Page 3 of His Strings Make Her Legs Sing
Her head shook as she chuckled. “I’m not sure if you’re aware that Callira lives with me. She has been here since she was three months old. My daughter comes here to see her maybe three times a week if I’m lucky. She barely gives me any financial help. I mean, I don’t really need it. I live fine off of me and my late husband’s pension and social security benefits.”
“Wait, I’m so confused. I drop Callira off at Iesha’s house anytime that I have her.” None of this made sense to him.
Beverly shifted in her seat. “Yes, you drop her off and an hour later she is at my house. She only goes to the day care on Fridays when you pick her up. She is with me unless my daughter needs her to make herself look good for your benefit.”
“Nah, that can’t be right. I pay that day care two hundred and fifty dollars a week for my baby to be there five days a damn week,” Citrell said with harshness in his tone. “What the hell are they doing with my money?”
Beverly was almost embarrassed about her daughter’s actions. “Well, the day care owner is a classmate of Iesha’s. She allows her to pay the drop-in fee, and she gives her your money.” She had to titter at the set up. “Look, my grandbaby needs someone who is going to make sure she is taken care of properly. Someone who is going to pour into her. That person is you.”
Citrell didn’t have to be told twice that he needed to file for custody. Beverly and he spoke for a few more minutes before he left. He wanted to take his daughter with him, but he didn’t want to give Iesha any idea that he knew what her trifling ass had going on. As soon as he got into his car, he called his lawyer to make an appointment so they could get the ball rolling.
Emergency Custody Hearing . . .
Iesha could not believe that she was sitting at a table in front of a judge at an emergency custody hearing. When she was served with the notice that Citrell filed for full custody, she was beside herself. In her mind, it came out of nowhere, but now she understood where it came from. Her mother sat on the stand and betrayed her. At least that was how she felt. On top of that, the day care owner testified against her about the kickback that she got from Citrell’s money. This shit couldn’t be life.
To make matters worse, the same judge that presided over their initial hearing was the judge for this one. She knew withouthaving to be told that this would not end in her favor. She loved her daughter, but she just didn’t have the time for the care that she required. Even with that, she didn’t want to lose the child support and extra two-hundred-dollar kickback that she received from the bitch ass day care provider.
Judge Hutchinson wished the news given about Iesha was a surprise. She knew from the first hearing that she more than likely would be a piss poor mother, but she didn’t want her prejudice to overshadow her decision making. Outside of the crazy request like Callira staying on Medicaid so that she could get more child support, there was no evidence in the three weeks since the baby was born that she had done anything to be deemed a bad mother. Today’s information was what was needed to turn prejudice into evidence.
“Miss Derricks, I wished the information received today was different. It speaks volumes when your mother testifies that your daughter’s father would be a better fit for physical full custody,” she said with a discontent. “Is there anything that you want to say?”
What the fuck was she supposed to say? “Um, I love my daughter, and I take care of her. Yes, my mother keeps my daughter sometimes, but she knows that she doesn’t have to. I don’t get it.”
Judge Hutchinson lifted her hand to stop Iesha from speaking any further. “Let me stop you right there. You are old enough to know the difference between your mother keeping your daughter sometimes and your daughter living with your mother. One is not like the other. Let’s not play that game.” She paused to let her words sink in. It was a waste of time because Iesha’s name might as well have been Juggernaut.
Citrell sat there with his daughter in his arms. She should have been in day care, but Iesha brought her thinking that the judge would give her sympathy. What she didn’t accountfor was Callira showing her ass when she saw her father. She wanted nothing to do with her mother once she saw her father. His baby girl didn’t want to be in anyone’s arms but his. Her interaction with her father was also a determining factor for the decision that the judge had to make. It wasn’t the goal of Judge Hutchinson to separate a child from its mother, but when the father was a better fit, then so be it.
“Mr. Wick, I am granting you full custody of Callira Symphoni Wick effective immediately. Miss Derricks, you will have every other weekend visitation.” The judge paused to glance down at some paperwork that sat before her. “Now let’s talk about child support.”
