Paying My Dues

On Friday evening at 5:59 pm, Brandon and Faye were in his car as they reluctantly dropped off a happy Tamara. I was waiting for her outside when she ran toward me and jumped into my arms sobbing. I was just as happy to see her. I tightly squeezed and kissed the girl I had called my daughter for fourteen years. I was thrilled to see that she had not yet been poisoned against me. I was happier than I had been for quite some time. I took her out to dinner at her favorite place to go. We had a nice meal and caught up on the goings on in our lives. She explained that my mother had been driving to Brandon's home every weekday and home-schooling her for now. She said they were afraid I'd try to take her and run. I explained that I would never try to keep her from her mother. She said she knew that and tried to tell them but they wouldn't listen. I explained how hard I had fought to have this limited time with her. She seemed pleased to know I still loved her with all my heart.

We watched a DVD movie that night, munching on popcorn and candy to lighten the mood. After the movie, Tamara dropped an unanticipated bombshell request on me.

"Daddy, before the judge worked out for me to be here with you this weekend, I had already made plans to have a pool party tomorrow at my new home. It was going to be an all-day affair. I had invited twelve friends from school, both girls and guys for some fun around the pool, grilling steaks and burgers, and to let them see where I live now. I'm so happy I got to see you today but would you be okay with letting me still have my party? I mean, if you say no, I guess I can call them all tonight and cancel if you won't let me. Mom says it's up to you."

And there it was. I only get four days a month with my daughter and Faye was already influencing Tamara to even cut back on that. It saddened me to see her being manipulated like this, totally oblivious to their machinations.

"Sure, honey, if that's what you'd rather do. I was hoping to spend the day with you tomorrow, just you and me but if you had already planned this in advance..."

"Oh, thank you, daddy. You're the best!" She said as she hugged my neck. "I knew you'd understand. I'll call mom to pick me up in the morning at eight."

As expected, late Saturday night during her party, I received a call from Tamara. "Daddy, the party is still in full swing. We've been having a blast. I really don't want to leave them high and dry. We may swim until midnight. This pool is so cool at night with the fancy lights and all. Is it okay if I sleep here tonight rather than driving way over there in the middle of the night just to sleep?"

"Sure, sweetheart. I understand. Have fun," and I ended the call without waiting to hear her gleeful response. I don't think she cared. Why do I always get my hopes up only to have them dashed time and time again? I must be a glutton for emotional punishment.

Two weeks later, a similar circumstance presented itself. Saturday morning, Tamara excitedly came to me. "Daddy, I know this is your weekend to have me and all but my best friend, Alicia, you remember her, well, she's invited a few of her very best friends over for a slumber party at her house tonight. Can I go, please, daddy?"

When I looked deeply into my daughter's eyes, I saw nothing in there that wanted to be with me. I saw only the excitement of a teenage girl wanting to be popular with others of her kind. Had I lost her already?"

"Sure, Tamara. If that's what you'd rather do. I'm sure that would be a lot more fun for you."

Did she get the hint? Not on your life. "Oh, thank you, daddy, you're the best!" And she gleefully went her way living on the phone until she was picked up. That was the last I saw of her that weekend.

Two weeks later, I was induced to abandon all hope.

"It's good to see you again, Uncle Quinn. I hope you don't mind but mom and my real dad tell me that I need to start calling you by your correct title now, just to keep things in proper perspective."

"I see. Told you, did they?"

"Yes, Uncle Quinn. Isn't it exciting? I'll be living in that mansion from now on with my real dad who gives me everything I ever dreamed of having. My real dad's going to take me car shopping next week even though I haven't even started taking driver's ed. yet. Isn't that awesome?"

"I love you, Tamara but do not ever call me Uncle Quinn again. If you can't bring yourself to call me daddy any longer, then call me sir, or 'hey you' but NEVER Uncle! Got it?" I fumed.

"Dad said you might be sensitive about that. I'll try not to say it again but dad and mom really insisted that I do."

"Let me know if it's too much to ask. I don't want to place an unbearable burden on you," I said sarcastically. She felt the sting of my response and just walked away.

A few minutes later, I overheard her talking on her phone. Her door was cracked so I stood near the opening to hear what I could.

