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“Yeah, I’m just really tired.”
“Um, all right. It’s just that Simon and I watched the race on TV today. I would’ve thought you’d be more excited.”
I exhaled and reached up towards my eyes. Rubbing them with the tips of my fingers, I squinted and replied, “I was… I mean, I am. I don’t know… I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I dropped my hand away from my eyes. Blinking away the exhaustion from them, I said, “Not right now. I’m with Dyson. He’s showering. It’s just not a good time.”
“Dyson is showering and you aren’t in there with him? Something must be wrong…”
I smiled. “It’s not like he didn’t try, believe me. I’m just not thinking straight right now. I can’t explain it.”
“It’s okay,” Jillian began, the tone of her voice softening. “The two of you have been through a lot. What you need right now is just some time together, you know? Give things a chance to see how they work out.”
I shrugged, glancing in the direction of the bathroom. Dyson had turned off the water, but I wasn’t sure when.
“Maybe you’re right… I just don’t know right now.”
With that, we said good night to each other and I promised I would let her know what I found out when calling the attorney the next day. After we hung up, I stood from the bed and placed my phone down next to the charger.
Afterward, barely able to stand any longer, I collapsed into the mattress and rested my head on a pillow. I lay there for several minutes, maybe ten. I really couldn’t say. Soon after, I heard the sound of the bathroom door open, followed by Dyson’s footsteps.
They came to a stop at the edge of the bed.
I cracked my eyes open a fraction to see him standing there looking at me.
“Sorry about that,” he began, looking down at me with a damp towel hooked around his waist. “I didn’t wake you? Did I?”
It took every bit of energy I had to keep my eyelids from closing. “No, I hadn’t fallen asleep yet.”
Dyson nodded, turned and disappeared from view once again. While I lay there, I heard him rummaging through his suitcase.
“Who were you talking to?” he asked.
“Jillian,” I muttered, closing my eyes once more. “We got a really strange phone call from child protective services today. She called to tell me about it.”
Through my eyelids, I noticed the room get dark right around the time I heard the sound of Dyson flicking the light switch. A couple of seconds later, my body shifted slightly when he climbed into the bed.
“Nothing serious, I hope?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I have to call them tomorrow.”
I finished speaking and felt his arm curl around my stomach. He leaned in, brushing my hair aside and kissed me on the back of the neck.
“Mmm…” I purred. “You have no idea how good that feels.”
“You can tell me all about it in the morning. Now shut up and go to sleep.”
My body went limp in his embrace.
AVA
I gasped for breath, shooting into a seated position. Snapping my head from left to right, I blinked, not recognizing my surroundings for a few seconds.
“What’s wrong?”
I turned my head, looking down at Dyson. My sudden movement startled him to awareness. I reached up, rubbed my eyes with my fingers and then ran my fingers through my hair, trying to reorient myself.
“It’s nothing,” I replied. “I’m sorry about that.”
I looked at him again and he closed his eyes, dropping his head back down on top of the pillow.
“It’s okay,” he grunted.
Still in my clothes from the night before, I slid off of the bed and looked at the nightstand to check the time. It was just after ten thirty in the morning. Surely the attorney would be in by now, even though they were a couple of hours behind us.
I walked around the end of the bed and reached for my cell phone. Picking it up, I looked at the piece of paper where I’d scribbled the attorney’s number and dialed it. After I navigated through the automated phone system, his extension rang.
After the fourth one, a man answered.
“This is Edward Marshall.”
Unplugging my phone from the charger, I turned and walked in the direction of the hotel room window.
“Yes, um, Mr. Marshall, my name is Ava Walters, and I am the legal guardian for Simon Walters. I was told you have some information for me about his father, Gene Philo.”
“Oh yes,” the attorney replied.
Turning my back towards the window, I glanced in the direction of the bed. Dyson lifted his head.
“Gene?” he began, frowning at me. “What’s he…?”
Before he could say another word, I waved him off, silencing him. Just then, Mr. Marshall spoke once again.
“Let me grab that file,” he began. In the background, I heard the sound of paper being moved around. “And please, you can call me Ed.”
“All right.”
I turned and looked out the window.
Down below, people sat at an outdoor restaurant. For some reason, I became fixated on a family. The mother, father and two little kids – a boy and a girl.
I reached up and slipped my thumbnail between my lips, tapping against my tooth while I waited for the attorney. Just then, Dyson grabbed my waist from behind, startling me out of my trance-like state. I turned and swatted him across the upper arm. Dyson chuckled, leaned in and kissed me on the cheek before walking away in the direction of the bathroom.
Soon after, Ed returned.
“Ms. Walters,” he began. “Do you know Mr. Philo?”
“Yes, I do. He’s my nephew’s biological father. Oh and you can call me Ava, by the way.”
“Oh, all right then, Ava.”
Before he could say anything else, I asked, “I received a message from my roommate last night. Something about a DUI arrest and deadbeat dad laws?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
Before long, I realized I’d already begun to pace back and forth.
“Of course.”
Ed cleared his throat. “Yes, well, it seems that during Mr. Philo’s arrest and booking, it was discovered that he owed several years’ worth of unpaid child support.”
I frowned, shaking my head in confusion.
“Unpaid child support? I wasn’t aware of that.”
“Okay, is Bella Walters a relative of yours?”
I nodded, “Yes, she is… was, my sister.”
The attorney paused for a moment. “I see. Is she deceased?”
“Yes she died several years ago. I’m sorry, but what does this have to do with my sister?”
“Um, according to state records, Mr. Philo was ordered to pay child support to your sister after she won a judgment in her favor. There are no records of any payments ever being made.”
I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Knowing Gene, that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Well, be that as it may, as the legal guardian, you are entitled to receive these funds from Mr. Philo.”
Nothing would have given me more pleasure than to take Gene’s money from him and give it to his son, but there were people sleeping under bridges who had more cash than he did. I did my best to explain that to Ed so that he would understand what a useless exercise it would be.
“Sadly, that’s a very common outcome in situations like this,” he said.
Just out of sheer curiosity, I asked, “What’s going to happen to Gene? I’m assuming he’s still in jail.”
“Well, I’d venture a guess he’s looking at three to five years, especially considering his numerous prior offenses.”
I sighed into the receiver.
Just then, Dyson appeared in my peripheral vision and walked in my direction. He leaned against the dresser across from me while the attorney spoke once again.
“I’m sorry this wasn’t a more helpful call,” he began. “These kinds of situations can be frustrating.”
I looked up at Dyson. He stared down at me with a concerned expression on his face.
“It’s just that, nothing ever seems to happen to Gene. He got my sister pregnant and then disappeared. Meanwhile, because of the state’s stupid adoption laws, I can’t be anything other than a temporary guardian for my nephew. It’s just frustrating to no end and frankly, completely unfair.”
Ed remained silent for a few seconds.
“Yes, I’m sure it is. If you don’t mind, I’m assuming, based on the temporary custody in place, that Mr. Philo hasn’t waived his parental rights. Is that correct?”
I closed my eyes, rubbing my forehead with my free hand. “Yes.”
“Mmm hmm,” the attorney muttered. “Would you mind if I placed you on hold for a few minutes? I have something I need to discuss with one of my colleagues.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
After he placed me on hold. I looked up at Dyson once more. Nodding with his chin in the direction of the phone, he asked, “What’s going on?”
He’d managed to hear bits and pieces of the conversation, so while I waited for Ed to return, I filled in the gaps for him.
“What’s he doing? The attorney?”
I shrugged. “He said he was going to talk to someone else. I don’t know about what.”
