Page 94 of Margo's Got Money Troubles

To assess “Margo’s” psychological profile, I utilized the MMPI-2 administered at my offices on January 28, 2019. “Margo” scored within normal range on nine of ten scales, with a high score (63) just out of normal range on Scale 5 Masculinity/Femininity. On Content Scales “Margo” measured high-normal DEP indicating some depressive thoughts/tendencies, as well as high-normal CYN indicating underlying cynicism and misanthropic beliefs. The APS Scale does indicate a personality type associated with substance abuse, but “Margo” has no known substance abuse problems, though addiction does run in her family. (Full Results Attached)

“Margo” lives in a four-bedroom apartment with Child “Bodhi,” Grandfather “James” and roommate “Suzanne.” Grandfather “James” is in the process of moving to his own apartment and will no longer be living with “Margo.” He is currently in recovery from opiate addiction and is enrolled in a methadone treatment protocol. When interviewed, his doctor said he has not yet missed a dose and approaches his recovery with appropriate seriousness.

“Margo” was “Mark’s” student in a college course titled “ENG 121: Unnatural Voices: Taking Narration to the Edge” in the fall of 2017 at Fullerton College. “Mark” initiated the affair. At the time “Margo” was nineteen and “Mark” was thirty-seven. He was married at that time to “Sarah Gable,” with whom he has two children “Hailey” and “Max.” His affair with “Margo” lasted approximately six weeks, during which time “Margo” became pregnant and decided to keep the baby. “Mark” did not want to be involved in the child’s life at that time.

“Mark” and his wife “Sarah” are currently in divorce proceedings and in mediation for custody of their two children “Hailey” and “Max.” “Mark” has no permanent domicile and is currently staying with his mother “Elizabeth.” He has provisional weekend custody of “Hailey” and “Max.” He has positive relationships with both, and “Sarah” has not reported any concerns of abuse. He has retained his job at Fullerton College despite the affair and is financially stable.

“Margo’s” pregnancy was healthy, and her medical records indicate no evidence of substance abuse, despite the hospital keeping “Margo” an extra twenty-four hours to run an additional drug panel when the first came back negative. “Bodhi” was born with no health complications at a normal-low birth weight of 6 lbs.

In addition to the MMPI-2, I interviewed “Margo” at my office on February 2, 2019. “Margo” arrived on time and in appropriate attire. She appeared clean and groomed, her speech was clear, her mannerisms were not unusual, and her eye contact was within normal limits. Her intellectual-cognitive functioning is high, and she is able to express herself verbally with ease. “Margo” appears to be able to accurately perceive the world around her, presenting others, even those with whom she has conflict, in a nuanced way.

“Margo” has a moderately impaired self-concept and consistently estimates herself to be both superior to and inferior to others. She is conflicted about her identity and role in the adult world and attempts to shield her vulnerability with an affected attitude of power and dominance. She is currently experiencing manageable levels of anxiety and depression, though these feelings center primarily on the custody dispute and her relationship with her mother. “Margo’s” emotional regulation is appropriate to her young age, and while she did begin to cry at multiple points in the interview, she was able to calm herself and remain in control of her behavior.

“Margo’s” educational transcripts and SAT scores indicate above average intellectual ability. However she dropped out of Fullerton College and seems to have no further educational ambitions. It should be noted that she dropped out at the request of Father “Mark” and grandmother “Elizabeth,” who asked her to sign an NDA keeping “Mark’s” parentage a secret. “Margo” signed this agreement and abided by its terms and in exchange received $15,000 as well as a trust for child “Bodhi” in the amount of $50,000.

“Margo” is currently working as a social media personality on OnlyFans and TikTok. OnlyFans is a website catering to adult clientele that offers sexual content. “Mark’s” concern over “Bodhi’s” welfare centers almost exclusively around her work on OnlyFans. Her work is not illegal and pays extremely well, allowing her to work from home and provide full-time care to Bodhi. It is well established that sex work is highly correlated with negative psychological outcomes, with those at-risk populations more likely to suffer from depression, mood disorders, and suicidal ideation. “Margo” displays none of these behaviors, but it is a risk that comes with her chosen work that cannot be overlooked, especially considering her potential for addiction, young age, and tendencies toward depression. While she has plans to segue into real estate, her financial future remains uncertain and will certainly continue to provide a source of stress.

As part of my evaluation, I performed a Parent-Child Observation at “Margo’s” apartment. The apartment was clean and well-kept, and “Margo’s” speech was unimpaired, nor were there signs in her gait or mannerisms of alcohol or drug use. I watched her feed Bodhi dinner, give him a bath, and get him ready for sleep.

“Margo” displays high levels of positive affectivity, involvement and responsiveness in her interactions with “Bodhi,” using nonverbal behaviors like smiling, nodding, and laughing to express care, in addition to verbal communication that included room for “Bodhi” to respond.

