Chapter 14 - Sarah makes it worse
I broke the contact rules.
Not intentionally.
Still.
After one visit, Leo came home saying:
“Marcus says he only wanted the money so he could keep being my dad.”
I snapped.
“He wanted three hundred thousand dollars for his business.”
Leo froze.
I heard myself.
Too late.
“That was not yours to hear like that.”
“But you said it.”
“I know.”
He ran upstairs.
Dr. Porter was furious with me.
“You made Leo adjudicate motive.”
“I corrected a lie.”
“You could have reported it to the supervisor.”
“He brought it home.”
“And you answered from anger.”
Yes.
Then Marcus’s lawyer filed a complaint in guardianship court that I was poisoning contact.
I wanted to call him a hypocrite.
My lawyer, Dana Reeves, stopped me.
“We answer with facts.”
Supervisor had already warned Marcus against framing insurance as necessary to remain Leo’s father.
Now I had violated the same principle from the other side.
Judge Ellis admonished both of us.
“Leo is nine. He is not a jury.”
Correct.
Then visitation changed.
A therapist joined some sessions.
Not because Marcus was dangerous.
Because the adult conflict had become heavy.
Leo met Marcus.
First therapeutic session.
Marcus said:
“I’m sorry I talked to you about the money.”
Leo:
“Did you steal it?”
Marcus looked toward therapist.
She said:
“You can answer simply.”
Marcus:
“I tried to change who got Mom’s insurance without her permission. The court said it still belongs to your trust.”
“Why?”
“I was scared.”
“Of what?”
“My business failing. Losing you.”
Leo hugged his teddy bear.
“You already lost me?”
Marcus’s face broke.
“No.”
“Then stop saying that.”
There.
Children sometimes find the shortest sentence.
Then me.
I apologized to Leo.
“I should not have told you the amount when I was angry.”
“Three hundred thousand.”
Of course he remembered.
“Yes.”
“Is that a lot?”
“Yes.”
“More than your house?”
“No.”
“More than Marcus’s truck?”
“Definitely.”
He almost smiled.
Then:
“Did Mom leave it to me because she thought Marcus was bad?”
“No.”
That I knew.
“She set up your trust before the insurance problem.”
“Then why?”
“So money and parenting would be separate.”
He thought.
“That was smart.”
“Yes.”
Rachel had been right about structure.
Even when her way of hiding the phone had been unfair to Leo.
I told him that too.
“Your mom should not have made you wait by the casket for the sound.”
He looked shocked.
“Why?”
“Because that was an adult job.”
“She trusted me.”
“Yes.”
“And she also put something scary on you.”
He thought for a long time.
Then:
“I was scared.”
May you like
“I know.”
That was the first time he admitted it.
