Saturday, October 22, 2011

Finally Started

Back to the day we were in court.

We didn't get started until 2:30. Bill's attorney alleged that I had retaliated against Bill when I took him off the medical coverage and when I removed him from the life insurance. He said I earn $10,000 a month twelve months of the year and that my dad should be paying $1750 a month to live in the house. He also said I retaliated when I put Bill's cell phone line on hold. That's when I realized why it was that this attorney's 'short matters' in another courtroom had turned into 'long matters'. Bill's attorney can't get to the point. He talks around and around. He slurs his words together a little and is the unfortunate recipient of the gift of poor oratory skills. I have no idea why Bill hired him. He charges $425 an hour and now wants $30,000 in attorney's fees. He used the word 'clearly' a lot, but what I saw was that whenever he said that word, he was about to stretch the truth. It became a 'marker' word. He'd say, "Clearly," and I'd think, "Here comes a lie." It never failed.

Then the judge said we needed to take a break for the court reporter. I was worried the little squirt would disappear again.

My attorney had Bill on the stand and reminded him that he had been removed from the house on a domestic violence charge. Bill was quick to say he had never laid a hand on me. The rest was a blur.

How did the day go by so quickly? I don't know. But soon it was 4:30 and time for court to close for the day. We had not even begun to present our case. As if that weren't bad enough, the judge asked the attorneys to run the Dissomaster program (a program that's used statewide to calculate spousal support) on $10,000 a month and additional $750, $1750 and $1300. We tried to tell the judge that I didn't make $10,000 a month but he wouldn't allow any additional comments. I felt like a victim. I felt myself sinking into a depression.

Two days later I came down with a cold that moved into my chest and I've been ill ever since.

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