Weeds in The Garden of Love

  One woman was sobbing as she spoke. “That judge has put me and my kids in danger. I don’t understand. He’s supposed to help us. I told him my ex is gonna kill me one day. The cops said that too.”

  “It’s not fair,” the other lady said. “Arnie is violent. I’ve seen your bruises and black-eyes.”

  “What was that friggin’ judge thinking? Giving the bastard access to my kids? Those kids have watched him beat me lotsa times. I don’t want it to ever happen again.”

  “What are you going to do, Penn?” the other lady asked.

  “Don’t know,” Penn replied. “The court ordered me to let him see them and to give him my new address if I move. Women should be allowed to hire goons to give these guys a taste of their own medicine.”

  The other lady lowered her voice. “Listen, I heard about a woman who paid a guy to  well, you know  pay her ex a little visit. The guy was huge and worked as a bouncer at—”

  Craig had heard more than enough and decided to curb his curiosity. He did not want to be a witness. He picked up his briefcase and moved down the hall closer to Courtroom Three. He looked back to see the two women whispering to each other. I can’t believe a Judge would give a wife-beater access to kids so he can continue to beat his wife. This whole system is out of whack.

  He read the final copy of the Alternative Dispute Resolution he and Chrissie had agreed on. The settlement seemed fair, and Mark felt it was Chrissie’s final offer. If Craig didn’t accept, the court would decide the matter. The ensuing battle would be lengthy and costly. Notwithstanding his anger over the P.I.’s report, Craig couldn’t afford a long court battle. He accepted the offer.

  Chrissie would be granted legal and actual custody of Robbie and Heather. Craig would pay child support and be granted unlimited visitation rights. He wanted the kids to stay in the house in Botsford Downs, so Chrissie retained possession. She would pay Craig for his share. In exchange for no alimony payments, Craig would assign her full ownership of Towercrest Realty. Craig believed this to be a fair settlement. The child support was high, but in line with his salary. And Towercrest had always been more Chrissie’s than his.

  Craig agreed Robbie and Heather should stay with their mother despite his apprehension about her drinking. Mark told him they could revisit that provision in the future if it became apparent the children were neglected or in danger.

  Mark sat down beside Craig. “Well, what do you think?”

  “Man, you startled me!”

  “Sorry—you were lost in thought, ol’ buddy. You read the P.I.’s report?”

  “Yeah. Bit of a shocker, but at least now I know for sure what was going on. It answered a lot of questions.”

  “I knew it would,” Mark said. “We could have waited until he obtained photo evidence, but it doesn’t matter. We have a deal, right?”

  “Sure. Seems fine to me.”

  “Good. You’re a wise man, Craig. We couldn’t have done much better than this. In fact, it could have been a lot worse. I think Chrissie is being fair.”

  Craig nodded his head in agreement. “She is, and now I know why.”

  Chrissie and her lawyer Kathryn Edwards were walking down the hallway towards them. Chrissie looked all business. She was dressed in a suit, and she had her hair pinned up. He thought she looked older and tired.

  Mark introduced Craig and Kathryn. Chrissie would not make eye contact with Craig. She looks guilty as hell, he thought. She should.

  Mark ushered everyone into an interview room to finalize the settlement. Mark and Kathryn studied their copies of the dispute resolution. Chrissie sat quietly, staring down at the table. The lawyers agreed the documents were correct and each handed a copy to their clients.

  Before he signed, Craig looked directly at Chrissie. “This—this is what you want, Chrissie?”

  She looked at Craig. Her stare was hollow, without emotion. “Yes.”

  With that, Craig signed the papers that would dissolve their marriage. Chrissie quickly signed, and the four of them went into the courtroom. They sat near the back on opposite sides. It seemed appropriate to Craig.

  The court was dealing with another divorce; an older couple who appeared to have been married for quite some time. The wife had obtained absolute proof her husband was having an illicit affair with a young woman who worked in his office. A private detective had videotape evidence of the two of them in bed together at a motel.

