by Amy Watkins
I just smiled. I hadn’t felt that much happiness in years.
She grinned and gave me the side-eye. “Mmm hmm. Bet it’s that new man of yours.”
I giggled. I loved my job. My coworkers were amazing, and being a doctor was both challenging and rewarding. However, I couldn’t wait to get back home where my kids and my man were waiting.
When I got home, David and Aaron were waiting at the door. Aaron and Abigail both yelled, “Mommy’s home! Mommy’s home!” and ran to me, showering me with hugs and kisses. They told me all about their exciting day. Taking a break from his video game, David came downstairs and kissed me on the cheek. “Hey, mom.”
Ethan smiled from the kitchen looking on at us. He was cooking up some spaghetti with garlic bread.
“Mmm, my favorite,” I said as I entered the kitchen and gave Ethan a hug and a kiss.
“I know,” he winked, “I have a surprise for you.”
He led me upstairs where he’d drawn a warm bubble bath. There were love songs playing on the speaker and a glass of wine sat next to a lit candle.
“Baby, I know you had a long hard day. I want you to relax now that you are home,” Ethan kissed me on the cheek and left the room.
Next to the glass of wine I noticed a letter numbered 197.
Dear Angela, My Love,
I wanted you to know that you are one of my greatest blessings. We have been through a lot and I am so grateful that, through it all, you are still here.
Struggle can be very trying, but struggle is not all bad. It helps you grow. It strengthens you spiritually and emotionally. And when you have a true friend, there are benefits when you struggle together. God keeps us in the fire to develop us and to remove impurities. But when he puts someone in the flames with you, you’re welded together. It forms an unbreakable bond. That’s why fraternities haze and sailors go through bootcamp. The brotherhood bond is stronger when you go through the fire together.
Struggle can cause friction. And before I realized what was what, there was a lot of friction between us. I’m sorry I caused you so much strife, but what the Devil meant for our downfall, God turned around for our good. The friction is why we have advanced so far today. It helped us to really know each other and to better know ourselves. We know what ticks each other off and now we can avoid it. We know how to make each other feel better when one of us is hurt or down. We know how to talk with each other and disagree without having a fight. Without friction, there is no forward progression. Think about trying to run on ice. There’s no friction and you don’t get anywhere, but in the last nineteen months you and I have surged forward.
Struggle can also be a test. Can you stay together and love each other through thick and thin or are you only around when things are good? The rich and famous never know if their spouse is with them because they are loved or if it’s just for the money. But when you go through hardship with someone and they stay, you know it is love. I know what we have is true love. I doubted it in the past, but I will never doubt it again.
Struggle develops faith, not only in God but in one another. Because we made it through those obstacles, I know we can make it through anything. Because you were faithful to me despite the hell we went through, I know you’ll be faithful to me in general. And have no doubt, I will always be faithful to you because I would never want to risk hurting you or losing you. I’m going to make you my wife and I will spend the rest of my life spoiling you.
I realize all the things you’ve gone through and how foolish I looked. I’m so grateful you were able to see through all the bull and see my true heart. You have been so supportive and loving towards me. I just want to say thank you and I love you. I can’t wait to show you all I have in store for you as a friend, boyfriend, future husband, and spiritual partner.
Love Always,
Your Ethan
I took my bath, drank my wine, ate my spaghetti, made love to my future husband, and fell asleep in his arms. Life was good. I felt like I was right where I needed to be.
My phone buzzed at about eleven o’clock. When I picked it up, I saw there was a text from Ronda.
Ronda: You really not going to invite me to your wedding?
Angela: Nope, why would I? I want to be surrounded by happiness on my day, not negativity and criticism.
Ronda: Happiness? You don’t need happiness. You need joy and it saddens me that you haven’t found that yet. Happiness is temporary. It’s based on circumstance. You only happy when you got a man, even if he’s a bad man. You need joy. Joy is from the Lord and it is not based on circumstance. It comes from the inside.
Angela: I have joy. I have had joy for a long time. Let’s not forget, I had joy and praise and still went to church and danced and loved through the worst parts of my life. I was getting my ass beat by Terrell for years and I still had joy. And when I was single, I had joy and happiness. And now, I have joy, happiness, and Ethan’s love.
Ronda: Ethan’s love is not sufficient. You obviously need confidence. Maybe if you believed in yourself you wouldn’t settle for a man that was less than.
Angela: I know that I am beautiful and smart and awesome. I know that I am a loved child of God. I know I’d be a blessing to any man who had the honor to call me wife and any woman who had the honor to call me friend. And I know that I could have any man I wanted. But I don’t want any man. I want Ethan. He is the one I choose. You may not see it yet, but I see God in him. I see love in him, and I see a beautiful future with him. What Ethan and I have for each other is real love, true love…you know, that through thick and thin love. I have never loved anyone as much as I love Ethan. I have never felt as connected to anyone as I do with Ethan. And I know he feels that for me. I feel it from him, and I see it in him.
“Who you texting?” Ethan groaned. Half-awake, he rolled over to hold me.