That got a reaction out of Iesha. She jumped up from her seat. “Child support! You want me to pay child support?”
“Miss Derricks, sit down and stop with the dramatics. Mr. Wick paid child support, so I’m not sure why you would think that you were exempt from doing so.” She waited for Iesha to gain her composure and take her seat. “Based on your income, you will contribute one hundred and thirty-two dollars. I am going to add fifty dollars a month to that since Callira is on Mr. Wick’s medical insurance. That is one hundred and eighty dollars.”
Iesha didn’t say anything because she could get that from the niggas that she fucked with. She wouldn’t say that she was a prostitute, but the men she fucked for dollars would. “That’s fine. If he needs the money so bad.”
Citrell refused to give energy to ignorance. He didn’t need anything from her, and he told his lawyer that. She advised him against refusing the child support. Iesha needed to be held accountable in some way.
Judge Hutchinson stared at her for a beat before she continued with a satisfying smile on her face. “Oh, well I’m happy you feel that way because I wasn’t done.” She picked upher pen to do some quick math. “Alright, according to the day care provider, Miss Hassle, you have stolen two hundred dollars from Mr. Wick for six months.”
“I didn’t steal shit from that nigga!” Iesha yelled from her seat. She didn’t leave her seat that time, so that was a minor improvement. With tight eyes, the judge told her if she had another outburst that she would be found in contempt of court. That made her pipe down.
“As I was saying, when I made the original order, the money that Mr. Wick paid to the childcare facility was for the intention of childcare. It was not meant for you to get a kickback and only leave your daughter there once a week. With that being said, it was testified that for six months you were getting two hundred dollars back a week from what Mr. Wick paid. The day care’s drop-in charge was fifty dollars which you paid since the child only attended on Fridays. The original order was that you two split that day care bill.” The judge was about to lay down the whammy.
Iesha didn’t like where this was headed. She didn’t like the shit at all. She scooted up in her seat in anticipation of what was about to be said.
“In consideration of my original order that you chose to circumvent, Mr. Wick rightfully deserves his money back,” Judge Hutchinson said with no emotion. “Six months of the two hundred dollars a week that you were refunded and the additional twenty-five a week that was half of what you actually paid is a total of five thousand four hundred dollars that is owed. I will allow two years to pay that back, therefore I am adding an additional two hundred and twenty-five dollars, which brings the total to four hundred and five dollars a month.
“Miss Derricks, you are ordered to pay four hundred and five dollars a month in child support. Once you have satisfied your debt and provided there are no income increases, your paymentwill return to the one hundred and eighty dollars. At any time, you can make additional payments toward your debt by paying extra funds. Anything over the one hundred and eighty dollars will go toward your debt.”
Iesha fell into a fit of laughter. “You really think that I’m going to pay his ass four hundred dollars a month, lady? You and him got me fucked up.” She continued her laughter.
“Well, let me see if this will make you feel better,” Judge Hutchinson said calmly. “I told you one more outburst and you would be held in contempt. I am exercising that right. Since I have already assessed you for quite a bit of money, I want to be considerate of that. I think five days in a cell will help you think about your past actions and hopefully help you make better decisions.”
Citrell knew that he would win custody, but he didn’t expect to get any of his money back. That was a nice surprise. He low-key felt bad for his daughter’s mother, but she didn’t deserve that much grace. The same way he busted his ass to make sure he took care of all of his responsibilities, then Iesha would have to do the same.
Iesha couldn’t believe the situation that she found herself in. All of this and for what? She turned in her seat to face her mother who sat on the other side of the courtroom behind Citrell. “Is this what you wanted? For your daughter to struggle? I see where your loyalty lies.”
Beverly glared at the daughter that she loved and wanted so much for. Iesha wasn’t always this person. There was a time when she was a loving, honest, respectable young lady, then her father died when she was fifteen. From that point on, she became hell on wheels. Beverly wouldn’t allow her granddaughter to be subjected to Iesha’s poor decision making.
