Talk to the Hand

Epilogue:

Susan's parents held up her bail for ten days while Susan sat in a jail cell. Upon her release on bail, Susan moved in with her sister because her parents would not have her living in their house. Mary had literally disowned Susan for the damage she had caused her family. With the restraining order in place, I had no further contact with Susan.

Her trial came up four months later and she was found guilty of child endangerment and neglect. The sexual nature of the offenses would also brand Susan as a sexual predator, a tag she would carry around for the rest of her life. She was sentenced to serve three years in the woman's correctional facility.

Franklin's fate was a little more sever than Susan's. He was disbarred from practicing law in our state. He was ordered to pay a $100,000 restitution to me for his part in destroying my marriage. Finally, he was also sentenced to three years in the state penitentiary. Even though I would have like to have had my chance to do some physical damage to that asshole, I knew better than risk going to jail just to satisfy my ego.

It's been five years since the divorce. The kids have adapted very well to our new family structure. Nancy is now a senior in high school and has been in the top 5% of her class since her freshman year. Next year she will begin her college studies at the State University on a full academic scholarship. I am so very proud of her. Joey is very anxious to get his driver's license. He is also doing very well in his studies as well as being an excellent athlete. No father could be more proud of his children than I. Considering the tragic events which broke our family apart, the children adapted very well to the new situation.

As I look back and contemplate the last 5 years of my life, I'm am very content with the way things worked out for the three of us. The most notable aspect of the past 5 years has been the major change in me. I had to quit my job since my boss was insisting that I work more hours than my new parent role would allow. It's funny about jobs. You seem to think that finding a new job would be extremely hard and if you did find a new job, it wouldn't be as good as your present job. Not true for me at least. I found a great job which allowed me to work a schedule permitting me to be the parent my children needed. I found that I really liked the new role in our household. I wasn't just the pay check earner, I was really both parents for my children.

You ask about my love life?

I did not take a vow of celibacy after my divorce from Susan. Dating was not the number one item on my list of things to do, but over the past several years, I have met and dated a number of very interesting woman. Some of the sex I had during that time was the best sex I ever had. I know that one day, I will find "Ms. Right" for me and then I will start a new chapter in my life. Until then I remain Father and Mother to my two wonderful children.

Oh! You want to know what happened to Susan?

Well, I must admit there were times I felt a little guilty about the harsh treatment Susan received from the courts. She spent almost her full three year sentence in prison. She wrote several letters to the kids, I know they both sent answers back to their mom, but then the letters from Susan stopped coming. I have not seen nor heard from her since she went off to prison. Her parents would have nothing to do with her after the day I told them how she had treated me and the kids. Maybe the time she spent in prison would make her realize just how badly she screwed up her life and those around her.

Now that all of the hurt is behind me, I guess I do wish her well wherever she might be.