“Margo” was adept at setting up adequate structure for “Bodhi,” as well as managing his frustration or excitement and soothing him when necessary. During dinner, she allowed “Bodhi” to feed himself with his hands despite it being very messy. During bath time she had proper safety precautions in place and was alert to his safety in the water while still allowing him to explore and take physical risks. This kind of high-care, low-control approach has been found in numerous studies to be optimal.

“Bodhi” appears to have a flexible temperament with some active child characteristics. He is physically at ease with Margo and responds to her touch and verbal praise, showing signs of pleasure like smiling, laughing, and clapping. His babbling and physical coordination are normal for his age. His pediatrician (letter attached) has no concerns regarding his health or “Margo’s” ability to parent, and in fact described her as “overly conscientious.”

“Margo” is currently under investigation by Child Protective Services. When contacted, CPS indicated that they would not be concluding their investigation within a timeframe convenient to this custody proceeding. Since there were no signs of abuse or neglect in my own investigation, I decided it would be imprudent to wait, but I am happy to provide an addendum once their findings are made available. This report is also being provided to CPS for their investigation.

From everything I have seen, “Margo” is psychologically fit to retain Full Legal and Physical Custody of “Bodhi” and there are no signs of abuse, neglect, or harm. Margo currently has custody of “Bodhi.” Because the CPS investigation is ongoing, it is customary for custody disputes to be suspended until the investigation is resolved, but because “Margo” currently has custody of “Bodhi” and both “Mark” and “Margo” wish her to retain it pending acceptance of this report, no further action need be taken. In the event of a CPS finding contraindicating this report, custody will be reevaluated through the standard mechanisms.

It is my recommendation that “Mark” be allowed once weekly visitation should he so choose and that he pay child support in keeping with his income for one year, at which point the situation can be reevaluated as Mark’s domestic living arrangement becomes stable and the psychological toll, if any, of Margo’s employment becomes more apparent.

I was overjoyed, though it was also creepy as hell to read about myself in this way, and by the end I felt a little sick. I was still surrounded by tiny piles of folded Bodhi clothes. I wasn’t sure what to do next, if I should finish balling his tiny socks or call Ward. Right then, Bodhi woke up, and his wails came tiny yet loud through the baby monitor. I went to him and changed him. He was in a giggly mood. There really was no greater delight on Earth than a well-slept baby. I blew raspberries on his tummy as he shrieked, and when I stopped, we were both panting and looking at each other and smiling, and I thought in a robot voice: This kind of high-care, low-control approach has been found in numerous studies to be optimal.

I was proud. I mean, “optimal”? I would take it.

I was also thinking that if it was Shyanne who’d called CPS, then it wasn’t Mark, and that shifted things. And with Dr. Sharp’s report, there was a good chance we could keep this from going to court. I needed to know exactly what I was dealing with.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I had Mark’s address from the custody papers. I assumed it would be an apartment, but when I pulled up it was like a mini version of the White House. A maid answered the door and led me through an all-white living room, past a Carrara marble kitchen, and out some French doors to the backyard. There was a pool and an outdoor kitchen. She pointed to a stand of silver sheen trees beyond the pool. “Mr. Mark’s cottage is back there by those trees—do you see it?”

Did I see it? It was a full-sized house, nicer than anywhere I’d ever lived. The maid, like a guide to the underworld, seemed to indicate she could go no farther, and so I skirted the edge of the pool alone, made it to the dappled shade of the trees, and knocked on Mark’s door. There was no answer. I knocked again.

All at once, Mark yanked open the door, clearly annoyed. He was wearing a Duke sweatshirt and purple track pants; his long hair was a little greasy and unbrushed. He had on reading glasses, which he took off the moment he saw me looking at them. “Well, this is unexpected,” he said.

“We need to talk,” I said. It was weird, being alone with him, familiar even though I was such a different person from who I was the last time we’d spoken like this.

I followed him into a darkened living room. All the shades were drawn. Mark snapped on the bright overhead lights, which immediately made clear that this was a den of terrible sadness. There were books and papers everywhere, abandoned half-full coffee cups on various end tables, clothes on the floor, a pizza box on the coffee table. The furniture was all in an island motif, rattan with cushions printed with birds of paradise, and this made the room even sadder. Mark sat on the couch, reached over to snag a towel off the chair so I could sit. The cushion was faintly damp.

“So what’s going on?” he asked. “I saw Dr. Sharp’s report, which was very reassuring. I would have thought you’d be pleased.” He massaged the bridge of his nose.

“I am pleased,” I said, though I was still somewhat numb from my confrontation with Shyanne the previous day. “But we need much clearer, less expensive lines of communication. At first, I thought you were doing this all to hurt me or punish me. Then in mediation, I started to understand that you really thought I wasn’t doing well, that I was out of control in some way. So now I really need to know, Mark. What do you want? What is all this about?”

“Well, what do you mean?”

“Do you want to be part of Bodhi’s life?”

“Obviously,” he said. “He’s my child too, Margo.”

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