Simple Kind of Life

Avery could barely see straight as she drove the short distance to James’ house alone. She didn’t say a word to Jeff or Aaron before she marched to her car and sped out of the driveway. Her phone rang repeatedly with calls from her boyfriend, but she ignored them. He would convince her to come back home and cool off, but Avery wasn’t interested in calming down. James threatened her child and he needed to understand the world of pain he was about to enter.

She pulled up to Cruz’s house and stomped up the driveway to the front door. Her fist pounded against the wooden entrance a few times before it swung open.

“Mija, what are you doing here?” Cruz asked, clearly perplexed by Avery’s presence.

“Where is he?” She shoved the custody papers at the older woman as she torpedoed into the house. James was sitting in the living room reading a magazine when she stormed in. He looked up, just as surprised to see her as Cruz was.

“Avery, listen-”

She snatched the magazine out of his hand and tossed it away. “No, you listen. I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but it’s not gonna happen. You think a judge is going to give you custody?”

“This arrangement isn’t fair, Avery.” Cruz stepped into the living room, arms crossed.

Avery’s heart dropped. “Did you put him up to this?”

The frown on Cruz’s face said it all. “Liliana is his child too. I think it’s about time you share custody.”

"How could you do this to me?" Avery whispered, feeling her eyes fill with liquid.

Cruz frowned. "Just like you, I'll do anything to protect my child."

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Cruz had been a mother to her for the past seven years and it felt like she was betraying Avery.

“Where is this coming from?”

James sighed. “As it stands, I have no say over what you do with Lili. You could move away and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Move where, James?”

He shrugged. “Canada comes to mind.”

Avery rolled her eyes at the absurdity of his thought process. “So that’s what this is about? This is about Jeff?”

“If things are as serious as you say, why wouldn’t you move to Canada?”

“Because everything is here. Aaron’s friends, his school, my job, my friends. Liliana’s whole world is in Pennsylvania. I would never uproot my family for some guy.”

“You don’t know that, Avery.” Cruz interjected. “What if he asked you to move to Ontario? We’d never see Liliana again.”

The whole idea was crazy. Jeff may have come a long way, but he was nowhere near ready to leap into living together nor would he want to move to Canada. He spent most of his time in the states. But that didn’t matter to Cruz and James. They had already made their decision and there wasn’t anything Avery could say to stop it.

She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. The tears seemed to dry up and were immediately replaced with anger. "Well if you guys want a fight, you got one."

"Avery-"

Her eyes flicked over to James. "You think a judge is going to award you any form of custody? You think you're going to get a better deal than what you had?"

James stood and rubbed at the back of his neck. He was nervous, Avery could tell. "I don’t know, Av. My lawyer said to apply for full custody and hope for joint custody. So this isn’t personal.”

“Really? Because this feels very personal.” Avery spat, her voice low. "And I hate to break it to you, but you're a drug addict with a criminal record. No judge in their right mind will give you custody of a child."

This seemed to have bothered him. Avery could tell by the way his mouth tightened and his hands balled into fists. But he kept his composure.

"We'll see about that." He said simply, crossing his thick arms over his chest.

"Oh, we'll definitely see. And don't even think about calling to see Lili. Until a judge figures out a custody agreement, you will not lay eyes on her."

She grabbed the custody papers from Cruz and tore out of the house as quickly as she had entered. Her heart was pounding so fast and her fingers felt numb as she tried to focus on gripping the steering wheel of her car. She grasped the plastic surface so tightly, her knuckles were a sickening shade of white.

In her 25 years of living, she had never been so furious. But then again, no one had ever challenged her parenting skills. Sure, she wasn't perfect, but she was a damn good mother.

Jeff was sitting on the front steps of the house when she pulled into the driveway. He stood as soon as he saw her.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked, pulling the woman into a tight hug.

"It’s happening. He's really doing this."

Jeff wrapped his long arms around her and pressed her against his chest.

"It's okay. Everything is gonna be okay."

"What if it’s not? What if he gets her?" She whispered, peering up at him with watery eyes. As a mother, Avery dedicated her life to protect her children and it could all come crashing down around her if James got custody.

"Av, you're an amazing mother. There's no way a judge would take her away." He used his calloused thumb to brush away tears mottled by dark mascara. “Look, you’re upset. Let’s forget about going out for dinner. Let’s just order some Chinese and stay in, OK?”

Avery gulped in a ragged breath of air and nodded. Her mood was completely ruined and she just wanted to curl up on the couch.

"Mommy?" Avery bowed her head to quickly wipe away the evidence of crying before facing her daughter. "Are you OK?"

The woman pulled away from Jeff and swiftly scooped the girl up.

"I'm alright, Squeaks." She brushed some dark hair from the child's face. "Me and Jeff are gonna stay home tonight. Let’s go pick out a movie to watch, OK?”

Avery could tell Lili wasn't buying it, but she dropped the subject anyway. "Alright."

