It had been twelve years since I moved away from Charleston. Twelve years since I had told my parents that I was pregnant. Twelve years since my trust in human nature was put to the test and found wanting.
A series of events had conspired to ruin my future aspirations. The first was that I believed the bullshit from my first date, Spencer Wharton, that he loved me and that he would take all the necessary precautions if I would allow him to have sex with me. He lied. In giving in to his promise I surrendered my virginity to him. I believed him when he told me that he was sorry that he had not withdrawn and had filled me with his sperm. I believed him when he told me the tablet that he gave me the following morning was the 'morning after pill' and that I had nothing to worry about. I believed him when he professed surprise when I announced to him that I was pregnant I believed him when he told me that he would accept his responsibility and marry me.
I told my mother of my condition, confirming what she had worked out for herself when I had missed my second period. She told my father who demanded to know who the father was. My father told his employer, who happened to be Spencer's father.
Things really turned sour for me when my father's employer, Thomas Wharton, asked Spencer if what I had told my father was true.
"It is not true." Spencer told his father. "I have not had sex with Miranda Morrison, I'm probably the only boy in our class who hasn't. I don't know why she is making up these lies, maybe she thinks that by forcing me to marry her she will have a better life than if she were to marry any of the other boys in our class."
My loss of faith escalated from that point on. Spencer's father told his employee, my father, that I had lied to him when I had identified Spencer as the boy who had impregnated his daughter. When I had insisted that I had not lied, and this was relayed to his employer, my father was informed that, in order for him to keep his employment, he would have to inform me that if I continued to name Spencer as the guilty party, I would be charged with defamation.
My father was not in a position to lose his job
When I refused this order, I was packed off to my Aunty Betsy's for the term of my pregnancy and, if it was deemed suitable, I would stay with her until my education was completed and I had found gainful employment.
The driving force behind my successfully completing my education and finding gainful employment was my continued desire to position myself in such a way as to seek revenge on the person who had defamed me by insisting that I was some sort of schoolgirl harlot.
My gainful employment in the legal profession has meant that I would phrase my conversation in such a way that it could not be interpreted in any way other than which I had intended (it to be interpreted).
My return home coincided with my father's funeral. As there was no legal impediment for me to seek a financial recourse, child support from the father of Phoebe, my eleven year old daughter, I was armed with the necessary papers to serve on Spencer. I was looking forward to serving him with those papers.
"Miranda, is that really you?" There was Spencer, looking at me.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came as a representative of our company. Your father was a valued employee and, as my father was unable to attend, I was asked to stand in for him."
"I, we, mother and I, appreciate the gesture, it wasn't expected or necessary. It does save me from finding you."
"What do you mean?"
"How about a selfie, just the two of us?"
"Okay." He stood close to me, an arm around my shoulder. "How is this?"
"That's perfect." I held my phone in front of us and, just before taking the picture I passed an envelope to him. "Consider yourself served."
"What's this?"
"I have another one." I handed the second document to him.
He tore the envelopes open and extracted the documents. "This is bullshit!"
"What you told me before you fucked me was bullshit. What you told your father was bullshit. The result of which my family has been financially and emotionally damaged. I am seeking restitution for those damages. "I'll see you in court."
"What did you give Spencer?" Mother asked.
"I served him with an application for child support and for damages caused to my standing within this community that forced me to leave my home and friends and live with my aunt. I missed out on the normal things that I would have experienced if not for his lies."
"Do you think that wise?"
"Yes, I do. I am also thinking of including you in this action, after all you and father both suffered because of this, You missed out on being there for the major milestones in my life to now and father had to endure working for a company that took advantage of the employment situation that made seeking alternative employment almost impossible."
"But darling, I still have to live here. What if you are unsuccessful, what if Thomas can find witnesses to refute your allegations?"
"That is unlikely to happen."
"You do realise that he can afford to hire the best lawyers."
"He can never get better than the second best, because the best is representing me, and I'm getting the best for free."
I was due to fly home tomorrow, I consider Aunty Betsy's home to mine, after all it has been mine for the past twelve years and where I intend to make my future with Bryan, my partner of choice, who has promised to support me in my revenge.
Damage control began with a visit from Thomas. "Susan. I must apologise for not being at Fred's funeral, I had business commitments that couldn't be changed."
"I wasn't expecting you."
"Why not? Fred was a conscientious and valuable cog in our corporate structure."
"This is not the real reason for this visit, is it?"
"Miranda, I didn't recognise you. My you have grown up, and you are attractive too."
"Why thank you. Just think, I could have been a part of your family."
"Spencer did tell me that you have some idea that he has wronged you."
"You have come to try to badger me into forgetting what happened all of those years ago. I cannot forget that and how it affected father and mother. I am only seeking the justice denied me twelve years ago."
"I wish for you to reconsider."
"I have thought of nothing more than this moment for twelve years. I am not about to forget it now."
"If that is your final decision, so be it. Good-bye to you Miranda, Susan."
I had been home no more than a week when the first shots were fired. I was invited to appear before a conciliation tribunal in an effort to settle the matter before a court appearance became inevitable.
The adjudicator set out the rules for the conference. "Miranda, you don't mind me calling you that, do you?"
"No, that's fine."
"This is a little unusual, waiting this long to lodge this action. What has it been, twelve years since the alleged incident, why have you waited this long?"
"I was concerned that, when Spencer Wharton seduced me, he told me that he would take precautions so that I would not get pregnant, that he would withdraw before ejaculating. He then gave me what I was told was the morning after pill. I was pregnant and when I told him, he not only went back on his promise to look after me, but he denied ever having sex with me, and told his father that he was the only boy in our class at school that had not had sex with me. My father could not pursue the matter further because he was told that he lose his job with Whartons."
"Why did you not seek a termination?"
"Because we are good Catholics, and this was contrary to the rules of the church. The family discussed this with my Aunty Betsy, and it was agreed that I would live with her, and she could look after Phoebe while I completed my education. My father died recently, and I believed that I was no longer restrained by the threat to my father. I sought legal advice and was told that there was no statute of limitations on an action such as this, so here we are."
