Page 24 of After Midnight

Talk about frustrating. I should have known Margarette wouldn’t go down quietly. Still, even for her, this felt especially vindictive, malicious, and nasty. It made my blood boil. “Regardless, if we’re going to war, I need to win. Not only for myself, but for the girls. They can’t be left to be raised by that woman,” I said, unable to keep the pleading out of my voice. “She’s been so horrible to us in different ways, and Miss Rita can stand as a witness to all of it.”

Mr. Langdon sighed. “It all depends on the judge. Unfortunately, there are a few that aren’t really gay-friendly and one I’d describe as downright racist. If the case goes to any of those judges, they could be influenced by their own bias and Margarette’s manipulative personality. My recommendation is to wait and see who we’re assigned. If it’s a judge who is tolerant and open-minded, then we can file a counterpetition for custody.”

I felt my patience wearing thin and I wasn’t sure I could bite my tongue if Margerette was in the same room as me. “Okay, butin the meantime, I live with the witch. I can’t avoid her entirely, as much as I’d like to. What should I do?”

“Do all you can to stay away from her. If I can get the case dropped, then you can kick her out. If not, well, we may need to come up with another living arrangement for you until the trial is concluded. Even if she hasn’t really cared for the girls, the courts will see her as their caregiver and the house is their only residence.”

By this time, I didn’t know whether to cry or throw stuff around. I felt like doing both at the same time. I still had to think of the girls, though. “I could move into one of those temporary housing motels, but I’m not leaving until I talk to my sisters so they understand I’m not abandoning them.”

“Just be careful. She can make up an allegation that you’ve said something or done something, and I wouldn’t put it past her to try it. Don’t put yourself in a situation where it’s ahe said, she saidthing.”

And just how was I supposed to do that? Never be in a room alone with that woman, I guess. “Okay, I’ll call a couple buddies to come over and hang out. That way I’ll have witnesses. Oh damn, what about Miss Rita?”

“What about her?” he asked.

“I hired her, so she works for me now rather than Margarette. How will I pay her if I can’t access the trust fund?”

“I can ask the courts to continue payment. Usually, in these situations, the courts don’t completely cut off funding.”

“That’s one good thing in all of this,” I said, the tightness in my chest easing a fraction. “If I’m not living here, I’m afraid Margarette will verbally abuse the children. I want to ensure Miss Rita can’t be fired by her and she stays in the house to protect the girls and my property.”

“I can request that. Also, because Margarette declared she only received four hundred dollars a month, we’ll fight that she not be given more if the judge allows the case to continue.”

That made me smile. If nothing else, it would ruin her fun at our expense. The realization I was going down the vindictive route, making me no better than my loathsome stepmother, made me sick to my stomach. Damn that woman.

After hanging up with Mr. Langdon, I phoned a few friends who knew Margarette for the monster she was, and they all agreed to come hang out with me until the girls got home from school.I wonder if Dillon would come over?I thought to myself. Did I consider him a friend? Or… something else? I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind and rushed upstairs.

I began packing my belongings, particularly the few things I’d squirreled away that’d belonged to my dads. I didn’t trust Margarette not to destroy everything in my room once I’d gone, even if Miss Rita was left to keep an eye on her. I shuddered to think how when Miss Rita went home each day, there wouldn’t be anything to stop Margarette from having her way. How had everything gone so wrong, so quickly?

The witch hadn’t turned up yet but I instinctively knew if I left the house, I wouldn’t be allowed back in. So, I skipped my classes, ordered pizza and watched TV with my buddies, and tried to enjoy myself as much as possible until the girls returned home. Miss Rita arrived at her regularly scheduled time and did her usual chores but didn’t pay me or the guys much attention. I could tell she was distracted and that scared me more than anything since she was usually so levelheaded.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer and broke away to the kitchen to ask her what was up.

She led me to the table and sat down with me, something she’d never done before. “Things aren’t going to get better for a while.I doubt I’ll be allowed to stay. You need to be prepared for what’s about to hit the fan.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, not knowing if I really wanted to hear the answer. “I know about the lawsuit, but my attorney said it shouldn’t impact your employment here.”

“My own welfare is the last thing I’m concerned about,” she said. “While you were out yesterday, I heard that woman talking to a lot of different people on the phone. She basically ignored me like she usually does and I couldn’t hear all she said, but I could tell she was up to no good. Whatever she’s plotting, it goes well beyond playing the lawsuit card.”

“Don’t worry about me, Miss Rita. If anything happens to me right now, she’s the prime suspect. She has to know that.”

“You assume the woman is smart enough to figure things out. Just ’cause she’s manipulative don’t mean she’s got the brains God gave a Billy goat.”

“I’ll be okay. I promise to watch my back.” Would Margarette really go so far as to harm me? To be honest, I wasn’t sure anymore. “It’s the girls I’m most worried about,” I confessed.

“I am too,” Miss Rita said, leaning forward to pat my shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll do everything in my power to take care of them for as long as I’m allowed.”

Later that afternoon, when the school bus came by, neither of the girls got off. I immediately called the school and was informed they could no longer disclose any information to me regarding my sisters. When I asked them why, they cited student privacy concerns and hung up the phone.

I knew why.Margarette.

I then called Mr. Langdon, but he wasn’t much help. “She is the legal guardian, there’s not much we can do about it.”

“What happens if I don’t leave the house? Can she force me to leave?”

He thought about it for a moment. “No. As the saying goes, possession is nine-tenths of the law, and if she has abandoned the property, then she can’t argue she needs it for the girls. Or at least, if she does argue for it, it’s unlikely she’ll win.”

“You don’t know how cunning the woman is, but I think, for now, I’ll stay here. Especially since I technically own the place, right?”

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