Chapter 3

"Ms. Remington?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked when Lori Anne picked it up on the third ring.

"Yes, this is she."

"It's Christine Stover from Neighborhood Legal Services." Stover had been the attorney the state aid caseworker had referred Lori Anne.

"Oh, yes. Good afternoon, Ms. Stover. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I wanted to let you know that the man named as Brittany's father has been served with the summons to appear for a child support hearing. I have heard from his attorney and a court date has been set."

Lori Anne had felt a pit in her stomach. "When?"

"June fifth at ten AM in Family Court. The DNA results are in and they will also be presented at the hearing."

"I just hope he doesn't think this whole thing was my idea, Ms. Stover. I really didn't want to drag Paul through this, but it was the only way I could get any assistance from the state for more than sixty days until I find another job. Britt's also asking a lot of questions and I really can't give her any firm answers, at least right now."

"I know, Ms. Remington, and I will try to make this as simple as possible."

"She doesn't have to be at the hearing, does she?" Lori Anne asked anxiously.

"No. It will you, the respondent, and both attorneys before the judge. He will review the DNA results and make the ruling accordingly. It shouldn't take more than an hour, based on past experience. If the respondent is confirmed to be Brittany's father, an order of support will be made based on the respondent's earnings."

Oh God, Lori Anne thought. Paul's going to think I'm a blood sucker for sure; first I didn't contact him for ten years, now here I am. I don't want this. I don't!

"But that will be according to our state laws, right?" she finally asked. "He doesn't live here; he's in Texas."

"More than likely the judge will rule within our laws since you and Brittany are residents here," Christine replied.

"It's….it's not going to be an outrageous amount, is it? If I had to do this, I just need enough to take care of my daughter without compromising his situation. He needs to live too."

"I can't really say. That decision will be up to the judge. But I will be honest and say that you have to be the first child support client I've represented that was as concerned about the father's living situation as well as your own. Most women want to bleed their kids' fathers for every nickel they can get."

"Which is why Paul wasn't contacted for anything up until now. I didn't want him to think I was some gold digger using Brittany to siphon a few extra dollars out of him."

"Of course not, but you are also forgetting one thing, Ms. Remington. Brittany could be as much as this man's child as she is yours. He should be obligated to aid in her support at some point, at least until she turns eighteen or finishes a post-secondary education, depending on what the judge orders."

"Well, yes, but it still bothers me to some extent to burden him like this."

"I know it does, which is why I want to proceed with this in the least difficult way possible. We should have some definite answers on June fifth nevertheless."

Meanwhile:

Attorney Jack Chase glanced at the paperwork before him and then at the man sitting across from his desk.

Paul was now thirty-eight; for the last ten years, he had lived his life as he normally had wrestling, being with friends, paying bills, the everyday things that came with working and living. He hadn't even known about a kid named Brittany until he'd gotten that damn summons to undergo a DNA test and then appear for a hearing.

The test and the hearing he could have dealt with—if it had been held at home. But the summons for it ordered him to appear in a Pennsylvania family court, and it had been a pain in the ass to find a lawyer who was certified to practice there willing to represent an out of state client.

Paul's luck had changed somewhat when one of the guys (also from Texas) told him about Jack Chase, a family law attorney that not only practiced in Texas, but had also recently passed the Pennsylvania state bar to practice there.

In any event, he just hoped this kid wasn't his and he could come home and proceed with life as before. Otherwise, how in the blue hell was he going to explain having a ten year old daughter all of the sudden?

"How bad is it?" Paul finally asked.

"It depends," Chase nodded, looking up from the paperwork again. "The good news is that the DNA results are back from the lab and the hearing is scheduled for June fifth."

"And the bad news?"

"If the test shows you are indeed this girl's father, chances are the judge is going to order a child support payment until the child is of majority age or out of college."

"Wait, out of college?" Paul wondered. "I could be saddled paying for this kid clear through then? I thought it stopped when the kid was eighteen."

"It may work that way here," Chase replied, "but in Pennsylvania, the custodial parent can request additional support until the child successfully completes a post-secondary education or it can cease when the child withdraws from college."

"Jesus Christ…" Paul sighed. "Why doesn't this woman try to take everything but my balls while she's at it?"

Chase leaned back on his chair. "That's just the thing. Ms. Remington's attorney informed me that she was reluctant to file for support in the first place; it was required for her to do so in order to receive some kind of financial assistance from the state for herself and her daughter. The lady lost her job and her unemployment insurance was about to expire. And speaking from experience, jobs in Pennsylvania are not easy to come by."

"Holy shit….I didn't think things were that bad. Wait, did you say Remington?"

"That's the name of the mother," Chase nodded. "Why?"

"I knew a woman about ten years ago by that name. Lori Anne Remington. We talked a lot back then, we even met up one night, and then I never saw or heard from her again after that meeting."

"Well, guess what? You will be again, because that happens to be the name of the plaintiff."