In Limbo

Chapter 41

It was the next morning when Joe and Amanda arrived at the lawyer's office, and the receptionist, Lynn, showed them into the room asking, "Mr. Burke will be a few minutes...Would either of you care for coffee?"

Joe and Amanda shook their heads, and Lynn answered, "Alright, he'll be right with you."

Thanking her as she closed the door, Joe looking at Amanda, queried pleadingly, "Why do you insist on this? I told Dotty-"

But Amanda shook her head stating, "Never mind what you told Mother, Joseph King! Amicable? Really? How in God's name do we go back to that? And why would I? You destroyed those boys!"

Joe answered defensively, "I-I didn't know they were there, and if I had, I never would've-"

Amanda finished for him, saying tersely, "You never would've uttered those words? Maybe not , but you certainly thought about it long enough, didn't you?"

Joe replied angrily, "Ye...No! Look, what I was trying to say last night? All I meant was that maybe if we had waited a bit to have the kids, it would've worked out better-"

Amanda scoffed asking,, "For who?! You apparently-"

Joe growled, "Oh, c'mon! If you weren't so dead set against travel-and gung ho about going along with everything Dotty told you to do-"

Just then, the door opened, and the lawyer, Kane Burke shouted, "Hey, hey! What's going on, you two?! I could hear you all the way down the hall!"

Joe and Amanda, looking at one another, each shook their heads and in unison stated, "Sorry."

Kane shook his head, and closing the door, answered as he went to his file cabinet and pulled out some forms, "It's alright. At least you weren't as loud as the couple I had yesterday-Wound up calling the police on them...How old are the kids, Amanda?"

Amanda replied, "Phillip is 14, Jamie is 12. Why?"

Kane, sitting down at his desk, facing Joe and Amanda, stated, "Well, it's hardest on them.. You didn't bring them, did you?"

Amanda shook her head answering, "No, they're in school right now...I don't want them to be here anyway for this."

Kane sighed, and nodding, he looked over the forms, remarking, "Good...Now, in this current agreement you and Joe both signed, you maintained that the primary residence was to be in Arlington, and that you would have joint legal custody...But now, Amanda, you wish to amend this to where we-"

Kane stopped, then looked at Joe, asking, "Uh, you didn't bring your lawyer?"

Joe shook his head responding, " I am a lawyer! I 'm representing myself-"

Amanda did a slight eye roll, and shaking her head, commented, "Please continue, Kane."

Kane sighed and answered, "Alright, we'll finish going over these, and then I'll have you both sign the proper forms for the judge..."

-SMK-

Later that morning, Amanda arrived at the Agency, and giving the password, had gotten her I.D., and went up the stairs to the "Q" Bureau, and going into the office, locked the door behind her, and went to Lee's desk, putting her purse underneath, and then heading for the file cabinet, started going through files to alphabetize them from where she left off the other day.

The door then opened, and Lee came in, and locking the door, stated, "Morning...Mrs. Marston said you were here. How did it go?"

Amanda, looking at a file folder, commented distractedly, "We filed and the lawyer will let me know in a few days when a judge can sign off on it...Hey, c'mere and tell me what this file is...Starts with Lamborg?"

Lee, puzzled, came over and scanning it closely, shook his head, answering, "That means it was about a Lamborghini...Crawford probably forgot to give this to the Impound guys, because the date on this was 5 years ago...Uh, okay, put that in the Reserve box for them, will ya, and then sit down and tell me what happened with the lawyer."

Amanda closed the folder, and finding the box, laid it on top with others, and sitting down in the chair at the desk, shrugged responding, "Well, while Joe and I were waiting for Kane-"

Lee asked, "Kane?"

Amanda remarked, "Kane Burke, my lawyer-"

Lee chuckled, "Sounds like a movie actor name-"

Amanda cleared her throat, saying tiredly, "Anyway...While we waited, Joe tried pleading his case again, telling me he wouldn't have said what he said had he known the boys were coming out of the house, and that he was sorry, and did I really have to go through with this."

Lee scoffed, answering, "Of course you did! What did he think? That you were just gonna ignore it, and it would be like nothing happened?"

Amanda nodded, responding, "Thank you! My thoughts exactly! I told him he destroyed those boys, and told him how much pain he put them through...And then, he sprung this on me-"

Lee winced querying, "I'm almost afraid to ask...What?"

Amanda sighed, commenting, " He said that what he meant by that hurtful statement, was that maybe if we had waited to have them, it could've worked out better..."

Lee gave a low whistle, and shaking his head, said, "Boy, he's delusional, isn't he?"

Amanda nodded, stating, "Yeah, and by then, we'd gotten so loud with each other, that Kane came in, telling us he heard us all the way down the hall...I was so embarrassed."

Lee squeezed her shoulders from behind her, responding softly, "C'mon...You two were just letting off steam. It happens."

The phone rang, and Lee answered, "Stetson...What line? Okay, thanks."

-SMK-

Handing the receiver to Amanda, he commented, "Your lawyer...Line 2."

Amanda, bewildered, replied, "Hmm...He told me it would be a few days."

Pressing the line, Amanda said, "Hello, Kane? That was fast...What's going on? He did? Okay, well, that's fine. And the name changes I asked for?"

After a beat, she queried, "Okay, but what else?"

Amanda slumped back against the chair and slowly remarked, "I-I see...No, I didn't think about that, but he said he would continue with the child support anyway?"

With a sigh, Amanda responded, "Alright...Well, thank you for calling, and you'll let me know about the judge, huh? Okay, bye bye..."

Hanging up the phone, Amanda answered, "Well, that wasn't what I was expecting..."

Lee looked down at her, querying, "What wasn't, Honey?"

Amanda shrugged, stating, "Well, the name changes will be put on the forms, and Joe agreed to continue the child support payments, but legally, his parental rights can't be terminated unless I find someone to adopt the boys-"

Lee, clearing his throat, moved away from the desk, and Amanda, seeing the sudden panic on Lee's face, said quickly with her hands up, "Sw-Sweetheart! Relax! I wasn't fishing for you to do it. You don't know them well enough yet, and besides, I have to talk to them anyway about it...For now, we're keeping things the way they are."

Lee sighed, and turning back towards her, asked, "Meaning visits and everything?"

Amanda remarked flatly, "No...Joe now realizes the emotional damage he's inflicted on Phillip and Jamie, and said that he'd come only if they wanted him to, which means probably not for a long time."

Seeing the pain in Amanda's eyes, Lee came back over and knelt down to her side, answering gently as he put his hand on top of hers, "Divorce really stinks, doesn't it?"

Amanda gulped as she leaned against Lee, stating, "Yeah, it does..."

TBC