can do about it!” She then walks by him, leaving other Officers
laughing and leaving me sitting there looking stupid. I sat there grimacing at the thought of
ending up like him.
I wondered to myself why my wife decided to take me to Child
Support. I mean I bought the kids school
clothes. Every Christmas or birthday
either me or one of the grandmothers bought them
gifts. So they were always taken care of
one way or another. As I sat there still
pondering why she did it, I gave myself a look over. Messed up hair cut - check, bumy clothes on -
check, no jewelry and unshaved check - check and most importantly my Timberland
shoebox full of “please be enough to save my ass” receipts. I was advised by other Officers, while I was
sitting down with them telling them all of my business, not to come to court
appearing to have a lot of money and doing well for myself. At this time the Court Officer comes out and
calls out our names. We both stand up
and walk over to the entrance. I give a
hand gesture like ladies first and she proceeds. Once we get inside the court room we are
ushered to stand behind a table that is equipped with two microphones so that
we each have our own when it’s our turn to speak. We both are instructed to state our names and
when we do, the festivities begin.
The Judge states that we are here to settle the issue of
child support for our kids and then he states their names. I get an uneasy feeling about the way he says
“we” but just has his eyes, which are peaking over glasses, focused on
“me.” Then he states that we have been
coming back and forth with this issue and that we hoped to resolve it
today. My wife had missed a couple of
dates due to her pregnancy so the Judge asked me if I accept her excuse for
missing the dates and I said, “Yes.” My
thoughts were that if I said no she would go and petition for child support all
over again anyway so let’s just get this shit over with. He said, “Good,” then asked me if I brought
the items that the court ordered me to bring. I said, “Yes,” and take the papers out of my shoebox. I fix them neatly then hand them to the Court
Officer.
“Mr. Heyward is your W-2 and pay stubs in this pile of
papers?” asked the Judge sarcastically.
“Yes, sir,” I said
“Good,” he said, “So that way we won’t waste time.”
He then pulled out those two pieces of paper and brushed the rest to the side. Then he started in on his large calculator
and all you heard was him punching those buttons a-mile-a-minute. I got a little agitated because it seemed
like he was not going to consider my receipts that provided proof of my efforts
to be a father to my kids!
“Excuse me, your honor, those are my receipts for all of the
money I spent on my kids,” I said.
At that moment, as soon as those stupid ass words came out
of my mouth, I knew that I had fucked up.
“Mr. Heyward, it appears to me that you have been
misinformed,” he said peering out at me, “We are not here to see if you’re
going to pay child support because that’s already been decided. We are here to decide how much you will
contribute towards the well being of your kids.”
Then he took his glasses off completely and went on saying,
“So many times I have witnessed father after father come into my court room
with folders, briefcases, and of course shoeboxes filled with receipts trying
to prove that they are fit fathers to their children. I see the receipts but then I don’t see them
because a real father would never have to prove something that he should be
doing naturally! You think a bunch of
receipts is going to prove to me that you spend time with your kids? That you go to parent teachers meetings or
attend a school play now and then?” I
tried to interject saying, “But I be at work all the time.” He gave me a look like ‘Mothafucka,
I-did-not-ask-you-to-speak!’ He
laughing and leaving me sitting there looking stupid. I sat there grimacing at the thought of
ending up like him.
I wondered to myself why my wife decided to take me to Child
Support. I mean I bought the kids school
clothes. Every Christmas or birthday
either me or one of the grandmothers bought them
gifts. So they were always taken care of
one way or another. As I sat there still
pondering why she did it, I gave myself a look over. Messed up hair cut - check, bumy clothes on -
check, no jewelry and unshaved check - check and most importantly my Timberland
shoebox full of “please be enough to save my ass” receipts. I was advised by other Officers, while I was
sitting down with them telling them all of my business, not to come to court
appearing to have a lot of money and doing well for myself. At this time the Court Officer comes out and
calls out our names. We both stand up
and walk over to the entrance. I give a
hand gesture like ladies first and she proceeds. Once we get inside the court room we are
ushered to stand behind a table that is equipped with two microphones so that
we each have our own when it’s our turn to speak. We both are instructed to state our names and
when we do, the festivities begin.
The Judge states that we are here to settle the issue of
child support for our kids and then he states their names. I get an uneasy feeling about the way he says
“we” but just has his eyes, which are peaking over glasses, focused on
“me.” Then he states that we have been
coming back and forth with this issue and that we hoped to resolve it
today. My wife had missed a couple of
dates due to her pregnancy so the Judge asked me if I accept her excuse for
missing the dates and I said, “Yes.” My
thoughts were that if I said no she would go and petition for child support all
over again anyway so let’s just get this shit over with. He said, “Good,” then asked me if I brought
the items that the court ordered me to bring. I said, “Yes,” and take the papers out of my shoebox. I fix them neatly then hand them to the Court
Officer.
“Mr. Heyward is your W-2 and pay stubs in this pile of
papers?” asked the Judge sarcastically.
“Yes, sir,” I said
“Good,” he said, “So that way we won’t waste time.”
He then pulled out those two pieces of paper and brushed the rest to the side. Then he started in on his large calculator
and all you heard was him punching those buttons a-mile-a-minute. I got a little agitated because it seemed
like he was not going to consider my receipts that provided proof of my efforts
to be a father to my kids!
“Excuse me, your honor, those are my receipts for all of the
money I spent on my kids,” I said.
At that moment, as soon as those stupid ass words came out
of my mouth, I knew that I had fucked up.
“Mr. Heyward, it appears to me that you have been
misinformed,” he said peering out at me, “We are not here to see if you’re
going to pay child support because that’s already been decided. We are here to decide how much you will
contribute towards the well being of your kids.”
Then he took his glasses off completely and went on saying,
“So many times I have witnessed father after father come into my court room
with folders, briefcases, and of course shoeboxes filled with receipts trying
to prove that they are fit fathers to their children. I see the receipts but then I don’t see them
because a real father would never have to prove something that he should be
doing naturally! You think a bunch of
receipts is going to prove to me that you spend time with your kids? That you go to parent teachers meetings or
attend a school play now and then?” I
tried to interject saying, “But I be at work all the time.” He gave me a look like ‘Mothafucka,
I-did-not-ask-you-to-speak!’ He
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