Текст книги "Untangle Me"

Автор книги: Chelle Bliss

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

Now what?

I stared at the screen reading the message over and over again, unable to really believe the words. I had been invited to interview for a position with UPS. I chewed on my thumb nail, reading through the details. The background check would be ordered if I was selected as a candidate for hire. Could I pass it?

“Sophia, I got an interview,” I said to her, trying not to sound too excited.

“Really, where?” she asked, putting down her book and turning toward me.

“With UPS, do you think I have any hope of being hired?” I asked her. “I don’t want to get my hopes up. They haven’t done a background check yet.”

“Their requirements may be different, so it’s worth a shot. Worst that’ll happen is they tell you is no,” she said to me. She was right and I knew it. I had nothing to lose.

“You’re right, it’s on Saturday. Can you drop me off?” I asked her.

“Yes, baby. I’ll bring you to the interview. I’m so excited,” she said with a smile, bouncing up and down on the bed. “Maybe things are finally starting to turn around.”

“It’s a nice thought. I’ll ask at the interview what their requirements are,” I said, trying to think how to broach the topic of my arrest at the interview.

Sophia dropped me off at the door, but I felt like a slob. Some people wore suits, but others were more casual than me. I didn’t own a suit and didn’t have the money to buy one for interviews. I pieced together some clothes I salvaged from New Orleans, some gray pants and a golf shirt. The lined stretched out the door and I took my place at the end.

Me: Fuck, there are a lot of people here.

Sophia: Don’t worry baby. They’re hiring for all locations in the Bay area. There’s plenty of work to go around. They’re going to love you.

A man stepped outside, cupping his hands around his mouth. “The interview process today will take between two to three hours. If you can’t stay for that length of time, you can leave now.” Some men stepped out of line and walked to their cars. I felt sick waiting in line, my nerves were on edge. I didn’t want to talk about my arrest, but I needed to know my chances of landing this job.

Me: A guy just announced I’ll be here around 3 hours. I’m sorry beautiful.

Sophia: That’s fine, I’ll go shopping. Stay there and knock their socks off sexy.

I made my way through the various stations and paperwork checks. I sat in the waiting room, shaking my foot uncontrollably, to be called by the head of Human Resources. I kept playing over possible ways to ask about the background check without sounding like a lifelong criminal.

“Mr. Michaels?” a woman called from the doorway. I blinked taking a moment to realize she was calling my name, before standing and following behind her. The interview started relatively well, she read over my application and questioned me about my work experience. While I spoke she flipped through my paper work, stopping on a spot and began to tap her pen.

“I see here, Mr. Michaels, that you’ve been arrested. Tell me about it,” she said

My palms began to sweat as I rubbed them together thinking before I answered. “I was arrested and charged with Criminal Mischief.”

“Is it a misdemeanor or a felony?” she asked. She chewed on her pen as she waited for my answer.

“Misdemeanor, ma’am,” I answered as my heart pounded violently in my chest.

“Were you found guilty?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, adjudication was withheld.” I responded.

“It shouldn’t be an issue then, misdemeanors are often over looked, but felonies are the kiss of death.” She quickly read over the rest of my application, “Look for an email in the next 24 hours. The candidates we’ve chosen to move forward will receive an email with directions.” She stood up and extended her hand to me.

“Thank you, ma’am, I look forward to that email.” I said with a wink. I could usually charm the panties off any woman, but today my goal was a job. She blushed and I shook her hand lightly and smiled. I felt confident that I would get that email, I always interviewed well with women.

I left the interview feeling upbeat and found Sophia waiting for me in the parking lot. She smiled as I entered the car. “How did it go, sweetheart?” she asked, leaning over for a kiss.

“Really well, I think I got the job actually, if I can pass the background check,” I said, rifling through the papers they handed me during the interview. “I’ll get an email tomorrow if I’m selected to move forward in the hiring process.”

