Page 21 of Scythe's Salvation
THIRTEEN
Scythe
I watchTamara as Brick and Albertson go over and make themselves something to drink before they return to the table. While she’s putting on a great facade, I can tell she’s nervous because her hands are continually twisting in her lap. Reaching over, I take one in my own hand and lace our fingers together, then squeeze gently. “I’m right here, babe, and not gonna let you face this on your own.”
“Thanks.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, so I give her the few seconds she needs to get her thoughts straight and compose herself. Without letting my hand go, she reaches into her purse and pulls out the letter she was served with yesterday. “Mr. Albertson, I received this yesterday at an address I haven’t used for quite a few years. Is that even legal?”
Albertson clears his throat as he takes the envelope in hand. “But it was an address you used at one time?” he asks, no doubt trying to clarify things in his mind.
“Yes. When I found out I was pregnant, the foster family I was placed with at the time kicked me out, and Amara and her family took me into their home. I didn’t move out until about a year ago because Memaw, Amara’s grandmother, wanted me to finish school and get my massage therapy practice going before I ventured out on my own.”
“Well, while it’s a bit irregular, itwaslikely the address he knew you were at, so as far as whether or not it was illegal, is kind of a moot point. Now, what do you know about custody laws in Virginia?” he asks her.
“Nothing really. I was going to do a search last night but then figured that it might raise more questions than answers, so I decided to wait until this morning,” Tamara replies.
He nods his head and explains, “Okay, well, in your case, since the two of you are unmarried and were at the time of conception, before he can pursue any kind of visitation, paternity has to be established. That’s why you were served with an order to produce your son’s DNA to the courts.”
“I took him this morning before school and had the clinic take it,” Tamara tells him, pulling out another piece of paper. “I also signed papers allowing you to get the results, because I wanted to make sure everything I did was aboveboard, if that makes sense.”
Albertson takes the proffered sheet and scans it, nodding to himself before he puts it aside. “Good, good. We should have the results in plenty of time to comply with the court directive. Now, once paternity is established, Virginia law says that the “best interests of the child” standard will be adhered to. Your son’s mental and emotional well-being will be considered whenit comes to deciding custody and visitation. Neither you, nor his biological father, will be favored over the other.”
That doesn’t sit well with me, and I ask, “So, even though he ditched her when he heard her news, hasn’t been around one single day since, and hasn’t so much as given her a dime in support of her son, he could still get custody? I mean, I understand visitation, of course, but that makes zero sense to me that he could take her son away from her.”
Tamara’s breath hitches and I squeeze her hand tighter, something that Brick notices if the smirk on his face is any indicator. When he catches me glaring at him, he merely winks then shrugs, Yeah, he knows the score; he’s got his own ol’ lady he’s crazy about.
“Unfortunately, while it’s possible that the judge will take all of that into consideration, the father has the same lawful and moral rights as the mother. Chance’s age, his needs, and the relationship he has with each parent will be taken into consideration. Virginia law allows for joint legal custody as far as decision making, joint physical custody, which is shared physical time with the minor child, or sole custody. The court will make the decision on the best arrangement based on the child’s best interests,” Albertson replies.
“What about abandonment charges against him?” I query. “Is that something she can push back with?”
“While abandonment charges are typically not filed, a case can be made for you to terminate his parental rights, since he hasn’t supported your son at all. The courts consider that evidence of willful abandonment,” Albertson explains.
“Even though he’s shown up now?” Tamara queries.
“Even though he’s trying to insert himself into your son’s life now, there’s bound to be evidence of him not being around,” Albertson patiently states. “I’m pretty sure you’ve got proof, right?”
“Would old bank statements showing I was the one who paid every single bill related to him count?” Tamar asks. “For some reason, I kept all of that, even though there was no reason to do so.”
“That would be great to have,” Albertson exclaims. “If you could gather it together and bring it to my office, I’ll have my clerks go through it all and get it ready to present as evidence to the judge.”
“This is good news, Tam,” I tell her. “I don’t see how any judge in their right mind would award him joint legal or physical custody. Hell, he wouldn’t be able to point him out if he walked right by him, would he?”
She slowly shakes her head. “No, and while I won’t repeat the conversation we had while he was eating breakfast, he made a few good points. He said his biological father isn’t a real man because he ran when he was faced with the pregnancy.”
I wonder what else Chance might’ve said because her face is slowly turning pink as she glances at me from underneath her lashes.
“Do you think he’s pushing for this because he’s running for sheriff?” Brick suddenly asks. “From what we’ve managed to find out, he’s now married and has two children who are younger than Chance, a boy and a girl. I’m unsure what platform he’s going to run under, but for him, Chance is a ‘loose end’ so tospeak, so if he can get some form of custody, it looks like he’s an All-American Dad.”
“It’s possible,” Albertson muses. “But it seems odd to me that he appeared out of the blue the way he did. There’s probably more to it and knowing your IT guy, I’m sure he’ll find it. However, make sure if it’s anything y’all want me to use in court that it’s stuff thatIor one of my staff are able to ferret out, Brick.”
Brick smirks but nods. “Always gonna be sure that whatever we ‘find’ is done so you’re able to use it.Legally.”
I snicker, because we might not have used our club attorney in quite some time, but he’s wily and is well-aware that we have resources he doesn’t have because he’s an officer of the court. Still, I’m sure even if Hawg, Beast, or Selah have to drop huge breadcrumbs, whatever we find he’ll be able to utilize.
“Thank you, Mr. Albertson,” Tamara says. “I won’t lie and say I’m not worried about the outcome, but at the same time, I feel better knowing that you’re on my side. Chance doesn’t know his bio dad. Has never met him or really even asked about him. He’s had more interaction with Scythe than his own father, and he only just met Scythe when we were fishing.”
“Same watering hole, Scythe?” Albertson asks.
“Always. Why fix what isn’t broke?” I retort, grinning. “Although RiffRaff and his boy, Callum, like fishing down at the dock, so I might have to check that out with Chance.”