“Ronda, but I’m done now,” I turned my phone off and comfortably snuggled into his arms.
Chapter 22 – Ethan
Have you ever been able to see what God has destined for you, know it’s there, and yet not be able to reach it? I knew that Angela was destined to be my wife almost two years ago when she first invited me to stay with her. I knew it, I felt it, I dreamed it, and God constantly continued to remind me of it. Angela’s actions continued to confirm it. I couldn’t wait to marry her. It is pure torture when you can see your destiny, yet you have to be patient and wait before you can get it—like a prisoner waiting for freedom.
I thought about Angela as I drove home from work. I didn’t like my job. The hours were long, I only made minimum wage, the work took a physical toll, and I had no passion for it. I felt like I should be doing something…more. I had a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and more than twenty years of work experience and I was stuck in a dead-end job; but I was thankful for it. It didn’t cover all my bills, child support, legal fees, and loans…but it helped.
When I got home, I checked the mail specifically looking for a summons to court. I had grown paranoid about it. Paranoid about what shenanigans Tracy, Naomi, or Caroline would try to pull next. More lies to the police? Requests for more child support?
“Trash, trash, trash” I said as I thumbed through the letters.
Then I saw a pink-colored letter from a phone company. It had been forwarded from my mother’s address to my current one. “Pink, that’s not good,” I thought. It had my name on it but I never had any phones or accounts open with that particular phone company. I opened the letter and read.
Dear Ethan Connor,
Our records show that your account is now 90 days past due. Based on our records, you are $1,275 in arrears. To avoid further penalties or a referral to a collection agency, please remit payment immediately. If you have any questions or wish to make arrangements for payment, please call our offices at 270-295-8726. Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Skyline Mobile Services
I read the letter repeatedl
y and tried to recall if I’d ever done business with Skyline. To my recollection, I’d never heard of them before, but the number stood out—it had a Kentucky area code.
I immediately called the number listed. “Good afternoon and thank you for calling Skyline Mobile Services. How may I help you?” a pleasant-sounding customer service representative answered.
I was fuming, but I tried to remain calm and reminded myself that the representative did not do this. “Yes, ma’am. I received a letter in the mail saying I owe you over a thousand dollars but I have never done business with your company.”
“Okay, sir,” she responded, “let me pull that up for you. Do you have the account number?”
I read the number to her and heard her tapping away at her keyboard. “Sir, I was able to find your account. Our records show that you purchased two cell phones and opened an account with us on May twenty-ninth, is that correct?”
“No, that is not correct. I was in jail, so I could not have opened or purchased anything.” I already knew that Naomi and Caroline stole my identity, bought the phones, and opened this account. I wondered what else they’d done.
The customer representative was understanding. Stolen identities were becoming more and more common and it was something that she was used to. She sent me information on how to make a claim for fraud with the company and recommended that I fill out a police report and send it to the company, as well.
“Angela, look at this! And it’s a Kentucky number so you know who did it.” I yelled when I walked into the house.
“Oh damn.” She shook her head. “Caroline and Naomi got you good, huh?”
“What a shitty thing for them to do. Especially while I was in jail! They took everything from me. They wiped out my fucking bank account and now this shit. Taking phones out in my name!”
She stroked my arm. “Well, they didn’t take everything away. You still got me.”
“They tried to take you away from me too!” I was furious, but looking at Angela calmed me down because she remained calm and bright. I was blessed that they were not successful at separating Angela and me.
“So, what you gonna do?”
I pounded my fist on the counter. “I’m pressing charges!”
I had always resisted pressing charges against my own mother, but this had gone too far. She didn’t give a damn about me. What kind of mother kicks you when you’re down? And for what reason? Selfishness can make a mom do all that?
My freedom was at stake. The courts were watching my every move. Tracy’s lawyer kept requesting that my accounts be examined to see if I was stashing money. So, if there were bogus accounts in my name—like the thousand dollars I supposedly owed Skyline—I’d get hammered.
I followed the Skyline representative’s instructions and filed a police report. The officer I spoke with suggested I pull my credit report and check for other fraudulent charges. If so, I could return and add anything to the investigation. As soon as I got back home, I did just that.
There were all kinds of loans and inquiries made while I was in jail. They successfully acquired three credit cards in my name, all of which were almost completely maxed out. Their cable and internet were renewed in my name and the payments were three months late. Their electric bill was renewed in my name and the payment was two months late. They tried to put other utilities and take out more loans in my name, as well. They even tried to get a few car loans in my name. Luckily, my credit was shit so nothing was approved. But how bold they were to even try.
In all the scheming they had done, there nothing to indicate that any of it was meant to help me. It only benefited them.
It took two days for me to call each creditor and report it as fraud. I also reported each fraudulent account to the police.
Over the next several weeks, I received letters from all the companies affected, and all of them said my accounts were closed and that an investigation was ensuing. They each gave me a detailed list of fraudulent charges. All in all, Naomi and Caroline made off with nine thousand, three hundred and twenty-seven dollars. It was a devastating blow. I felt my heart breaking at the thought that my mother could steal that much from me and yet not even pay twenty-five dollars to accept a phone call from me while I was in jail.