I became obsessed with my email; I wanted this job, I needed it. Every time my phone dinged I jumped to check it. Just when I was about to give up hope, it arrived.

“I got it, Sophia,” I said still slightly in shock. “I have to fill out the background check agreement and take a drug test.”

“Congratulations, baby… You’ll get it, I just know it.” She wrapped her arms around me and placed a kiss on my cheek.

“I have ten days to submit the background check and get the drug test.” I read off the email confirmation. The possibility of being denied still weighed heavily on my mind. The end of my probation drew near and I didn’t know how it would end. I felt the world shifting; favoring me for once. Maybe now was the time to contact my probation officer about Lisa’s harassment. I didn’t have anything to fucking lose.

She’s back

I fidgeted, unable to stop, as Kayden talked to his probation officer on speakerphone. The officer explained that he would be in violation of probation if he didn’t pay the remaining restitution by the end of next week…a warrant would be issued for his arrest. He pleaded with the man. My stomach twisted and turned listening to the conversation. Didn’t anyone have any compassion anymore? He couldn’t have an active warrant during the background check process.

“Mr. Haas, can I get an extension?” Kayden asked.

“No extensions are given. You’ll have to turn yourself in and ask the judge for leniency.”

I put my head in my hands, trying to hide my reaction. I wanted to cry, but uneasiness settled in stripping me of any tears. I felt the light at the end of the tunnel being snuffed out before my eyes. I couldn’t just sit there passively anymore; I opened my laptop and searched for probation laws in Florida. There had to be a way around it, a way for him to avoid arrest.

“Can I make an appointment to meet with you sometime this week?” Kayden asked.

“Sure, if you feel it’s necessary. How about Wednesday, at one?” Mr. Hass replied.

“I’ll be there, see you then,” Kayden replied waiting for a response before ending the call.

The sound of an incoming message drew my attention away from my screen and to Kayden’s phone, but I couldn’t see the screen.

“Is it her?” I asked. Could this day get any worse?

“Yes,” he said, he huffed while reading the message on her screen. “She’s such a bitch.”

“Let me see what she said, this time,” I said, holding out my hand.

Tammy: I would’ve had the court forgive your restitution Kayden, but you let Sophia send in your last payment... She sealed your fate. I would’ve done everything I could to clear your name, but you hurt my feelings. I’ll make that bitch pay, you’re just a casualty.

“Kayden, you need to show everything she has sent you the last couple of months to Mr. Haas,” I said to him. She needed to finally feel some consequences of her actions. “Doesn’t hurt to try, you know? Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

“I don’t think it will make a difference, but I’m going to try,” he said to me as he took the phone back.

“Let’s print everything out. Maybe we can get this all straightened out before the end of your probation and your background check is completed,” I said, getting up to turn on the printer.

I grabbed my phone off the counter as I walked out of the kitchen. Switching the screen on I stopped, shock overcoming me… Kayden was no longer her only target

“I have a message, too. She just doesn’t fucking give up,” I said as I unlocked my phone.

Lisa: When Kayden is arrested, it’ll be because of you bitch. I’m going to send the cops to your house, your parents’ house, and any address I find that is connected to you until they find him. Remember, it’s because of you that he’ll be sitting in jail. I’ll wreck your life, Sophia. Kayden will be mine again… He will always love me. You’re just a financial means to his survival.

I swallowed hard with her words; I knew they weren’t true, but the sting no less painful. Had she just threatened me? Lisa was totally delusional if she thought that Kayden would come back to her. I’d make sure that wouldn’t happen.

“Do I even want to know what she wrote?” Kayden asked.

“Not really, but we’ll print it, too. Find that pink envelope she sent you in New Orleans. We’re going to leave tonight. I don’t want to wait two days to meet with him. It’s your only hope,” I said. I could feel my blood begin to boil every time I thought about that bitch. I wanted to knee her in the face and I’ve never been the violent type. Someone had to fucking stop her, and I was up for the challenge. I’d go with him, help him. I had a solid job and a college education, people always trusted a librarian.

