Tonight, our alternate universe divorce saga continues. Remember that second firm? To read part III(b), click here.
As promised, the three ladies have a letter fired off to your wife’s attorney within the week. “What your client is doing is wrong,” they insist. “Our client must immediately be reunited with his children.”
About a week later, your wife’s attorney fires back, “He was scaring the children with his rage-filled outbursts. They were crying for him to leave. There will be no visitation until we agree upon a supervisor. Further, he needs to provide support for this family. He needs to pay child support and temporary support to pay all of the family bills. He was the only breadwinner in the house for almost 10 years. My client (your wife) is without income.”
“What?” you ask your attorneys. “I never yelled once. Maybe once when she slammed the laptop lid down on my hands when I was about to check my bank balance. But that was weeks ago and the kids weren’t even home. I don’t believe this crap. I sure as hell don’t need a supervisor to see my kids!”
“And why should I pay her any support? She emptied my bank accounts. She has more money than me right now.”
Your attorneys calm your nerves. “This is outrageous,” they say. We’ll write right back to set her attorney straight.
True to their word, within the week they’ve fired off another missive. “Your contentions are completely fabricated. Our client did not frighten the children. This is entirely self serving. Out of a sense of decency, our client must be reunited with his children immediately. And we will not submit our client to supervised visitation. Further, since your client (your wife) emptied all the family’s bank accounts, she has plenty of money to live on. There will be no child support or temporary support.”
About a week later, your wife’s attorney responds. Guess what? She disputes your contentions. She insists upon a supervisor. She wants temporary support. And on it goes. And weeks pass. And more letters are written.
And you don’t get to see your kids.
Your attorneys are great at making you feel better. Every time you see them, they calm you down, spend time with you, as much time as you want. They still understand you. They still understand what you are going through. They are still going to make it right.
One day, about a month after your Answer has been filed, your wife’s attorney schedules a Rule Nisi for your divorce, contending that you are refusing to take care of your children or provide for the family’s welfare. The hearing date is about a month off, sometime in December.
“We’ll handle this,” your attorneys tell you. “We’ll ask the Judge to let you see your children.”
“That sounds good,” you say. Sitting in your lonely apartment, you mark that day on your calendar. Christmastime. It still seems a long way off. Maybe you’ll go see your parents for Thanksgiving.
Michael practices principally in our Marietta office, however he serves our clients in all of our offices from Atlanta to Canton to Lawrenceville to Gainesville to Savannah.