"Yes, mom, I called him Uncle Quinn just like you told me to."

"No, he didn't like it one bit."

"No, he didn't curse or call you or dad any names, he just told me never to call him that again."

"But I don't want to. You should have seen him when I did it. It killed me to see the pain in his eyes."

"Yes, ma'am, I understand. No, I don't want to be grounded. Okay, okay, already. I'll do it, I swear. I'll call him Uncle Quinn every time I speak to him. But you promise? Really promise? You'll take me and Alicia shopping at the mall and I can have anything I want?"

"Okay, mom. I'll do it."

Chapter-4

I walked away in silence as tears washed down my cheeks. The only ray of sunshine I had left in the world had been taken from me. They bought her. I'd hoped that she knew better than to fall for what they were doing. I could never compete with his money. Tamara, my only child, was lost to me. They won. I give up.

I had made spaghetti for supper. It was her favorite of what few dishes I had learned to cook. We pretty much ate in silence but I knew it was coming. She was intentionally holding off speaking so she wouldn't have to say it again.

"Uncle Quinn. Is it okay if I go shopping with mom on Sunday morning? She wants to take me and Alicia on a shopping spree at the mall. I'm really looking forward to it. She said she will come to pick me up in my real dad's new car. It's awesome, wait until you see it," she said excitedly.

"I'll think about it, Miss Davenport. I'll give it some thought as I clean up the kitchen."

"I'll be happy to help clean up, Uncle Quinn."

"No thanks, Miss Davenport," I again tersely said.

She walked away sadly having just heard me call her Miss Davenport twice. I don't think she liked it either. After I completed a painstakingly thorough cleaning of the kitchen, I made some firm decisions. I went to her room. She looked up at me with concern in her eyes.

"Come with me, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise for me, Uncle Quinn? What kind of surprise?

"Let's go for a ride, Miss Davenport, and you'll see."

We jumped in my car and headed out. Neither of us said a single word during the drive. I think she wanted to avoid calling me uncle again. Nor did she wish me to refer to her as Miss. After a 20-minute drive, we arrived at our destination.

"But this is my real dad's house, where mom and I live now. Why are we here, Uncle Quinn?

"Because I don't want to stand in the way of your joy and happiness. I know you are looking forward to going shopping with your mom so much, I thought I'd give you the present of more time with her. I hope you have a wonderful weekend of blissful shopping, Tamara. Never forget, I love you," I said as I kissed her forehead.

"Now go on, go get an early start on your shopping."

Her expression vacillated between a smile and a frown. She was clearly confused. She walked bewildered to the house, looking back at me occasionally. No one was aware that she was coming. I watched and waited until I saw her safely enter the ostentatious house. Brandon stepped outside and looked over at me as I drove off. Faye called my cell phone within two minutes. I turned my phone off. There was nothing more to be said. She had what she wanted, and I had my plan.

Since I no longer had any reason to stick around and be humiliated on an ongoing basis, I planned to permanently remove myself from the circumstances of my discomfiture. On my way home from dropping Tamara off, I picked up a large number of heavy-duty storage boxes and began packing. Most importantly, I collected those few belongings, keepsakes, clothes, and toiletries that would serve my needs for a good while. I packed them all into a single box. Everything else that I may eventually decide to revisit at some time in the future, I packed up and sealed in carefully packaged boxes. It took me the entire weekend to go through everything that had any meaning to me, which included packing all of Tamara's belongings that remained at the house into four large boxes and setting them aside.

Monday morning, I turned my phone back on and deleted all texts and calls from all family members without reading or listening to them. Nothing could be said to cause me to change my mind, and I didn't want to endure any more drama. While I was making my first truck run to a warehouse, I called Kendra, a realtor that I knew. She attended GCC with me and was part of my cluster of friends when we were there. She was surprised to hear from me. I told her that I wanted my home sold, lock stock, and barrel in under two weeks. She claimed that would be impossible. I then reminded her that I had seen countless ads and posters from investors looking to pay cash for houses sight unseen, offering quick turnarounds. She said that was a viable option but one that would yield the lowest return. I asked her to get me the best offer she could under the circumstances, as long as all the paperwork could be signed by a week from this coming Friday. She took all of my information and promised to get back to me ASAP. She came by that night, signed me as her client, and picked up a spare key. She said she already had several irons in the fire.