Walking through the front door of his mother’s the smell of freshly baked stuff peppers assaulted my sense. My stomach rumbled after a road trip filled with coffee and junk food. She ran to the door, wrapping us in her arms and kissing our cheeks.

“It’s so good to see you two. I’ve missed you. I made your favorite Kayden—stuffed red peppers and homemade mashed potatoes.” My mouth salivated as she spoke.

“The bitch sent me a message today,” his mother said as we sat down at the table.

I lost my appetite, bile rose in my throat. She invaded our lives and ruined even the simplest thing.

“What did she want?” Kayden asked.

“Here, read it for yourself,” she said as she handed Kayden her tablet.

Kayden didn’t say a word as he read the messages with furrowed brows. He passed the tablet to me and I was stunned by her acidic words.

Lisa: I’ll send the police everywhere to find your son. You can’t hide him, either can his girlfriend. It’ll be hard for him to run without a truck.

“That bitch, she had your truck towed,” I said handing the tablet back to his mother.

My stomach twisted as I excused myself from the table, leaving Kayden and his mother to talk.

He’d become a fixture in my life, part of my existence, and she was trying to tear us apart. Tears streamed down my face as Kayden walked into the bedroom. He wrapped me in his arms, comforting me. “Everything will be okay, don’t cry, baby,” he said, sorrow filling his eyes.

Probation

I barely slept, nervous about meeting with my probation officer. Everything hinged on his course of action—my job and my future. I stared out the window regretting every moment I ever spent with Lisa. I couldn’t lie there anymore and make myself crazy. I peeled Sophia off slowly, covering her body with a blanket.

I rested my hands on the counter, patiently waiting for the coffee to brew. I filled my cup when the glass carafe had just enough to fill it. I’d never been much of a coffee drinker, but Sophia survived on the shit. The cold cement floor of the lanai made me move quickly across the space to an empty chair.

I couldn’t waste any more time or put off placing the phone call to Mr. Haas, my probation officer, I needed to get my life straightened out. He had my fate in his hands. I held my breath as the phone began to ring.

“Mr. Haas,” he said sounding annoyed.

“Good morning, Mr. Haas, it’s Kayden. I need to speak with you today, it can’t wait until tomorrow. Do you have an appointment available?” I asked, hoping that it would be early to avoid waiting around all day, worrying.

“Just come on in, my morning is pretty light. I’ll be here all day,” he said.

“I’ll be in shortly. See you soon, and Mr. Haas... thank you.” The phone disconnected.

“When are we leaving?” she asked startling me.

I didn’t hear her open the lanai door. “Let’s have some coffee and get ready. He said we can come anytime.”

“Good. The quicker we take care of her, the better.” She smiled at me while stretching as I walked toward her.

“I love you,” I said, kissing her forehead. What would Mr. Haas say about all of the messages? I wanted everything to be over with already. I wanted to move on with my life, the life I built with Sophia.

My skin crawled as we walked through the door of the probation office—it reminded me of the shittiest time in my life. I squeezed my hands into tight fists trying to release the tension my entire body felt. I signed in with shaky fingers before sitting next to Sophia in the waiting room.

“What are those people here for?” she asked, looking at a separate line off to the side.

“They’re here to register, I had to do the same thing,” I said, glancing over at the line.

An old woman sat in the chair at the counter, and the woman behind the glass began questioning her. “Ma’am, what are you being placed on probation for?” the woman behind the glass asked.

“DUI,” the old woman stated. Sophia watched in fascination as the two women carried on a conversation.

“I can’t believe that. The poor woman, she looks harmless—how embarrassing,” Sophia said as she squeezed my arm.

The door opened next to the receptionist area, my blood turning icy as Mr. Haas stepped into the waiting area. He approached the clipboard, running his finger down the page before stopping. He turned around looking through the crowd.