  Probably the Sunset Motel, Craig thought. I saw a lot of hanky-panky going on at that place—couples arriving in different cars and checking in without luggage. Wonder if that’s where Chrissie and Millard went?

  Now, it was Andrews versus Andrews. The judge quickly read the settlement, asked no questions and signed their divorce decree. Almost before Craig realized it, he was divorced. It all seemed too quick … too easy … too cold … sign your name … stand in front of a judge and that’s that … it’s over. All those years, all those hopes and dreams vanish in an instant.

  Craig wanted to tell the judge about their marriage, their kids and the good times. He wanted to say their marriage was not all bad. They got off track, that’s all. The marriage could have been saved if  if  Craig was kidding himself. He was the only one who cared. It was over. He felt ashamedlike he was a loser and a failure for not saving his marriage. He was embarrassed. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to run away and hide.

  Craig watched Chrissie walk away with her lawyer. For a brief moment, a part of him, deep down inside, wished she would turn and run back to him. She would hug him and say what a mistake they’d made. They would live together again back in Botsford Downs, like they used to, in love and happy. Chrissie never looked back. Craig was glad. As much as he wanted to love her, he would never feel that way about her again. She had betrayed his trust and broken his heart.

  On his way back to the Victoria Crossing sales office, Craig took a detour past their house in Botsford Downs. He stopped across the street and reminisced about all the wonderful times. Robbie was a year old when they moved in. Craig remembered the day they brought Heather home for the first time. Those were good times. Chrissie and I were happy back then. He thought about all the Christmases, Thanksgivings and birthdays celebrated in that house.

  He remembered the bad times too. Chrissie’s drinking, the arguments and finally the night she gave him the letter from her lawyer. Craig felt tears running down his cheeks. He wiped them away. What a sissy you are, Andrews. He started his car. Then, he laughed softly. Craig could always manage to laugh, especially at himself.

  Driving through the old neighborhood, Craig spotted Garth Hodgson’s car parked near a cul-de-sac. Garth was slouched down low in the driver’s seat, so Craig almost didn’t see him. He decided to say hi, made a u-turn and parked. As he stepped out of his car, Garth sped off. Craig waved, but Garth ignored him, turned the corner and was gone. Craig thought it was strange Garth would behave like that. Maybe he didn’t recognize me—or maybe he did recognize me and that’s why he took off. Wonder what he’s up to? He would probably see him at the Men’s Group meeting tomorrow night. He was sure Garth would have a logical explanation.

  Craig drove off once again. He went past the family restaurant in the strip mall next to the Recreation Center. Joe and Olivia loved that place. Boy we had some fun times. Craig hadn’t thought about them lately. He missed Joe and Olivia. They had both added so much to his life.

  Craig’s thoughts turned to Robbie and Heather. He missed them every day. He regretted dragging them through this divorce. He hoped they understood he had no other choice. He was determined to see them as often as he could and to fill their world with only good times. He vowed he would never allow any harm to come to his children.

  It was a promise that would be broken.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Betrayal

  Even though Eric Millard wa
s not trained in physical surveillance, he managed to keep an eye on the vehicle he was following. It sped through a yellow light. Eric had no choice; he had to stop. Heavy traffic crossing in front of him obscured his view. He tried to keep the vehicle in sight but lost it.

  “C’mon light, change. C’mon … c’mon.” The light changed, and Eric sped off hoping to catch up. The vehicle was nowhere to be seen. Damn, where is she? He drove along looking up and down each side street he passed. She couldn’t have gotten far.

  Then, Eric spotted her. It was Vikki. She had parked her car and was walking away from him. He could spot his ex-wife’s wiggle a mile away. He used to call it: “a backfield in motion.” Where’s she going? He pulled over and parked. Vikki embraced a man waiting in front of a restaurant.