Over lunch, I surfed the web looking for the lowest-cost storage facility within reasonable driving distance. I located one about twenty miles away priced twenty-five percent lower than the others I had researched. I stopped by on my way home and rented a space there as small as I felt would accommodate everything I might need to store. I could always upgrade if needed. Not knowing what the weather would be like, I reserved a decent-size U-Haul truck for Friday evening.

Wednesday afternoon, my stomach began churning when I saw dad waiting for me at the plant as I was turning in my transfer vouchers at the end of my work day. I didn't want to allow anything to disrupt my planned departure.

"Hi Quinn, how was your day?" He asked without really caring.

"Good. I moved a lot of product today, just dotting the I's and crossing the T's finishing my paperwork so I can get paid." I said flatly.

"Great, I've heard nothing but good reports about you. Look, the reason I'm here is that you aren't answering your phone or responding to any texts. You've been dodging your family, Quinn. Is something going on that we should know about? We're all worried sick about you."

We both knew that he didn't want any personal family business openly discussed where ubiquitous ears could start a gossip chain. "I admit that I've not felt like interacting much with anyone, just work, eat, and sleep. That's my life now."

"Well, I hope your outlook changes for the better on Sunday."

"Why? What's happening on Sunday?" I feigned interest.

"We're having the entire family over for another backyard shindig on Sunday. Everybody wants you to be there. You've always had a great time at these things. It starts at 2 pm. And we won't take no for an answer."

"If Brandon and Faye plan to be there, you'll have to. I refuse to be in the same area with them."

"I wish you wouldn't be that way, Quinn. But your mother and I figure that seeing them so soon would be too raw emotionally for you right now. That's why we've asked them not to come this time. They talked about taking Tamara to a theme park Sunday. Now that you know that, we expect you to be there. Okay? Everyone in the family wants to see you. Don't disappoint me. It starts at 2 pm. But you're welcome to show up earlier if you wish."

I thought that it might be good to see everyone again before flying the coop. If the asshole and slut won't be there, then it might be a good experience after all. "Sure dad, I'll be there, Sunday at two o'clock.

On Friday, using my hand truck I moved everything I wanted to the storage unit and locked it up. Quite a few items were remaining that I donated to charitable organizations as long as they picked them up. As far as my family members are concerned, everything seemed normal with me. After returning the rental truck, I checked my email. I had filled out a dozen online job applications for a trucking job. I have plenty of experience, all the credentials, and the desire to be away from all the drama that was sure to follow. Three serious offers were inquiring when I could start. I informed all three companies that I could start Monday a week.

The house was nearly empty. I didn't bother doing any painting or cleanup. It was being sold as is. I slept on an air mattress as I made the final preparations for my exit. I didn't expect to hear from anyone until Tamara's next scheduled visit. I collected our wedding album and every picture we had in the house, and, during the evenings, I went through each one, cutting every one of my images completely out of them. I held on to three of my favorite pictures of Tamara and placed all of the reviewed and 'edited' pictures in with Tamara's belongings. I didn't want to leave behind any targets with my face for them to spit on or play darts with.

I called grandpa to see if he would be at the family gathering on Sunday. He said he was unable to go this time because he had already arranged to look at some livestock he was considering adding to the farm. He would be gone for three days to attend the auction. I understood and didn't expect any problems since the two traitors would be out of the picture.

Mom hugged me forever when I arrived. When I tried to shake dad's hand, he pulled me into a bear hug and patted my back. They both seemed sincerely happy that I was there. I joined the group and reconnected with other family and friends. The caterer had done an excellent job providing a banquet complete with all the trimmings. Mom and dad made a big show of sandwiching me between them at the table as if I was some kind of prodigal son. After the meal, I excused myself to the restroom. Of course, I knew where it was, having grown up in that house.

