Junior Year Box Set

I was rewarded with a towel in my face. Rita kicked me out and grumbled something about “ungrateful shit.” I think I’ve started to wear her down. It’s only a matter of time before the wedding plans can begin. I wonder what my mom will say when I don’t marry either Beth or Tami. I would guess that Rita James will be okay. I can’t wait to break the news to my brother. If he was jealous about my upcoming prom date with Hannah Minacci, he’d literally have kittens when I announced my engagement to Rita James. I might as well either go big or stay at home.

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Chapter 31 – No Practice, No Play Friday October 30

I’d been ordered to get dressed up today for the meeting with Pam to discuss the care of our child. Mom drove, but my dad didn’t come because he had to work. We went directly to Ms. Dixon’s temporary office she’d rented ‘for the duration.’

“I wanted to talk to you before we meet with the other side this morning,” Ms. Dixon said after we’d settled in. “I want you to be aware of what you’ll be up against. You might be looking at a quarter of your future income going towards child support. In your case, that could be substantial. Other options would be to make a lump-sum payment or a series of payments.”

“With David paying that kind of money, he should have full access to see his child,” Mom said.

“That’s a separate issue. There’s no guarantee David will have visitation rights. Part of the reason I believe they made the abuse and rape allegations in the first place was to put a cloud over his character and thereby affect his future access to his child. Even a charge which was later found to be false might have done some real damage to David’s chances of being granted access. Don’t be surprised if they try to use visitation as a lever to pry more money out of you,” Ms. Dixon said.

“I still think that if Pam and I could sit down and talk, this whole matter would be resolved in a short time,” I said.

“I’ll tell you one thing, I’ll not put up with any games. I will see my grandbaby,” Mom said.

“That is my goal. We’ll work towards getting David liberal visitation rights and keeping the child support to a reasonable level,” Ms. Dixon said.

I couldn’t believe how different my life was from my brother’s. When Angie became pregnant, her parents weren’t happy, but there was never a bunch of lawyers involved. This had started to get out of hand.

“Let me explain the process,” Ms. Dixon continued. “We’re meeting today to see if we can come to an agreement. If this falls apart, the other side will have to prove paternity. You’ve stated several times that you think you’re the father based on statements allegedly made by the mother. Paternity can be established in a few different ways. The first is that you can sign a form called an ‘Acknowledgment of Paternity.’ Basically, it says that you agree that you’re the father. You and Pam will sign it and have it notarized, and we’ll file it with the state. When the baby’s born, you’ll be listed as the father on the birth certificate.

“The second method is you voluntarily have DNA testing done. Both parents and the child will submit samples, usually a simple cheek swab. This must be done after the baby’s born. If the results come back that David’s the father, it will be made official. If they come back as inconclusive or negative, David could still become the legal father by using the first method.

“The third method is through court-ordered DNA testing. If you defy the court order, there can be consequences. Worst-case scenario is you would be found to be the father anyway, and you could do some jail time.

“Quite frankly, if this attempt at negotiation doesn’t work out, I would suggest that we get our family-law practice involved. They will most definitely opt for option three because of the money involved. There will be a lot of fighting, you’ll end up in family court, and the net result will be that you’ll have to pay twenty to twenty-five percent of your income towards child support. I know that’s not what you want to do, so we have a big incentive to make this go away, and fast.

“The unfortunate part is they know this. If I read the other side correctly, they’re out for their pound of flesh, and the meeting today will be to provoke you into doing something rash. So, keep your cool,” Ms. Dixon said.

“From what you’ve said, I shouldn’t sign the Acknowledgment of Paternity. Will my public statements hurt me?” I asked.

“I’m glad you figured that out. I was dreading having to talk you into not just admitting you’re the father,” Ms. Dixon said.

“I’ve always qualified that with ‘if Pam told me’ I was, I would accept her word. She hasn’t even talked to me yet,” I said.