Page 17 of Savannah Sweethearts

The officer turned and spoke in hushed tones to Sabra. While he did, I pulled out my phone and texted Tyrell that he needed to come as soon as he could because Sabra was accusing me of kidnapping the girls. I slipped my phone back in my pocket without waiting for a reply.

My entire body shook as people pulled out phones and began recording Sabra’s rant. There was nothing I could do, and I would not walk away from Sami and Saffi. The girls had taken up residence between us and were silent as they made dandelion chains. Their mother’s screaming didn’t seem to faze them, but I knew that wasn’t healthy for kids to overhear the kind of words she was spewing.

After talking with Sabra, one officer came over to me. He already looked exasperated. “Miss, tell me again what’s going on.”

“Gladly.” I sighed and stood up as I explained everything again. Sabra kept repeating that I was a kidnapper, and I had to tune her out.

The officer nodded. “And what hospital did your friend take his mother to?”

“I’m honestly not sure. I was more concerned about taking care of the girls than where they were headed, but I’m sure if you could get ahold of him, he will clear this up.” I crossed my arms, then uncrossed them and stuffed my hands into my pockets. “If Ms. Thomas had just approached me and said she would take the girls from there, it would have been fine. I’m a teacher at their school, so we have seen each other frequently.”

In that moment, Tyrell came into sight and was running toward us. “Stop!”

The twins jumped up and ran to their father, wrapping their arms around his legs. “Daddy! Daddy!”

Sabra approached him as well, her hips swaying as she went. “Oh, babe, I was so worried. I thought this lady had stolen the girls from you.” She put her hand on his chest, but he flicked it off as if it were a bug.

“I will deal with you in a minute.” Tyrell shot her a menacing glance. He went to the officer near me. “I’m Tyrell Harris, the father of the girls. I can prove it. I have pictures of them all the way back to their birth.” He began to pull out his phone, but the officer waved it off.

“You know both these women?” The officer looked from Sabra to me.

With a nod to Sabra, he said she was the mother of his girls. Then he looked to me. “Ashley Gloss is my girlfriend.”

I would have jumped for joy in any other situation. In this one, however, I merely gave him a weak smile.

After talking with Tyrell for a minute, the officers went back to Sabra, and Tyrell approached me. “Are you okay?”

I wanted to tell him no, but I nodded instead. “I’m fine. But, Tyrell, the way she came at me yelling and the things she was yelling that didn’t even faze the girls… That concerns me.”

Sabra came up to us before he could respond. “I’m taking the girls home with me.”

One of the officers stopped her in her tracks. “Do you have a custody agreement?”

Tyrell ran his hands over his head. “We have a verbal agreement only. Though I think that might be changing soon. But I have the girls until this coming Wednesday.”

The officer looked from Tyrell to Sabra. When she nodded, the officers shrugged and backed off. After a final warning for us all to behave like civilized people, they began walking away.

Tyrell

There was too much happening at once, and my head was spinning. Mom was safe at the hospital, but I needed to get back to her. Ashley would probably be done with me after this fiasco, and things with Sabra were coming to a head.

The twins gathered behind me and cowered from their mother. I had never seen them cower before, and I realized I was done with her charades. I stood and blocked the girls from her view. “You will not be taking them anywhere. This stunt was the last straw, Sabra. I’ll be hiring an attorney to get custody of the girls.”

Up until this point, we had done everything civilly without the courts involved. We had worked out a good deal with the girls spending equal time between us, but I had long suspected that Sabra wasn’t giving the girls a stable home life. Foolishly, I had opted to ignore it because I could see that she loved them.

Crossing her arms, Sabra looked up at me. She was a tiny woman, but she was fierce. “You will not. I’m their mother.”

“And I’m their father. And I don’t go around cussing and raising Cain around them.” I looked over to where the girls were now playing frisbee, Ashley having snuck them away from us so Sabra and I could argue in private. The police officers were walking away slowly, checking back every few steps. “I have them until Wednesday. You can pick them up from school then. But be prepared. I’m going to fight for full custody. Everything will be documented from here on out.”

Her eyes grew wide as she backed away from me. She called to the girls for a hug before exiting the park alone.

I approached Ashley as she held the disc, waiting for the girls to resume playing. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have pulled you away from your mother if Sabra had come up to us and been pleasant.” Ashley rolled her shoulders back. “If she had been polite and asked to take the girls back home, I wouldn’t have argued. She is their mother.”

I rubbed her back as Saffi ran after the frisbee. “I know. She’s been a pain for a while now, and I’ve been biding my time. I’m ready for full custody of the girls. I don’t think it’s good for them to be with her so much.”

The frisbee came flying to us, and I caught it mid-air. “Go long, Sam!” I flung it far and high; both girls ran after it. “I do need to get back to Mom in a few minutes. She’s okay for now, but I don’t want to leave her alone too long.”

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