by Marc Avery
I needed to be in my son’s life permanently and my world would be perfect.
March
I sat in the courthouse outside the courtroom. Essence couldn’t even look me in the eye. I was glad when the security guard finally called us inside.
Something felt off when I walked in the courtroom. The chubby security guard walked to the back of the room, and another man came out with the judge and sat next to him. I guess the other guy was there to record what Essence and I said.
The square-jawed judge’s eyes were cold, and he looked at Essence and me before he shuffled the papers laid out in front of him.
“Why are we here today?” he asked and sounded annoyed. He lowered his glasses.
Essence raised her hand. The judge signaled for her to speak by waving his hand at her.
“Anthony is irresponsible and immature. I think we need to rework our visitation arrangement. I tried to work with him in the past, but we can’t seem to agree on anything.”
Her little act was award-winning.
The judge turned to me. “Well, do you have anything to say for yourself, son?”
“Yes, I do, sir.” I cleared my throat. “I want to be a part of Tristan’s life. I won’t lie, Essence and I lack proper communication. She won’t let me see him without a fight.”
“I see here in the court documents that Ms. Dwyer had to call the police to her house because of you. Not to mention you’ve been arrested for a DUI.” He stared at me and shook his head. The judgement flowed all through his voice.
“Yes, sir, I’ve made some mistakes in my life that I’m not proud of and—”
He cut me off. “The deeper I get into your file, the more embarrassed I am for you.” His words jabbed at me like a knife.
I looked at Essence, and she was smiling. I had lost ground in the argument. It didn’t look too good for me.
“Sir, I—” I tried to defend myself.
The judge cut me off again.
“You put your hands on the mother of your child, and you have an alcohol problem. You’re the worst kind of person.” He put his glasses back on. “I’ll review the case notes before making a final decision.”
He got out his seat and disappeared into the back.
“This is bullshit, Essence, and you know it. The only one you’re hurting by doing this is Tristan,” I said and slapped the table so hard that my hand stung.
“You should’ve played by my rules. Now you’ll suffer the consequences.” Essence walked toward me and stopped.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You’re the one who up and left without fucking telling me.”
She smiled. “I did leave, and I’m a crazy bitch too. Now I’m going to fuck you every way I can. There isn’t shit you can do about it either.” She blew a kiss at me.
I was going to call her a coldhearted bitch, but the judge came back out before I could say anything to her.
“After looking at different options and scenarios, I’ve made a final decision. Young Tristan needs a stable home environment where he is loved and taken care of.” He stared at me, and then finished his statement. “I’m granting primary custody to Ms. Dwyer. The exception being one police-supervised visit per week for Mr. Porter.”
Not believing what I just heard, I collapsed on the floor. I felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest and stomped on for good measure.
“Judge, please, don’t do this.” I got down on my hands and knees and begged him.
“I’m sorry, son. You’ve proven yourself to be abusive, irresponsible, and immature. I hope this teaches you a thing or two about responsibility,” he said and walked toward the back. He spoke to us over his shoulder. “You two are free to go.” The judge, the security guard, and the other guy left the room.
Even after everyone was gone, I sat there on the ground trying to come up with a plan to see Tristan more, no matter what the judge said. Then an idea hit me like a sucker punch.
I had to get me a lawyer.
March
I called my agent and asked him if he could put me in contact with a lawyer. He agreed and hooked me up with his lawyer who had a drinking buddy that practiced family law. Lucky for me, Anderson’s lawyer’s friend dabbled in entertainment contracts also at one time.
I met Marshall Covington at his office in Center City near city hall. I spotted the diamond-studded Rolex watch, three-piece suit, and his shoes looked like he bought them that morning. I hoped his abilities matched his appearance.
“You sure you can afford me?” Marshall asked with a whiff of arrogance.
“I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t,” I said and probably sounded snarky.
“Touché. Tell me what’s going on and how I can help.”
“I want more time with my son, but his mother is playing games. I need someone skilled in the courtroom with me so I came to you.”
Marshall listened and nodded. “Give me a short version of the events leading up to this point and I can build a strategy from there.”
“I can do that, but I also had a plan.”
“I’m all ears.”
“What if I could bribe her with money, but she didn’t know I was bribing her?”
“You mean agreeing to pay her child support outside of a court agreement in hopes that with every subsequent increase, she would be susceptible to your demands?”
I smiled sinisterly.
“You creative sonofabitch,” Marshall said, and we slapped hands.
“I’ll draft up a place holder agreement, and we can edit the document if we have to.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I’ll contact you when I’m done, and I’ll have a copy in your e-mail for approval.”
I stood. “I appreciate the time.”
“No problem. You’ll get what you want in no time.”
“How much do I owe you?”
“I’ll e-mail you the bill as well,” he said and smiled.
I walked out of Marshall’s office to my truck smiling because I felt positive that he could help me straighten out my custody situation.
