COMING SOON “I Want To Know My Future” By Linda Dipman
Elizabeth’s heartbeat quickened and her breathing took on an accelerated pace. “Oh my God, help!” she pleaded in prayer. Before her eyes only a short block away were Tori and her parents being handcuffed outside their former rental home in an upscale suburb of Denver, Colorado.
It was a perfect autumn day with the aspen leaves changing to beautiful fall colors of yellow and orange. The brilliant sun was slowly ebbing behind the snowcapped front range of the Rocky Mountains. Elizabeth would have enjoyed the glorious sunset if it weren’t for the constant fear of being caught for running away with her children. For the past year she had been fighting for fair custody of her three children in a small rural town in the middle of Kansas. She had won residential custody at first, but her ex-husband, Eric, his family, and church fought back, forcing the court to reconsider its original custody arrangement. They still stung as she recalled the devastating words from the phone conversation she had with her lawyer; she was given two weeks to turn over her children to her ex-husband. He was given sole custody and complete control over visitation. He was not required to let her see her kids at all.
Shocked over the severity of the verdict, Elizabeth pleaded to her attorney. “Can you file an appeal and schedule a new court date immediately?”
Fred, her lawyer, hot with anger fired back. He was still reeling inside from utter disbelief over Judge Ferguson’s decree. “It will take up to two years to file an appeal,” he said empathically. The conversation ended and the phone went dead.
Fred was fed up with the judge and his outrageous, unfair verdict. Even though he liked Elizabeth, he’d lied to her about the appeal process because the decree proved that she would never get a fair custody arrangement in the prejudiced small town of Winfield. Silently he plotted that tomorrow he would make up an excuse to quit as her attorney. This case just wasn’t worth the money she was paying him or the headaches he was feeling from the injustices in the court. It was an election year for Judge Ferguson. Eric, her ex-husband, had too many eligible voters on his side pressuring the court to rule in his favor, and Elizabeth would never win, Fred reasoned as he planned his excuses for resigning as her attorney.
Elizabeth’s heartbeat quickened and her breathing took on an accelerated pace. “Oh my God, help!” she pleaded in prayer. Before her eyes only a short block away were Tori and her parents being handcuffed outside their former rental home in an upscale suburb of Denver, Colorado.
It was a perfect autumn day with the aspen leaves changing to beautiful fall colors of yellow and orange. The brilliant sun was slowly ebbing behind the snowcapped front range of the Rocky Mountains. Elizabeth would have enjoyed the glorious sunset if it weren’t for the constant fear of being caught for running away with her children. For the past year she had been fighting for fair custody of her three children in a small rural town in the middle of Kansas. She had won residential custody at first, but her ex-husband, Eric, his family, and church fought back, forcing the court to reconsider its original custody arrangement. They still stung as she recalled the devastating words from the phone conversation she had with her lawyer; she was given two weeks to turn over her children to her ex-husband. He was given sole custody and complete control over visitation. He was not required to let her see her kids at all.
Shocked over the severity of the verdict, Elizabeth pleaded to her attorney. “Can you file an appeal and schedule a new court date immediately?”
Fred, her lawyer, hot with anger fired back. He was still reeling inside from utter disbelief over Judge Ferguson’s decree. “It will take up to two years to file an appeal,” he said empathically. The conversation ended and the phone went dead.
Fred was fed up with the judge and his outrageous, unfair verdict. Even though he liked Elizabeth, he’d lied to her about the appeal process because the decree proved that she would never get a fair custody arrangement in the prejudiced small town of Winfield. Silently he plotted that tomorrow he would make up an excuse to quit as her attorney. This case just wasn’t worth the money she was paying him or the headaches he was feeling from the injustices in the court. It was an election year for Judge Ferguson. Eric, her ex-husband, had too many eligible voters on his side pressuring the court to rule in his favor, and Elizabeth would never win, Fred reasoned as he planned his excuses for resigning as her attorney.