The next few weeks were quiet. I checked my credit report often to see if there were any more problems, but nothing else surfaced. The police didn’t update me on the case. And Angela and I were finally no longer being harassed.
I was just starting to let my guard down when I got another letter in the mail. It was another request for a court appearance and another subpoena for my financial records. Tracy continued to claim that I was stashing money and not paying her when, in reality, I had nothing. Tracy and Caroline had already taken all of my money and my savings was gone. Yet, there it was, another request to submit all my bank statements and paystubs. The request was nauseating. In the last two years, three of these requests had been made and all were granted. There was no hidden money. The judge should have known that by now. But regardless of what my paperwork said, it never mattered.
Mr. Taylor spoke with me before the hearing, “I tried to settle out of court, but Tracy and her legal team were not having it. They are claiming that you owe fifty thousand dollars.”
“Fifty thousand?! How can that even be possible? I am doing all I can. I have been giving her almost my entire check since I’ve gotten out of jail. What more does she want from me?” I felt panicked but tried to remain cool.
“I looked at the numbers. There is no way that you owe that much. Looks like you owe about twenty. But that’s what they are claiming and they refuse to settle for less,” He advised.
I felt devastated. I wondered where God was in all this.
He looked up at the ceiling and then back at me. “I’m not going to lie, her legal counsel is pushing to have you thrown back in jail. It seems like that’s what they are really trying to do.”
“Really?” I shook my head, “So I go back to jail, still can’t make payments, and fall further behind? Which puts me at more risk to go back to jail. What a vicious cycle.” I answered.
“These types of hearings are like the wild west; you never know what to expect.” He shrugged.
“More like a slave ship,” I rebutted.
He tapped his files into order. “I don’t see why the judge would throw you back in jail. We have all the documentation and we have a good argument for him to dismiss the case.”
Mr. Taylor seemed confident, but I was not convinced. I had all that documentation before and Judge Wilcox still threw me in jail. There was nothing stopping him from having me arrested again, so I tried to hold onto my faith and stay positive. “I sure hope so. I’m tired of this mess.”
We got up and entered the courtroom. Tracy sat across the aisle with her lawyers. She had her head up like she knew she was going to get everything she wanted and more. We had to wait an hour for our case to be called. The judge rolled his eyes and sighed as we walked up to the front, obviously disgusted by this ongoing foolishness.
Her attorney started first. He made the outrageous accusation that I owed fifty thousand dollars and that I hadn’t been paying child support at all. He accused me of hiding money and violating the court order by purposely refusing to pay a dime. He requested that I be arrested and imprisoned until all owed money was paid. He spoke confidently and convincingly.
Tracy kept her arms folded and her mouth shut. She wore a crooked smile through the entire charade.
I watched him and maintained an unexplained calm. While he spoke, I became more aware of the inner workings of the court system and about lawyers. The truth didn’t matter. Justice didn’t matter. The person who won was the person who put on the better performance. And the better actors got the better rulings and the most money. I just hoped my lawyer was as good with the truth as Tracy’s lawyer was at lying.
Mr. Taylor was prepared and well-spoken. He had an up to date copy
of what I owed, child support and all. “I’m not sure where Tracy or her legal counsel arrived at the ridiculous sum of fifty-thousand-dollars,” Mr. Taylor said, “Here is a notarized copy from DCSE saying that he only owes thirteen thousand. That, plus all of the court approved legal fees, only equals nineteen-thousand, two hundred and seventy-nine dollars.”
Mr. Taylor handed the documentation to Judge Wilcox. “Every month, Ethan Conner has given almost his entire paycheck to Tracy. Every month. Here is evidence from his bank account. You can see that money is direct deposited to the appropriate party. He has been living on a meager two hundred dollars a month which he uses for food and to get to and from work. There is no money stashed. There are no hidden accounts. This is the fourth subpoena of his financials and they have all said the same thing.”
Judge Wilcox skimmed through the paperwork as Mr. Taylor continued, “As you can clearly see, he does not make enough to cover the entire order. We request the previous charges be dropped and the child support order be modified to a reasonable amount based on his current income.”
Tracy angrily whispered to Mr. Robinson who stood up, “Your Honor, if he doesn’t have any money then how did he hire a lawyer?”
I was appalled. The court said I had to have a lawyer to make an appeal. The court said I had to have a lawyer to get a divorce. And there they were chastising me for having a lawyer.
“Not that it is any of the court’s concern, but it was gifted,” Mr. Taylor answered.
“Hmm,” Judge Wilcox responded as he looked at me, “Well, it looks like you are making an honest effort, but don’t let me find out you’re hiding any money. If there’s anything you haven’t disclosed, you need to come clean immediately.”
“Sir, I am not nor have I ever been hiding any money.”
“If you are, we will find it; and I will see to it that you are imprisoned for perjury.” He looked back and forth at me and Tracy, “Court is adjourned.”