It was when I exited the bathroom that I was met with an unexpected shock. Dad and Brandon were waiting out of sight, just outside the door. They both grabbed me. My struggle against them was fruitless. I was diminutive compared to them. I might not escape their clutches but I could certainly make noise. The moment I began yelling, Faye quickly stretched a strip of duct tape tightly across my mouth to silence me. Apparently, she had anticipated my objection. Mom injected, "Be careful not to cover his nose. We don't want any harm to come to him."

I was frog-marched to my old bedroom. No one outside would be able to hear anything said in that room. It was too distant. A DJ had already started playing music for the backyard festivities. I'm sure many were already dancing and enjoying the venue, and would never miss us.

As my dad strong-armed me, "Search him thoroughly, Faye, and I do mean thoroughly. Make certain that he has no recording devices of any kind nor an active cell phone."

As thoroughly as Faye was intimately exploring my body under my clothes with her hands, I almost thought we were going to have sex. "He has nothing but his cell phone, and I just turned it off. He's clean," she confirmed.

I noticed a heavy-duty solid oak kitchen chair positioned in the open area of the bedroom. I was unceremoniously shoved into it. As dad and Brandon held me securely, Faye duct-taped my wrists and ankles as they were tightly pressed against the wood frame. When I had been rendered immobile, they all stepped away and looked me over. They could tell that I was not happy.

Mom took charge of my ambushed abduction. "Quinn, Quinn, honey, I'm sorry we had to take these measures to talk to you but you gave us no other choice. We probably have more questions than you do but one thing is certain, you're going to hear us out and listen to everything we have to say to you. You'll be free to go after we've all said that needs to be said but it's time you heard the whole truth. Perhaps then, you'll view things differently than you do now. None of us are ready to give up on you, no matter what you think. Every person in this room loves you more than you can imagine, and that includes Brandon and Faye. Now, what I need to know from you before getting started with what must be said is, do you plan to yell and scream at us if we take the tape off your mouth? If you can contain your anger and talk with us calmly, this will go much more easily for you. Do you promise to be good and remain calm and respectful at all times if Faye removes the tape?"

I reluctantly nodded my head. I figured I might manage to calmly and serenely tell the four of them to go to hell rather than be subjected to a completely one-sided conversation.

"Excellent, Quinn. I knew you could be reasoned with. As Faye takes the tape off, remember, if you raise your voice a single time, she will silence you once again and you will remain that way until we're done here. Understood?" I nodded again. I had expected Brandon and Faye's betrayal to continue but I was shocked that mom and dad would be willing participants in this 'intervention' if they chose to think of it that way. I decided not to speak until I had something important to convey. Calling them all disparaging names doesn't qualify as important at this moment. They looked at me expectantly.

"Dad, you lied to me. You lied and said that neither of them would be here. Is that what I'm here for? More lies and deceit?"

Mom became the spokesperson for the group, "Quinn, yes, we admit that we misrepresented the truth to you. You would not have come knowing that either of them would be here. You need to hear some things other than your own misguided interpretation of events. You've refused every attempt we've made to talk to you, so we were forced to make these unfortunate arrangements to compel you to hear the truth."

"Whose truth, Mrs. Davenport? The backstabbing slut's truth? My asshole ex-brother's truth? Or yours and dad's truth? You're all in cahoots together against me, four against one. What about my truth, Mrs. Davenport? Does my truth count for nothing?" I said with an unnerving calm.

Mom winced and pulled back at my invectives. She hadn't anticipated my boiling anger. Calling her by her married name divorced her connection as my mother and she didn't like it.

"You're just as important as any of us, Quinn. Of course, what you think counts. Why else do you think we'd go to so much trouble to get you here?"

"If I'm equally important, why am I the only one restrained in a wooden chair?"

"As I said, you'll be free to go after we've had our say. I give you my word." She added.

"Right now, Mrs. Davenport, I hope you realize that your word means nothing to me."

She looked pained to hear my remark. "That may be the case, Quinn, but every word I'm about to say is the unvarnished truth, I swear it on my life."

Not wishing to delay this any further, I did not respond.

"Very well. Quinn, first, I want you to know that everyone in this room loves you with all their hearts. I realize you may find that hard to believe but you are about to learn some hard truths, truths that you may not want to hear, truths I never wanted you to know but truths you now need to know to help put things in proper perspective. Here goes...."