*************************************

Avery nervously straighten her black pencil skirt as she stood outside the courthouse. Her feet felt glued to the concrete, unwilling to work.

"Just breathe, Avery." Jeff's large hands rubbed her shoulders as he stood behind her.

Her heart was pounding viciously against her rib cage and her palms were slick with sweat.

"I can't move." She whispered, closing her eyes.

"Yes you can." He grabbed her sweat coated hand and gave her a gentle tug toward the building.

The friendly woman at the front desk pointed them toward a courtroom where her lawyer was waiting.

Thomas Hoffman was a tall, lanky man with salt and pepper hair and deep wrinkles on his forehead.

"Good morning, Avery"

"Hello, Tom." They shook hands and sat down on a nearby bench. He explained the process and assured her that things would go her way.

"Mr. Santiago has a criminal record and a well documented drug abuse problem. This should be a quick case."

Avery nodded. "I know. I'm just very nervous."

Tom grinned warmly. "That's to be expected. But I assure you, this is a very informal process. Just you, James, the judge and your lawyers."

Avery's nerves settled slightly until she saw Cruz approaching with James' lawyer. But her ex was nowhere to be found.

The women greeted each other civilly.

"Where's Jamie?" Avery asked casually.

"He should be here any minute." Though her voice was calm, Avery could see the worry in Cruz's tired eyes. Something was amiss.

After making awkward conversation, they were summoned into the courtroom. Jeff squeezed Avery's hand gently before she left him in the hallway with Cruz.

In Avery's mind, she envisioned a lavish courtroom like on TV but this was far from her expectations. It was a simple room with tables and a few chairs facing the judge's stand. Avery relaxed slightly and sat with her lawyer. She peered over at James's lawyer sitting alone.

Where could he possibly be? He had postponed the proceedings several times before so she couldn't imagine him just not showing up.

Everyone rose upon the judge entering the room. He was an older, heavy set man with a bald head and a sour frown. It was almost noon, so he probably had a busy morning.

"You may be seated." He grumbled before sitting down as well.

"Ms. Worthington, where is your client?" James's lawyer stood, folding her hands in front of her.

"I'm not sure, your honor. I tried to get in contact with him this morning several times without success. His mother also hasn't spoken to him in a few days. May I request an extension?"

The judge frowned at the redheaded woman.

"Ms. Worthington, you've had quite a few extensions already. The court's time as well as mine is very valuable and your client would be wise to respect that. I have no choice but to dismiss the case."

Ms. Worthington nodded and sat down, a grimace on her face as she collected her papers.

Avery felt like she was going to jump out of her skin as she and Thomas shared a victorious smile.

"Well, that was easy," Thomas sighed as he stood. "I wish all my cases were so simple."

Avery thanked him with a tight hug, which he returned, awkwardly patting her back. She met Jeff and Cruz in the hallway.

"What happened?" Jeff asked, a perplexed look on his face.

"James isn't here."

Avery peered at Cruz and her worried expression. Though she was still upset with the older woman, she couldn't just stop caring about Cruz.

"His lawyer said you haven't been able to get a hold of him for a few days."

Cruz nodded slowly, looking away from her former daughter-in-law. Avery knew what it meant and she was pretty sure Cruz knew too.

When James was actively using drugs, he would disappear for days at a time without bothering to let anyone know he was OK. Avery vividly remembered the queasy feeling in her stomach whenever he would vanish, how she would jump out of her skin when the phone would ring because she feared someone found him dead.

Avery didn't miss those days.

She could still sympathize with Cruz, but she imagined the fear was different for a mother, more terrifying.

"He'll turn up, mom." Avery said softly, rubbing the woman's back.

Cruz gave her a weak smile. "He always does."

Jeff gave Avery a quick kiss on the cheek and excused himself, knowing the women needed to talk.

"Mija, I apologize for all of this. I really thought he had changed. I never would have encouraged him to go after custody if I knew-"

Avery pulled the woman into a hug. "I know. It's alright."

"No, it's not alright. I went against my instinct and I trusted him. He promised it was over. He promised he was better."

Avery had heard those promises time and time again, only to have it blow up in her face. It was James' MO. And her heart broke for the older woman.

Cruz finally released her from her embrace. “I hope you know how sorry I am.”

It was almost instant, the feeling of forgiveness. It killed Avery to be angry with her mother-in-law. She just wanted things to go back to normal.

“I know you are. You were just trying to protect your son. I get it.”

They hugged again and made plans to have lunch soon before Cruz made her departure.

“So what happens now?” Jeff appeared from behind her, gently grabbing her wrist.

She shrugged. “I have no idea. I suppose he could always re-file for custody. But he’ll have to come out of hiding first.”

Jeff rolled his light eyes and scoffed. “Let’s hope he doesn’t.”

Avery smiled weakly, but deep down, anxiety was bubbling. Whenever James relapsed, it was always messy, especially for her.