AllFreeNovel
Share Us
35
CERYS
Since the letterwith the mediation appointment arrived a week ago, I’ve refused to communicate with Craig. Phoebe attempts to persuade me to talk to him. I think agreeing to mediation with Craig is enough of a concession because I’m furious.
Carol, the woman running the meeting, takes us into a room with a plump-cushioned brown sofa and a scented candle burning on her desk. She’s dressed down in a long floral skirt and floating blue top. The calm she’s attempting to create doesn’t come into the room with us. There’s a choice between the sofa and a desk chair for us to sit on and I choose the chair, shifting it closer to the wall as far away from Craig as I can. We haven’t said a word since we arrived and luckily he was late.
After a brief introduction about the process, she asks us to discuss what we want.
“I want Ella to live with me,” announces Craig.
I can’t help myself. “What the hell?”
He turns to me, eyes hard. “I don’t believe she’s safe with you and your new partner.”
To my alarm, Carol scrawls something on her notebook. “What’s your concern, Craig?”
“Cerys lives with someone whose lifestyle doesn’t suit children. He’s had drug involvement in the past and I worry about Ella being around this. Now Cerys has moved Ella into this man’s house.”
“You make it sound like I moved her into a drug den. That is so wrong,” I protest. “Liam isn’t involved with drugs. I would never let anyone like that near my daughter.”
“He was arrested for drug offences in the past,” says Craig coldly.
“In the past!”
“Okay.” Carol sets her pen on the table. “I do have to make a note of the allegation, Cerys. The child’s welfare is at the heart of any decisions made. But I would urge you to make a decision between yourselves and I can help you mediate this.”
“I want Ella with me,” says Craig.
“No. You hardly contacted her, and then suddenly want her around all the time? You work full time and are on call at all hours. Who would look after Ella?”
“She starts school in September and my mum... her grandmother will help,” says Craig to Carol, ignoring me. “Visiting Ella on the odd weekend isn’t enough.”
“Why don’t you discuss sharing care of Ella so she can stay alternate weeks, or something similar?” suggests Carol.
“No! Craig, this isn’t fair. Don’t disrupt Ella’s life. If you want, you can see her every weekend.”
“Oh, yeah, that’d suit you—leave the weekends free for you and that loser.”
I focus on the picture hanging behind Carol, an abstract painting covered in circles of bright oil colours. Why is he doing this? I fight down the tightening anxiety in my chest.
“Craig, I’m happy to arrange something reasonable with you, but please don’t make this a battle.”
“She lives with me,” he says firmly.
“I have to agree with Cerys that coming to a mutual agreement is a lot simpler than taking things further,” Carol says.
“Taking things further?” I ask.
“If you can’t come to an agreement and don’t agree to full mediation to solve this, the next step would be court involvement. I would strongly advise you avoid that.”
Craig twists to look at me. “This is about more than the drugs and lifestyle. What if this relationship becomes serious? Would you move overseas? Then how would I see Ella?”
I blink. “We’re nowhere near that stage!”
Craig looks back to Carol. “Can I stop her mother taking my daughter away to another country?”
“That situation is something that would need to be addressed if it arose, and would depend on Ella’s residency arrangements at the time. If Cerys doesn’t have sole parental responsibility, she would need your permission, yes.”
