Biting the bullet May 2, 1985
The rains are late.
But the usual storm of ill circumstances came right on time.
Something seems to happen this time every year. So why
should this year be any different. Nine years ago, I face legal issues
concerning child support payments.
I went to court and argued the fact that Louise was not
allowing me visitation rights, and strangely, the court being more sympathetic ruled
in my favor. The whole thing cost me about $200 for the lawyer.
Only later, did I learn that the scumbag told the court my
daughter was not my daughter, which I never said and never instructed him to
say on my behalf. All I wanted was visitation. I went back to court and the
kindly judge notified Louise she had to allow me access to my kid.
Maybe it was coincidence, but Louise finally found another
potential husband and took off with my daughter to live with him 3,000 miles
away in Portland, Oregon.
A few years ago, she and my daughter were back in Scranton,
allowing me visitation. But recently, the issue of child support reared its
ugly head again, putting me in an ugly position.
Last November, I told Louise to tell welfare where I lived
so that I could resume payments. She never did. – perhaps unwilling to give up
the money I sent regularly too her since welfare would gobble it up to repay
the payments, they were giving her.
I don’t exactly blame her since living on what welfare gives
is close to starvation. A little bit of unreported extra income goes a long way
to pay rent and buy food.
This was a minor omission. She had told bigger lives in her
life in order to survive, a trait I have only myself to blame since we frequently
had to steal and lie when on the streets years ago – even though Louise claims
she isn’t a good liar when she really is. Often, she tells the truth when she
has no way out of a situation, when lies no longer work.
She sometimes reverts to old habits in order to escape retribution.
For years, I have served as the bad guy in her life, and not
always unjustified. When she first left me more than a decade ago, I became
very bitter.
By the time she returned to Scranton, I had changed, and we
briefly flirted with the idea we might get back together. That, too, faded
away. We more or less became friends.
Everything fell apart when she unwittingly (or perhaps for
some reason intentionally) revealed to welfare last week she knew where I was.
She said they had threatened her after a welfare investigator had talked to her
close friend who had revealed my presence in her life.
Welfare gave her the ultimatum to reveal where I lived or
get thrown off welfare. They wanted me to pay child support if only go to pay
back welfare she’s been receiving.
While I have proof I paid her directly – canceled checks – I
can’t use these as proof since Louise will be charged with welfare fraud.
What choice did I have? To show them to checks most certainly would
have sent Louise to jail and caused my daughter to hate me.
I am working two jobs—a full time job at night as a baker, a
part time job at the Fotomat. Child support would take all the money I got from
the part time job.
I bit the bullet and let the welfare department put the bite
on me.
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