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Mitch
I nervously checked the time again in the quiet comfort of my home office. I counted the minutes until my two o'clock meeting with the contractor while dreading the upcoming Zoom call with my lawyer. The usually soothing blue walls felt overwhelming as if they were closing in on me with each passing minute. My nerves, tense as a piano wire, caused an involuntary eye twitch. The prospect of fatherhood, a role I had never seriously contemplated, now filled my thoughts, stirring a whirlwind of mixed emotions inside me.
On family leave from my position at Rosedale, the silence in the room was unsettling, like a foreign invader. The sounds of my typical workday was conspicuously absent, leaving me exposed and vulnerable. The enormity of my situation hadn't entirely settled into the marrow of my bones, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was out of my depth.
As the seconds stretched into eternity, my heart thundered against my ribcage, and my breaths became shallow and rapid. My thoughts ricocheted between the intimidating prospect of parenthood and the uncertain future with Amy.
The familiar jingle of the virtual call sliced through the silence, jolting me from my spiraling thoughts. I swallowed hard, attempting to collect myself as my attorney's pixelated face materialized on the screen. The weight of the world seemed to rest on the outcome of this conversation, and I summoned the courage to confront it head-on.
"Hey, Mitch, good to see you," Angelo, my attorney, greeted me with a warm smile, but his affable demeanor failed to quell the tempest within me.
"Hi, Angelo. Nice to meet you," I responded, my voice strained and tense. I fiddled with the corner of my notepad, avoiding his digital gaze.
Angelo cleared his throat. "So, let's get down to brass tacks. I think it'd be best if you came out to Vail and met me face-to-face. There's more to this than just inking some documents and taking custody of little Ava."
My stomach roiled at the thought of the murky unknowns ahead. "What do you mean?"
"Well, for starters, you'll need to submit a DNA sample to confirm paternity. And the judge wants to meet with both you and Ava's mother, Nicole. He wants to make sure she hasn't had a change of heart about relinquishing custody."
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, attempting to absorb the information. My hands quivered as I pondered the implications. Was I truly equipped for this?
Angelo's voice reeled me back to the present. "I know it's a lot to process, Mitch. But we also need to present a plan for how you'll care for Ava. The judge will want to hear about it."
"I... I didn't realize there would be so much involved," I confessed, my voice cracking.
Angelo's eyes softened with understanding. "Mitch, it's a hell of a burden. We'll tackle this together, but preparation is key."
I managed a jerky nod, my throat tightening as I considered the enormity of raising Ava and maintaining a connection with Amy. It felt as if the weight of the world was pressing down on me, and I couldn't shake the icy tendrils of dread coiling in my gut.
I cleared my throat, my voice a hesitant rasp. "Angelo, what sort of legal fees am I looking at?"
He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Well, Mitch, cases like this can get pricey. I charge $400 an hour, and we could be looking at several weeks, maybe longer. I know it's a lot, but you need to know what you're up against."
My stomach plummeted as I mentally tallied the potential expenses. Suppose Rosedale couldn't recover the grant money or drum up more clients. How would I cover legal fees, renovations, and a nanny's salary?
Amy hadn't answered my calls for two days. What did that mean for us? My thoughts raced, a whirlwind of uncertainty as I struggled to reconcile my unexpected fatherhood with the life I'd built.
As the call with Angelo wrapped up, I faced the stark truth that my world was on the cusp of irrevocable change.
Glancing at my watch, I had under an hour to grab a bite and finish my rough designs for the bungalow addition and a security fence with cameras. In a rush, I slapped together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and snorted. I hadn't made a PBJ in years, usually opting for peanut butter on crackers or in a smoothie. I couldn't help but wonder how many PBJs I'd end up making for my lovely daughter.
While eating, I sketched out a quick blueprint for another bathroom near the bedroom I planned to turn into a nursery, which could later become a little girl's room. I finished lunch and scrutinized the drawings one last time before the contractor, Billy, arrived.
It wasn't long before a pickup truck rumbled up the driveway. "Thanks for coming at such short notice," I told Billy, shaking his hand.
"Hey, no problem." Billy surveyed my rough sketches, struggling to suppress a chuckle. "Mitch, I like your gusto, but let me offer some tweaks." He proposed several ideas that immediately resonated with me, his experience evident in every suggestion.
"The open concept you've got here will make the space feel bigger," Billy said, indicating my designs. "But what if we added a pocket door between the nursery and the new bathroom? It'll offer easy access and extra privacy."
I nodded, impressed by his insight, and wondered if Amy would be as captivated by these ideas as I was and whether she would be a part of our lives in the future. The moment Billy mentioned his estimated fee, my face turned pale, and I trembled like a leaf in a storm. "Well, it's a rough estimate, but I reckon the renovations might set you back around $75,000," he cautiously suggested.
The crushing weight of those mounting costs hit me like a sledgehammer, and I knew I had to make it work for Ava's sake and my own. I swallowed hard, striving to keep my cool. "All right, let's see what we can do to pull this off," I declared, attempting to sound self-assured while my gut stirred with trepidation.
As Billy droned on about the remodel, suggesting further modifications that could prove advantageous, my thoughts swam in a fog. "We could incorporate built-in storage in the nursery, giving the room an uncluttered feel and saving space. And energy-efficient windows and insulation would trim down heating and cooling expenses in the long run…."
Despite my anxiety, I found my enthusiasm for the project growing, imagining Ava thriving in this cozy, welcoming haven. But just as I was about to green light the endeavor, the necessity for increased security came crashing back.
"Ah, Billy, I nearly let the security system and the fencing slip my mind. How much would those add to the bill?"
