Status: In progress
A Fresh Start
Chapter Six: Bad News
The following day was stressful for Micah. It was his meeting with the lawyer again and Cherise called Felicia to let her know they’d be back on Monday.
“Whatever,” was all she said before hanging up.
They got into the car and Micah gripped the steering wheel tightly. Not only was he stressed, but Cherise could tell he was angry as well.
“Why are they even bothering?” he snapped finally and she let him rant. “We never had sex. I haven’t talked to her in ten years. The kid’s five. I don’t get it!”
Cherise couldn’t think of anything to say so she remained silent. When they pulled into the parking lot of the courthouse he put his head on the wheel. Lira whined once and jumped on Cherise’s lap so she could lick Micah’s face a couple times.
He smiled and ruffled the dog’s head.
“Will they let me go in with you?” Cherise asked as they climbed the stairs.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “We’ll see when we get there I suppose.”
Mr. Johnson’s office was on the fifth floor and Micah fidgeted in the elevator. Cherise wanted to hold his hand but after yesterday, she thought better of it. She was nervous, too.
“I have a 3:30 with Mr. Johnson,” he said to the secretary through clenched teeth.
“I’ll let him know you’re here,” she said and he paced the room while Cherise sat with Lira. “He’s ready for you but I’m afraid your friend will have to stay out here.”
“It’s fine,” she said when Micah looked at her.
He nodded once and went into the office.
“What’s your puppy’s name?” the secretary asked.
“Lira,” she answered with a smile as the dog wagged her tail.
“May I pet her?”
“Sure,” Cherise said and the secretary came around the desk, extending her hand.
Lira sniffed it a couple times and allowed the secretary scratch her.
“What service does she provide, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked, kneeling in front of Lira who licked her face. The secretary giggled.
“Seizures and PTSD,” Cherise answered, waiting for the next question.
But it never came.
Instead the secretary’s eyes watered.
“What’s wrong?” Cherise asked quickly.
“My husband was in the war,” she said quietly, petting Lira now just to give herself something to do. “He hasn’t been the same since….”
Cherise watched her for a minute before saying, “If you’d like, maybe he can come by my office on Wednesday.” She was picking her words carefully. “He can spend some time with Lira.”
The secretary cried in earnest. “You’d let him?”
“Of course,” Cherise said.
They exchanged numbers and the secretary excused herself to the bathroom. Lira settled at Cherise’s feet like normal and she looked anxiously at the office door. She couldn’t hear anything that was going on inside.
Finally, an hour later, the door opened and Micah shook the lawyer’s hands.
“Thank you for doing this,” Micah was saying.
“I’m sorry it has gone this far,” the lawyer returned, looking sympathetic. “But we’ll get it sorted out, I promise.”
Micah motioned for Cherise to follow him and remained silent the entire trip. He pulled into the park they usually jog through and called Harold.
“Hey,” he said in a heavy voice. “Yeah, it went all right. We won’t be back in today, though. No, we called her and let her know. Yeah, I figured she’d complain but we made our point. We will. You have a good weekend, too.”
He hung up and opened the door. Cherise followed suit and they walked slowly through the grass.
“What happened?” she asked finally.
He sat down on one of the swings, watching some kids play on the slides.
“She’s suing me,” he said and Cherise’s jaw dropped.
“What!?”
“You heard me. She says I’m lying and that I’m the only guy she’s ever been with. Mr. Johnson agrees with me, though, after looking through the last five years of call records. That’s why it took so long. He’s going to represent me in court.”
Cherise sat on the swing next to him and looked at the dirt. The little kids had spotted Lira and were begging their parents to let them pet her.
“I’m really sorry, Mics,” she whispered, using a nickname she hadn’t in a while. “Is there anything I can do?”
“I need a witness,” he answered. “I have to tell you everything, though, about my relationship with her.”
“When do you want to talk about it?”
He sighed. “The court date is in five days.”
“That’s it?” she cried and he nodded. “That’s hardly any time at all.”
“She comes from a family of money,” he explained. “I have no doubt they paid extra to make it quick.” He sighed again, closing his eyes and starting to swing. “My parents would take me here when I was a kid. It was my favorite place to go. Let’s go somewhere else to talk about it all; I don’t want to taint it.”
“Let’s go to my apartment,” she suggested. “I’ll make that pasta you like.”