  Eric zoomed in with his telephoto lens and snapped the first of several pictures. “Gotcha,” Eric whispered. “Now, I have to find out who this joker is. If you were having a fling with him before we broke up, little Miss Vikki—I really gotcha.”

  * * *

  Breakfast was ready, and Chrissie called upstairs to Robbie and Heather. A moment later, they rushed into the kitchen.

  “Hurry up and eat, you two. Your father is coming to pick you up, and you should be ready to go.”

  Robbie was excited. “We’re ready, Mom. What time will Dad be here?”

  “Soon. So hurry up and eat.”

  Robbie and Heather could hardly wait to see their dad. He hadn’t shown up last weekend. Their mom said he was probably busy or had forgotten. They were disappointed when their Dad didn’t show up. He always had fun things planned, and they both loved the playground near his apartment building.

  Some Saturdays, their mom took them out early in the morning for pancakes. On several of those mornings, Robbie saw his dad drive past them towards their house. He tried to tell his Mom, but she either ignored him or said it wasn’t his father’s weekend to visit them. Robbie knew something wasn’t right, but he didn’t know what. Right now all that mattered was—his dad was coming today.

  * * *

  Craig was late. He had spent too much time trying to decide what to wear. It was understandable. This date with Lisa could possibly be his first sleepover since his divorce. She worked in the office at Victoria Crossing. She was young, cute and good company. Over the past while, Craig had taken her out a few times for dinner and a movie. This date was Lisa’s idea. She invited him to spend the weekend at her parent’s home in the country. Craig accepted. He needed a change of scenery, and the possibly of sex was exciting. Craig threw a weekender bag into the trunk of his car. Been a while. Hope I remember how to do it. Ha! You sure you’re ready for this, Andrews? Hope her parents are home. No, wait a minute. I hope they aren’t. Oh, man—I don’t know what I hope.

  * * *

  Craig had not seen Robbie and Heather for a while. Numerous times lately he arrived at the house to pick them up and no one was home. One Saturday, he was a few blocks from the house when he saw Chrissie and the kids driving in the opposite direction. The next weekend he was on his way to pick them up. He planned to arrive at least a half-hour early. They drove past him, once again. It was then Craig realized Chrissie was playing games.

  He remembered Dr. Dorothy’s warning about access games hurting children. Craig was not about to let that happen. He called Mark Floyd. Mark was already well aware of the problem. He had received a letter from Chrissie’s lawyer.

  “Chrissie claims your visits are erratic, Craig.”

  Craig was dumbfounded. “What? She deliberately takes the kids out early—way before the pick-up time we agreed on. How is that my fault?”

  “Let me finish. Chrissie wants a schedule so she knows the days you’ll be picking up the kids. She says the inconsistency of your visits is upsetting the children.”

  Craig was angry. “It’s her vendetta against me that’s upsetting the children!”

  “Regardless, our best option is to comply with her request. A visitation schedule is the easiest way to settle this.”

  “Guess she wins another one, huh?”

  “Nobody wins in a divorce,” Mark said.

  He knew Mark was right, but Craig’s anger was well founded. He would never neglect his own children. He was always on time to pick up them up. She was the one playing stupid games and deliberately using the children to make his life miserable.

  Craig could not believe Chrissie would actually make her own children unhappy in order to make him appear irresponsible.

  Craig knew this was a fight he couldn’t win. Robbie and Heather lived with Chrissie. She was filling their heads with every lie she could conjure up, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

  Craig told Mark he would provide a visitation schedule.

  * * *

  Craig was in good spirits on his way to pick up Lisa. He was looking forward to this. He decided to put his on-going access battle on hold so he could enjoy the weekend. Besides, Chrissie had been notified he would be out of town. The kids wouldn’t be expecting him. He would try not to think about it for a few days. Craig couldn’t remember when the divorce hadn’t been on his mind. Felt like a lifetime ago.