I drove to Essence’s house for my first supervised visit and got choked up when I thought about seeing my boy.
With the baby bag over my shoulder, I hopped out of the truck. I went up her stairs and rang the doorbell.
When the door swung open, a tall, arrogant-looking police officer grilled me.
“Hello, Mr. Porter,” the cop said and smirked. His breath smelled like shit, and I almost threw up because of the ungodly stench.
“Your visit ends at three-fifteen sharp and not a minute later, understand?” He tapped the face of his cheap watch. He was all business.
I wanted to punch him in the face and kick him in the balls. Instead, I smiled and nodded and walked into Essence’s house.
On cue, she came downstairs holding Tristan. I couldn’t believe how big he had gotten. Seeing him made me smile and calmed me down for the moment. I held tears back, although not by much.
She tried to hand him to me, but he cried and reached back for her. Seeing him hold on to her shirt and cry broke my heart.
“It’s okay, boo boo. This is Daddy,” Essence said and patted his back.
I took him from her and rocked him back and forth. It took me a minute, but I managed to hit him with some baby talk to calm him down. When I looked into his eyes, I saw myself in him. The feeling was priceless.
After a while, I pretended Tristan and I were alone. I fed him baby food and gave him his bottle. Holding him against my chest felt so right and natural. To me, nothing in the world was better than being a father. I rocked him to sleep and laid him in his crib. I kissed him on his cheek and forehead and inhaled his baby scent.
“I love you, son,” I whispered to him.
I dug through his baby bag and pulled out a money order.
“This is for you.” I handed Essence the envelope.
“Wow.” Her eyes lit up like brake lights.
“Yup. And there’s m
ore where that came from.” I gave her a fake smile.
“Good,” she said, nodded, and put the money in her bra.
“I’ll be back to see him next week.”
“We’ll see you then.”
Having a cop there made me feel like a criminal. One supervised visit a week wasn’t enough, and with Marshall’s help, I planned to get what I wanted.
I refused to be a part-time father.
April
When I got the first payment for my screenplay, some of the pain I felt about my custody situation subsided. The money reminded me of what’s good in life and where I wanted to go.
The check was for almost $34,000. I read the amount out loud and ran around my apartment screaming like a complete lunatic. I’m sure the people in my apartment building thought I was crazy as cat shit.
For the time being, I played along with Essence. I came to her house and spent my supervised hour with Tristan with a smile on my face like everything was okay. I made sure every time we met I increased the amount of money I gave her little by little. I noticed she became less of a bitch and more of a regular human being when the money increased.
When I got my next check for the screenplay, I could throw a lump sum at her to renegotiate our visitation terms. Our visitation paperwork stated that our agreement could be renegotiated as long as we both agreed to the new terms. I could play on her greed and hit the jackpot.
Once I deposited the money in my bank account, I set my future plans in motion. I enrolled into the first-time homebuyers program. Since I didn’t have any serious marks on my credit report, they said I would be easy to work with.
While looking up foreclosures on the Internet, I looked at dozens of places before I found a three-story house in South Philly. The place had been in foreclosure for six months and was priced well below market value according to the information posted on the listing on their Web site.
The surrounding neighborhoods weren’t in the best conditions, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a homeowner, and especially at the price they were talking about. I signed all the paperwork they wanted me to, and then I had to play the waiting game.
Since I had been visiting Tristan, he learned to stand on his own. I loved being with him through his really important developmental stages. I would hold my arms out, and he would try his best to walk to me. Being a part of that made me a proud father. There wasn’t a better feeling in the world.
As I drove to Essence’s house, I smiled. I finally got up the nerve to ask my mother, Paul, and Mia to come with me on a visit. Why I didn’t ask them to come with me before I have no idea. Paul and Mia were going to meet me and my mother there. She sat in the passenger seat as I drove.
“I don’t condone violence, but I want to choke her,” my mother said and shook her head.
I laughed and put the right turn signal on. “Trust me, Mom, I know the feeling. Every time I see her, I want to swing on her. As time passed, I’ve realized she isn’t worth my time or my energy. Spending time with Tristan is the most important thing.”
“How are you doing otherwise?” she asked.
“Well, I’m going to be a homeowner.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. I’m just waiting on the approval of my paperwork.”
“I’m so proud of you, son. You’re on your way.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
I parked across the street from Essence’s house and gritted my teeth when I spotted the familiar police car sitting behind her truck. The cop car reminded me of how one-sided our arrangement really was and how eager I was to change things. She got to be around him 24/7, and I was stuck with one hour a week. I shook off the negative thinking; this wouldn’t go on much longer.
As soon as my mother and I went inside the house, Essence came downstairs and handed Tristan to me. When he saw me, his face lit up. As I went to grab him, he reached his little arms out to me too. My heart swelled with happiness. I kissed him on his chubby cheeks and tickled his little stomach.
“Hey, buddy, this is your grandma.” Introducing them to each other damn near made me cry. I handed him to her, and he went to her without hesitation.
