoy being close to restaurants and shopping options.