  * * *

  Eric parked at his apartment building and walked over to Malarkey’s—a popular corner bar frequented by many people from his neighborhood.

  The photographs were in an envelope in his jacket. He was determined to identify the guy with Vikki outside that restaurant. Not only was he curious but, more importantly, he needed to retaliate. Vikki had named Chrissie Andrews as a co-respondent in their upcoming divorce. Eric was furious. He still loved Chrissie and didn’t want her name dragged through the mud. He felt no remorse for cheating. He was relieved Vikki hadn’t found out about the flings he had with all those other women.

  In her affidavit filed for their divorce proceedings, Vikki maintained she had been absolutely faithful to Eric throughout their marriage. He needed to find out if she was lying. He didn’t care how it affected the divorce. Eric simply wanted to see the look on her face when he presented the evidence.

  Malarkey’s was nearly empty when he walked in. As usual, Eric sat at the bar. On a barstool, you always had someone to talk to. The bartender Danny was pouring a pint of dark draft. Eric hoped it was his.

  “How goes the battle?” Danny set the beer down in front of Eric. “You look like you need this.”

  “Thanks. Got a lot on my mind. You know how it is.”

  Danny smiled. “Women. Can’t live with ‘em. Can’t live without ‘em.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” Eric raised his glass in a salute, but Danny was already headed to the other end of the bar.

  Eric opened the envelope containing the photos. He spread the pictures on the bar. Several of the shots were of Vikki and the guy hugging and kissing. In the last one, he was opening the restaurant door for her. Danny came over, and Eric turned the photos around so he could see them.

  “My ex and some guy,” Eric said. “Ever seen him before?”

  Danny perused the photos. “Sure have. That’s Jim Roberts, a big time contractor. He used to come in here a lot. He’s the one who developed Botsford Downs, and now he’s got a new one … umm … Victoria something.”

  “Victoria Crossing.”

  “That’s it. Boy, Roberts had better hope his wife never sees these. If she finds out she’s been traded in for a newer model, she’ll have his balls for bookends. She’s a lawyer at some big firm downtown. I hear she’s one tough cookie.”

  Eric sipped his beer. He would need more copies of these pictures. Well, Miss V, accuse me of messing around, huh? Eric leafed through the photographs. This’ll make us even.

  * * *

  Robbie and Heather were excited as they stood at the living room window waiting for their father. They were pressing their faces against the glass, trying to b
e the first one to yell “dad”. Each time they realized it wasn’t him; they both would groan and then wait silently until the next car appeared.

  After a half-hour of this, Chrissie walked into the living room. “Doesn’t look like he’s coming, kids.” She put her arms around their shoulders. “I can’t believe that jerk didn’t show up again.”

  “Don’t say that, Mom!” Robbie screamed. “He’s coming! You’ll see! He’ll be here!”

  “He’s not coming, Robbie. I keep telling you. Your father doesn’t care about you any more.”

  “He does care! He does!” Robbie ran upstairs and slammed his bedroom door.

  Heather pulled away from her mother and stood at the window looking out at the empty driveway. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. Chrissie moved closer and tried to put her arm around her once again. Heather dodged her and ran upstairs.

  Chrissie stood for a moment before walking back into the kitchen. She poured herself another stiff drink.

  * * *

  Craig and Lisa drove through the countryside, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. She’s so happy, he thought, but she’s still young. She hasn’t experienced the ugly side of life. Hope she never does.

  Craig felt good about accepting this weekend invitation. Jim Roberts didn’t hesitate when Craig asked for the weekend off. Jim winked and mentioned Lisa had the weekend off as well. Craig was sure Jim had connected the dots and realized he and Lisa would be together. Jim’s a cool guy, Craig thought, so nice of him to cover my shifts this weekend. But then again, he owes me. I’ve covered for him, many times.

  Craig wondered why Jim’s wife hadn’t caught him or even suspected he was messing around. Then he wondered if anyone was faithful anymore. It sure didn’t seem like it.