Seeing my mother hold my son was a special moment. Like I always did, I imagined Tristan and I were alone. Only this time, my mother was there with us too.
My cell phone went off and pulled me out of the heartwarming moment. I stepped outside the house and took the call.
“What’s up, Anderson?”
“They started shooting the movie. I thought you might want to know.”
I smiled. “Thank you for letting me know, man.”
“No prob. I’ll keep you in the loop as they give me the information. You’re on your way.”
“Cool. We’ll talk soon.”
When I hung up with Anderson, Paul and Mia were parking their trucks behind my truck. Paul and I gave each other dap and a hug. I kissed Mia on the lips and hugged her tightly. Paul grabbed a huge stuffed teddy bear from the passenger seat of his truck.
My mother and Essence came outside, and Essence locked eyes with Mia. I noticed Essence’s facial expression change, but she didn’t say anything. I ignored her and introduced Tristan to Paul. I wouldn’t let her mess this moment up.
“This is your uncle Paul.”
“Here you go, little man,” he said and handed Tristan the teddy bear. He hugged the teddy bear with all his might.
I passed him to Mia.
It was pure heaven having my family there with me as I spent time with Tristan. I had successfully reversed the situation. Now Essence was the one who couldn’t do anything because of the cop being there.
A tinted out black BMW pulled up to Essence’s house, and the driver beeped the horn twice. Essence gave Mia the evil eye as she took Tristan from her. Then she walked over to the BMW’s passenger door. I looked at the New Jersey plates and shook my head. Now I knew who was in the car. Her little boyfriend, Austin.
Everyone took Essence’s kiss to Austin as their cue to leave. I gave Paul dap and kissed Mia good-bye. My mother got into my truck.
I went over and kissed Tristan on his cheek. As I turned around to leave, the driver-side window came down.
“Long time no see, Anthony,” Austin said and sarcastically smiled. I didn’t knock his head off again because the cop was there with us. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of shorty while you’re gone.”
I leaned into the window and said, “You lucky the cop’s here, or I’d beat your ass again. It takes a real bitch like you to jump somebody.”
“Just go, Anthony,” Essence said, obviously siding with Austin, which didn’t surprise me at all.
“Is there a problem here?” The cop walked over and asked us trying to sound authoritative.
“No, Officer, he was just leaving,” Essence said, holding Tristan tight against her chest.
I looked at the cop and Essence, shook my head, and got into my truck without saying another word. The thought of Austin near my son pissed me off. I took a deep breath and remembered what I really wanted.
More time with Tristan.
“You okay, baby?” my mother asked.
“I will be, as soon as Essence gives me what I want,” I said before I mashed the gas pedal into the floor.
It was time to finish off the plan.
April
With a lot of persuasion, Essence and I sat inside my lawyer’s plush office in Center City.
“Hello, Essence, I’m Marshall Covington, Anthony’s attorney. I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to sit down and meet with us,” he said and smiled politely.
“Nice to meet you too, sir, and it’s no problem at all.”
They shook hands.
He wasn’t hip to her act, but I damn sure was. She sat there like she was sane, almost coming off as shy. I knew better. She might explode at any moment for any reason.
Marshall nodded toward me.
“I want to handle our problems o
utside the courtroom,” I said to her.
“And why should I?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“The trade-off will benefit both of us.”
“Okay. I’m listening.” She folded her arms across her chest.
Marshall handed her a small packet of papers. I looked at Marshall, and he gave me a reassuring nod.
She looked over the paperwork and nodded.
“Everything looks good to me. When do I get my money?” she asked eagerly and rubbed her hands together.
I kept my facial expression neutral, but I was smiling on the inside.
Marshall pulled out a check for $5,000 from his breast pocket. Her eyes lit up like the Vegas Strip.
“As soon as you sign the agreement, the money’s all yours,” he told her.
Since Marshall was a notary too, he notarized the document for us.
Essence and I signed our names on the dotted lines of the agreement, and he gave her the check.
“I’m glad we got this done,” I said flatly.
“Me too,” Essence said and smiled without using her teeth.
When she finally left Marshall’s office, I exhaled.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“I’m going to e-mail a copy to the judge and wait for him to send me the signed copy back. Once he does that, I will get you both a copy.”
We shook hands, and all I could think about was spending more time with Tristan. Basically, our agreement stated that I would pay her $900 a month, I could see Tristan every other Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, alternate holidays, and I had forty days with him in the summer.
I could make the money back, and I was willing to trade that for more time with my son.
Mission accomplished.
August
Four months later . . .
Compromised had a modest $45 million opening weekend against a $70-million budget. The movie had good reviews and good word of mouth so far.
I had never been big on social media, but the studio set up an account for the film. The opening weekend success made the movie a trending topic on Twitter.
Things were looking up for me. I had close to eighty grand in my bank account, and I got to see my son way more often. I was back on solid ground, and I couldn’t be stopped.