“Mr. Michaels,” he stated.

“Here,” I said before standing.

“Follow me.” Mr. Haas turned around to head for the door.

“May I bring my girlfriend Sophia back to your office? I don’t want to leave her out here.”

“Yes,” he said before disappearing behind the door.

I held Sophia’s hand giving it a squeeze as I opened the door for us. I needed her with me; she was my strength and courage. Mr. Haas waited for us just inside, another man by his side. They turned in our direction as we approached.

“This is Mr. Michaels,” he said pointing at me “This is Mr. Ramirez—he’s the supervisor of this office,” Haas said.

“Good, are you here to pay your restitution? Ms. Jackson has been calling my office non-stop, complaining about you, and wanting you arrested immediately,” he said. Either one of them could issue an arrest warrant at any time; it had been months since I paid a restitution payment. I felt ill about the entire situation, sweat forming on my face. I balled my hand in a fist, squeezing to release my tension.

“Not exactly. I’m here to talk to Mr. Haas about Ms. Jackson. She’s been harassing Sophia, my mother, and me for months,” I said.

“Let’s go to his office, so that we can talk in private,” Mr. Ramirez stated. We walked behind the two men, Sophia giving me a look of hope, as we sat down.

“What’s going on Kayden?” Mr. Haas asked.

“Lisa—she just won’t stop. She’s been sending messages to all of us. She’s threatening Sophia and me. We printed out the messages and brought along the letter she sent to me in New Orleans. I’ve never given her my address, yet she tracked me down,” I told the men as I removed the papers from a folder. “Here is everything she’s sent us, but some are from a person using the name Tammy, but it’s Lisa. I blocked her account and her ability to contact me, but she found a way around it.”

I placed the papers on the desk with shaky hands, spreading them out to show the large number of messages. “Wow, there’s a lot here,” Haas said as he grabbed the stack, handing some pieces to Ramirez.

“Sophia, did you know Ms. Jackson before Kayden?” Ramirez asked.

“No, Kayden told me about her and what happened, though. She sent this message to my phone months ago. It was my first contact with her,” she stated picking up the piece of paper that held a picture of Lisa and I. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt and I placed my hand over them to calm her.

“When was this photo taken Kayden?” Haas asked.

“It was taken years ago when Lisa and I were a couple.” I replied.

I watched intently, studying their faces as they read her words. I swallowed hard knowing that I had responded to her messages and could’ve just opened a massive fucking shit storm that wouldn’t turn out good for me. They looked at each other conveying some silent message I couldn’t decipher. “Could you both step outside and give us a moment to talk, please?” Ramirez asked.

“Yes, sir,” I said, squeezing Sophia’s hand motioning towards the door with my head. I leaned up against the wall across from the door, holding out my hand for Sophia. I wrapped her in my arms

“Maybe they’ll help you, Kayden, they have to see how crazy she is,” Sophia said nuzzling her face in my neck. I felt more hopeful than I did when we walked in the building, they didn’t say no yet.

“Maybe, baby doll. I don’t want to get my hopes up though. We’ll find out soon enough,” I told her squeezing her tighter against me. We stood there in silence, holding each other.

A few moments later, the door opened and Mr. Ramirez stood in the doorway.

The door creaked open drawing our attention away from each other. “Please come back inside,” Ramirez asked.

As we sat down he began to speak. “Mr. Haas and I have reviewed all of the messages and discussed the next course of action. First, you both need to go downstairs and apply for a restraining order against Ms. Jackson,” he said holding the papers in his hand. “We’re going to make copies of the messages, and you need to bring them with you as proof of her harassment.”

“Okay. We’ll do that as soon as we leave here,” I said, my hope increasing that this fucking nightmare may end soon.

