The county jailhouse counselor was helping Landon deal with his demons. Dreams buried deep in one’s heart send out a lot of shrapnel when detonated.
When served with divorce papers, Landon showed little emotion. He missed his kids, but put the blame on Wendy.
Landon’s attorney turned out to be quite good. After four months, Landon pled guilty to reckless endangerment. With his sentence reduced to time served, he was released although still subject to five years parole and completing anger management courses. The restraining order, protecting Wendy from Landon, remained in place.
Upon his release, Landon’s parents picked him up. They stayed for two weeks and arranged two visits with his kids. The divorce would take a few more months. Every time he heard Wendy’s name, his buried anger would start to surface again. He was getting better at forgetting her.
With a cheap Tracfone, he started looking for a job. Nothing he could find would pay remotely close to what his projected child support amounted to. Wendy was also petitioning for maintenance and housing. It was tough finding a good job so he didn’t. He worked odd jobs earning enough to pay for his tiny trailer and a steady supply of liquor. He’d already lost close to thirty pounds and changed his wardrobe at the thrift store.
Landon always made his parole meetings as scheduled. His parole officer suggested he find a therapist. Landon told him he would as soon as a free one showed up.
The trailer park turned out to be a cauldron of drama. Who’s cheating who? Who’s being true? It occurred to Landon that this was no different than what he left behind.
A lady who always wore sweats made a point of flipping him off whenever he said ‘Hi’ to her as she walked by getting her exercise. Finally one day the lady had had enough.
“What is your problem? Maybe you don’t understand what this means” as she flipped him off again.
“Probably not I suppose. I just assumed you were showing me that you hadn’t shoved it up your ass yet today.”
“You men are all fucking pigs. Stay away from me.”
“Well you women are all lying cheating whores, so I’ll have no problem with that.”
She stood staring daggers at him before reaching for her cigarettes “Name’s Betty. Got a light?”
“Don’t smoke. You shouldn’t either. Name’s Landon. How long you lived here?”
“A few years I guess. You?”
“Since middle of last month. I can offer you a cup of coffee or something stronger.”
“No thanks. I mean thanks but no thanks. See you around.”
“I’ll try not to say ‘Hi'”
“I’ll try not to flip you off.”
Both were said with slight smiles.
Over the next couple of weeks, they continued to spar like the early rounds of a boxing match. Test, but don’t leave yourself exposed. Landon finally made the first move.
“Betty, I kind of miss human touch. Would you mind sitting so we could lean our backs against each other?”
Betty squinted one eye, and then scooted next to Landon. Silently their backs pressed into each other. Ten minutes worth. Landon was glad Betty couldn’t see his face as his eyes were misting over.
“I need to go” as Betty left rapidly.
At their next meeting, it was Betty’s turn to make a move.
“Look asshole. Don’t go getting any ideas, but could I ask you for a hug?”
It was awkward, but her head wiggled against his chest. They stood silently for a few minutes.
“Thanks asshole.”
“You’re welcome bitch.”
Surprising them both, Betty gave Landon a quick peck on the cheek and left rapidly again.
+ + + +
Wendy’s parents were very disappointed in their daughter, and let her know in no uncertain terms. Her uppity friends had long since become scarce. Juggling her schedule, as a single parent, was proving to be overwhelming. Fearing Landon’s possible reaction, Wendy refused to date or ever even be seen with another man in a social setting. Her whispered ‘It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way’ was wearing thin.
Landon’s parents hired a therapist for him. Landon never intended to make life so difficult for his children, but his visitation was limited due to the restraining order. Wendy, against her parents’ wishes, had the restraining order lifted. She’d been keeping tabs on Landon through his mother. That being said, she planned to tell Landon personally about the restraining order. She knew when his next parole meeting was and planned to ambush him afterwards.
His eyes were cold and emotionless when he spotted her “What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I’ve cancelled the restraining order. I need your help raising the children. I can’t do it myself. They miss you.”
“Well I miss them too. You, not so much.”
“Understood. What would think about shared custody? I watch them for two weeks and then you watch them for two weeks.”
“I got no room as I’m living in a really small trailer.”
“We could swap. You could stay in my apartment with the kids and I’d live in the trailer.”
Landon stood silently, for a little longer than made Wendy comfortable.
She kept the conversation alive “Can I buy you a scone or coffee?”
Landon was somewhat surprised that he didn’t what to choke the life out of Wendy. In fact, he realized his rage had faded. He didn’t see Wendy as a woman, just another social worker. He’d been through a bunch of them so far.
After an hour working out details, they parted amicably.
For the next six months, the arrangement worked well. Landon cut back on the drinking to only a few nights when he was lonely in his trailer. He was always sober around his children. They made his life bearable.