He smiled gratefully and they headed back to his car. Her heart was heavy for him. She had no idea why his ex was targeting him like this. But she had no doubt he was about to tell her.
“Whatever,” was all she said before hanging up.
They got into the car and Micah gripped the steering wheel tightly. Not only was he stressed, but Cherise could tell he was angry as well.
“Why are they even bothering?” he snapped finally and she let him rant. “We never had sex. I haven’t talked to her in ten years. The kid’s five. I don’t get it!”
Cherise couldn’t think of anything to say so she remained silent. When they pulled into the parking lot of the courthouse he put his head on the wheel. Lira whined once and jumped on Cherise’s lap so she could lick Micah’s face a couple times.
He smiled and ruffled the dog’s head.
“Will they let me go in with you?” Cherise asked as they climbed the stairs.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “We’ll see when we get there I suppose.”
Mr. Johnson’s office was on the fifth floor and Micah fidgeted in the elevator. Cherise wanted to hold his hand but after yesterday, she thought better of it. She was nervous, too.
“I have a 3:30 with Mr. Johnson,” he said to the secretary through clenched teeth.
“I’ll let him know you’re here,” she said and he paced the room while Cherise sat with Lira. “He’s ready for you but I’m afraid your friend will have to stay out here.”
“It’s fine,” she said when Micah looked at her.
He nodded once and went into the office.
“What’s your puppy’s name?” the secretary asked.
“Lira,” she answered with a smile as the dog wagged her tail.
“May I pet her?”
“Sure,” Cherise said and the secretary came around the desk, extending her hand.
Lira sniffed it a couple times and allowed the secretary scratch her.
“What service does she provide, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked, kneeling in front of Lira who licked her face. The secretary giggled.
“Seizures and PTSD,” Cherise answered, waiting for the next question.
But it never came.
Instead the secretary’s eyes watered.
“What’s wrong?” Cherise asked quickly.
“My husband was in the war,” she said quietly, petting Lira now just to give herself something to do. “He hasn’t been the same since….”
Cherise watched her for a minute before saying, “If you’d like, maybe he can come by my office on Wednesday.” She was picking her words carefully. “He can spend some time with Lira.”
The secretary cried in earnest. “You’d let him?”
“Of course,” Cherise said.
They exchanged numbers and the secretary excused herself to the bathroom. Lira settled at Cherise’s feet like normal and she looked anxiously at the office door. She couldn’t hear anything that was going on inside.
Finally, an hour later, the door opened and Micah shook the lawyer’s hands.
“Thank you for doing this,” Micah was saying.
“I’m sorry it has gone this far,” the lawyer returned, looking sympathetic. “But we’ll get it sorted out, I promise.”
Micah motioned for Cherise to follow him and remained silent the entire trip. He pulled into the park they usually jog through and called Harold.
“Hey,” he said in a heavy voice. “Yeah, it went all right. We won’t be back in today, though. No, we called her and let her know. Yeah, I figured she’d complain but we made our point. We will. You have a good weekend, too.”
He hung up and opened the door. Cherise followed suit and they walked slowly through the grass.
“What happened?” she asked finally.
He sat down on one of the swings, watching some kids play on the slides.
“She’s suing me,” he said and Cherise’s jaw dropped.
“What!?”
“You heard me. She says I’m lying and that I’m the only guy she’s ever been with. Mr. Johnson agrees with me, though, after looking through the last five years of call records. That’s why it took so long. He’s going to represent me in court.”
Cherise sat on the swing next to him and looked at the dirt. The little kids had spotted Lira and were begging their parents to let them pet her.
“I’m really sorry, Mics,” she whispered, using a nickname she hadn’t in a while. “Is there anything I can do?”
“I need a witness,” he answered. “I have to tell you everything, though, about my relationship with her.”
“When do you want to talk about it?”
He sighed. “The court date is in five days.”
“That’s it?” she cried and he nodded. “That’s hardly any time at all.”
“She comes from a family of money,” he explained. “I have no doubt they paid extra to make it quick.” He sighed again, closing his eyes and starting to swing. “My parents would take me here when I was a kid. It was my favorite place to go. Let’s go somewhere else to talk about it all; I don’t want to taint it.”
“Let’s go to my apartment,” she suggested. “I’ll make that pasta you like.”
He smiled gratefully and they headed back to his car. Her heart was heavy for him. She had no idea why his ex was targeting him like this. But she had no doubt he was about to tell her.
♠ ♠ ♠
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