“We’ll be sharing this information with the judge that handled your case. It’ll be up to her now to proceed with your case. She’ll find it very interesting that Ms. Jackson said she was willing to forgive your payments if not for Sophia. We have confirmation that you lost your job months ago and are unable to pay the remaining restitution. All other aspects of your probation have been completed. When we hear from the judge we’ll contact you with her decision,” Mr. Ramirez stated.

“What are the possible outcomes?” Sophia asked, sitting forward in her seat.

“Well, the judge can violate Kayden due to non-payment of restitution or the violation of the no-contact order. There are a few messages where you responded to the defendant, but she did initiate the contact. Second, she can end the probation due to unemployment and financial hardship. It’ll all be up to her,” he replied.

“I’ll be waiting for the call, and we’ll go file the restraining order immediately,” I said reaching out to shake their hands.

“One more question, gentleman,” Sophia said rising from her seat. “How long will this process take? Kayden has a pending background check and this is his first real shot of employment. It’s vital that it’s dealt with in a timely manner.” She was always confident and comfortable when talking to others.

“Mr. Haas will walk the paperwork to the judge’s office immediately and speak with her, he’ll let her know the importance of this being handled in a timely manner.”

“Can’t I ask Janet to do it for me?” Haas asked looking over at Ramirez obviously annoyed.

“You have a report with the judge, Haas, I would like you to do it. Explain the situation and you have an in-depth knowledge of both Ms. Jackson and Mr. Michaels.” Ramirez stated firmly.

“We will speak soon, Mr. Michaels,” Mr. Ramirez reaching out to shake my hand. I felt as if a giant weight lifted off my shoulders as I walked out the door to the probation office.

For a moment I felt hopeful, but not overly excited. The judge could still find me in violation and order my arrest immediately. I didn’t know what I’d do if I were arrested. Would Sophia leave me? She didn’t deserve this mess in her life, my mess. She’s good and innocent and didn’t understand how unforgiving the court system could be.

We filed for the temporary restraining order, giving the original printouts of the messages that Lisa had sent. She’d be served with the papers in the next couple of days and would have to stop or face being arrested. This might send her over the edge and a lump formed in my throat. I wanted to be free of her, but didn’t want her to go fucking whacko.

I fidgeted with my phone, keeping it in my hands, making sure I didn’t miss a call as Sophia drove towards home. “You’re going to make yourself nuts. Stop looking at it,” Sophia said.

“I’m so nervous, Sophia. What if I’m arrested... What would happen to us?” asked.

“That’s not going to happen, silly. The judge will see her for what she really is,” she reassured me.

My phone began to ring and I stared at it—afraid of the news I might hear.

“Pick it up, Kayden,” Sophia said as she smacked my arm to snap me out of my thoughts.

“Hello,” I said as I switched the phone to speaker.

“Kayden, I just heard back from the judge,” Haas stated.

“Okay … and?” I asked… why couldn’t he just blurt it out for shit’s sake?

“The judge has decided to end your probation due to financial hardship. She also took into consideration the harassment and statements made by Ms. Jackson… her willingness to forgive the remaining monies owed,” he stated.

“Wow, I can’t believe it. Thank you, Mr. Haas,” I said in disbelief.

“Your probation is officially over. The original ruling in your case was Adjudication of Guilt withheld until the terms of your probation were satisfied. It’s been converted to not guilty and you’re now free and clear,” Mr. Haas stated.

“I don’t know how to repay you,” I told him as tears formed in my eyes.

“You can repay me by never being placed on my caseload again, Mr. Michaels,” Mr. Haas said with a chuckle.

“I can do that, sir. Thank you, again,” I said wiping away a tear as it trickled down my cheek.

“Oh my God, Kayden, that’s amazing news. What a fucking relief,” Sophia said, her eyes glistening with emotion.

“Thank you for convincing me to talk with Mr. Haas. I might’ve been sitting in jail if it weren’t for you,” I told her as I kissing her fingers. I felt like I could breathe again. The black cloud had finally moved on. I was finally free of my past and the bitch.